DIET

This isn’t about dieting. It is about my body’s intolerance to starchy foods.

DO NOT DO THIS DIET IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CUSHING’S AS IT MAY LOWER YOUR CORTISOL AND MAKE A DIAGNOSIS MORE DIFFICULT.

Dr. Rona put me on a low-starch diet which worked perfectly to lower my cortisol and eliminate many symptoms. After maybe a year the effects started to diminish. I realized I needed to change to a no-starch diet for it to be effective again. Without contacting Dr. Rona, I started this new diet. But I’m recommending it a little different than what I did. Allow yourself a starchy food every 5 days. Do NOT have starchy foods 2 or more days in a row. This lifestyle is restrictive so, it might be difficult for you to strictly adhere to it. Because of the limited food selections and your body’s natural craving for high carb foods, you may not want to continue for the six months that I found necessary to see and feel a change in my weight and the Cushing’s symptoms. I know this is hard, but you will be amazed at how well you will feel, if you stick to it. If you take all the starchy foods out of your diet and then eat something containing even a small amount of starch, be aware of how your body reacts or possibly doesn’t react. When I accidentally put starch in my body the next morning I woke up to a burning in the vagina. We are all different. Listen to your body. You can find what works for you.

Is eating the starchy foods you enjoy worth giving up the activities you love? It is a push and pull scenario that only you can decide. The pull to eat starchy foods must be stronger than the push to reclaim your lifestyle. And likewise, the pull to get your life back must be stronger than the push to feed your appetite. From a time perspective, the satisfaction in eating lasts minutes, whereas, the enjoyment in reclaiming your life is endless.

Do you want to feel stronger, have more energy and lose weight occasionally or permanently? It is up to you. You decide how much effort you are comfortable with in going forward. Has your body already proven to you how it reacts to starch by the foods you are eating? Is it worth experiencing how your body responds without starches? You are your own science experiment. Is six months too long of a commitment to regain your health? This is a difficult diet. It will change the way you cook by using diverse recipes using fresh foods that will benefit your body. It’s understandable if you have setbacks. If I can stick with this diet and get better than so can you. Believe. You can do this.

It is not easy. Good luck. Anything is possible if you BELIEVE.

Parents with a baby born with Cushing’s did a video on FaceBook. The baby was diagnosed with Cushing’s. The mother said the baby was lethargic and like carrying dead weight. Over time the baby’s features changed and she looked and acted like a normal baby. Then later at the toddler stage, she got Cushing’s features and symptoms back. I found this interesting because this aligns with my theory of how our bodies can’t tolerate starch. But I would have to make a lot of assumptions and would never be able to confirm these assumptions as fact.. When the mother was pregnant, I assume she ate starchy foods thereby feeding her baby starches, which the baby couldn’t tolerate. This gave the baby Cushing’s symptoms. Then once born, I assume again if the baby is on formula, some formulas don’t have starch, the baby is no longer taking in starch and therefore the Cushing’s symptoms disappear. Then when the baby goes on solid food with starch the Cushing’s symptoms return. This scenario re-enforces my belief that starch causes Cushing’s or that starch feeds the tumor to make it grow and bring out the Cushing’s symptoms. I googled baby formula to see if it has starch in it. According to google some baby formula has no starch and some baby formula does have starch. Of course, this is all just conjecture but it is an interesting scenario that makes me wonder if this could have been what happened.

Proteins

All meats are allowed, except for deli luncheon meats usually used in sandwiches because they have wheat fillers. Fish and eggs are also allowed.

NOTE: Do not eat farm-raised fish especially salmon as they are fed corn, which is starchy. These farm-raised fish are kept in cages and are tightly packed. Because of this, fins cut into other fishes creating an infection.

Non-starchy Vegetables

Alfalfa sprouts, artichokes, asparagus, amaranth or Chinese spinach, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celery, cabbage, daikon, fennel, fresh garlic, green beans, hearts of palm, kohlrabi, leafy greens, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, radish, onions. scallions, snow peas, spaghetti squash, spinach, swiss chard, turnips, watercress, zucchini. NOTE: Zucchini must be peeled, cut in half and seeds scooped out. Carrots are allowed ONLY if they are raw. Cooked carrots become starchy.

Fruits

All berries and coconut are allowed. Pineapple and green grapes are fine but because of their high sugar content should be eaten in moderation to avoid high insulin reactions that might lead to diabetes.

Oils

Coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and canola oil.

Drinks

Coffee, coconut water/milk. I use coconut cream as a thickener for soups. 100% pure pineapple juice, dry white wine, and some herbal teas – read ingredients to ensure there are no nutshells, cocoa, or reactive fruits.

Flour

Coconut flour only.

Sugar

coconut sugar only.

AVOID eating or drinking any dairy, grains of any kind, deli meat, red/purple grapes, nuts and seeds. Avoid any drinks made with sugar cane and alcohol. Liquors are made from starchy foods such as potato, wheat, corn, barley, rye, etc. so are not allowed. But the good news is dry white wine is allowed because green grapes are not starchy, however red grapes are starchy, so red wine is not allowed. NOTE: Stevia is not starchy, however some manufactures put wheat (which is starchy) into the product to give it longer shelf life.

AVOID foods with CITRUS ACID

Citrus acid does not come from citric fruit, instead, it was created by a scientist using GMO black mold grown on GMO corn syrup.

Foods you might think are not starchy

Tomatoes, sweet peppers, watermelon, and black pepper are starchy. All citrus fruits if picked before ripe are starchy.

Testing if Uncertain

If uncertain put a drop of iodine on the food. If the iodine turns black or blue there is starch in the food. If it remains an amber colour there is no starch. Do not eat that part with the iodine on it.

Foods Allowed

Foods To Avoid