DIET

This diet 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 accidently 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 obviously Cushingnoid. The mother said the baby was lathargic and like carrying a 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. This aligns with my theory of how our bodies can’t tolerate starch. When the mother was pregnant she ate starchy foods therby feeding her baby starches, which the baby couldn’t tolerate. This gave the baby Cushing’s symptoms. Then once born, 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.

Foods Allowed

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.

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, green beans, hearts of palm, kohlrabi, leafy greens, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, radish, rhubarb, 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, melons, pineapple, coconut, and green grapes only.

Oils

Coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and canola oil.

Drinks

Coconut water/milk, 100% pure pineapple juice, dry white wine and some herbal teas – read ingredients to ensure there are no nutshells, cocao or reactive fruits.

Foods To Avoid

AVOID eating or drinking any dairy, grains of any kind, deli meat, red/purple grapes, nuts and seeds. Avoid coffee and 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 manufactuers put wheat (which is starchy) into the product to give it a longer shelf life.

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.