Bad Diet

Making a smoothie is a good way of disguising tastes and textures and is a very good way of getting nutrition and having it all done in one go. You can also just sip away, so it could be a good way to introduce your stomach to the 'new' foods gradually. You can also add extra supplements like pro-biotics or specific vitamins if needed.

There are many resources online which can help you to decide which ingredients to try first, you could begin with just a few and build up based on taste and texture preferences. The fact you like sweet sugary foods is also a good start for you as many fruits are naturally very sweet. You can also purchase an inexpensive blender to make them, be warned if you have sensory needs you may need to wear ear plugs/headphones when using!

They are such a great way to get nutrition and fibre and until a once-a-day pill is invented which gives our bodies and digestive systems everything it needs to survive healthily, smoothies are a good option.

However, as others have stated you do need to get your digestive system looked at to rule out any medical conditions although it's highly likely your digestive system won't be favouring your current diet.

I hope you can make some progress with this, it is truly awful having digestive issues, it is the core of our being afterall.

alot of the things advertised as healthy... are not healthy.... they advertise vegan diets as healthy now, and laughably as good for the environment despite how much land they take and how they take more vehicle and diesel use and spray loads of chemicals in the air so they are far from environmentally friendly lol

theres too much lies in health... its all because its just different sectors wanting to lie to make money... 

best bet is to play it by what feels right to you.

to me personally alot of plant stuff irritates my stomach and guts...  this is because they contain lectins and plants dont want to be eaten and evolved toxins to irritate your guts because plants dont want to be eaten and are not for eating.

i think the key to your health though is your movement... i feel it seems it doesnt matter what you eat or how you change your diet, but as soon as you cut down your movement or increase it, then you see a difference.... diet seems to not really matter as much as people say... but yet society claims it does... because food is a product and people make money off those products and they want to advertise that product as the be all end all so that you give them your money. its all a advertisement money making sham in the end all this diet stuff.

I guess u have a strong sugar craving.Sugar craving can be caused by a variety of factors, including stress, poor nutrition, and hormonal changes. Here some tips how to deal with that:1.Stay hydrated: Sometimes when we're dehydrated, our body can mistake thirst for hunger or sugar cravings.2.Eat regularly: Eating regularly can help keep your blood sugar levels stable and prevent sudden sugar cravings. Here one of example https://betterme.world/articles/low-potassium-diet-menu/. 3.Choose healthy alternatives: When you do have sugar cravings, try to swap for healthy alternatives like fruit, yogurt, or nuts instead of sugary snacks. 4.Avoid triggers: Avoid triggers that can cause sugar cravings like skipping meals, consuming too much caffeine, or being around sugary treats. 5. And may be it would be good to find a professional who could help u with that problem!

Well what about introducing your stomach to health food very slowly. Like a piece of carrot covered with plenty of sugary things that you usually eat and slowly increasing the ratio of healthy things. Take it super slow and increase the ratio very slowly. Do you think this would work with you?. Also, if you have symptoms like pain and yellow mucus then maybe writing an email to a doctor is worth it... Wish you the best

Hi, It's probably a good idea to see a GP about this. However, I have a few ideas/thoughts. Only eating sweets won't fill you up because you are not having much protein or fibre. The sugar and carbs in the sweets you eat get digested and absorbed quickly so you will get spikes in your blood sugar too. 

It's quite normal to have a reaction when you introduce new foods into your diet again after having been on a limited diet- that doesn't mean you won't be fine eating those foods once you get used to them- but you are not used to them and your gut microbiome is likely also not very balanced because of a more limited diet. So I wouldn't be discouraged- what 'healthier' options have you been trying? I have been on very limited diets- I went through a phase where I only ate whole grain rolls, eggs, carrots and apple. then another phase where it was only pizza and tiramisu. Then another phase of only rice, cucumber, fish, avocado, apples, strawberries. Nothing else. the most recent phase was the egg/bread/carrot/apple one. Whenever I tried to change things I would feel nauseous, bloated stressed etc and off I would be back again to my pattern eventhough it wasn't good for me. I also have IBS so that doesn't help. But recently I have really expanded my diet and I now eat things I would never have dreamed off- the first 3-4 weeks I had a lot of digestive issues, nausea, bloating etc but I did get used to most foods and the digestive issues have settled a lot. Stress can still set them off but it is amazing how much variety I can tolerate. What helped me a lot is to rely on convenience options because the last thing I had energy to do was cook something that I had no idea if I would eat, like or be able to digest. I love a lot of the wraps they sell in the supermarket (chicken kimichi whole meal wrap from M and S is one of my favourites now - though I would never have dared to eat that a few months ago), then I go for a range of healthier ready meals- there are so many options that are also healthy. Or I go for ready roasted chicken or some falafel etc. To get going on expanding your diet I really think there is nothing wrong at all with going for these convenience - I initially was worried but my dietitian reassured me that you can have a very healthy diet without ever cooking. I went pretty much from 0 to 100 in terms of variety- no gradual change, but that's just because of how I work, I really struggle to make small changes as I will then always go back to my old habit as it's not worth the stress of making such a tiny change. But it might also be more gentle for your digestion if you start more slowly on introducing these foods. I don't know. I am glad I went for full diversity, I did have more digestive issues at first but it really was worth it- I am still trying new things and figuring out what I like- I didn't like everything I tried but it is exciting too. Also the first step is to really get those foods you want to try in the house- you have to make it as easy as possible- and also think as little as possible- at least for me- I initially felt this resistance at even buying anything new- but my moto was walk through supermarket, if I see something that grabs my attention, I go for it. And most of the time I did then end up trying it eventually. curiosity usually got the better of me especially once I got going on starting new things. 

I can also relate to just live off sweet things as I also had quite an awful phase where I lived almost entirely of cake... it wasn't good. Cake can be lovely but not if it's the main diet. I had a really hard time stopping that phase too though- I understand that cake and sweet things can be so simple and highly palatable. 

I can also highly recommend my dietitian- She has been an amazing support and has somehow really guided me to better understand the root cause of my issues with food- home | dalia weinreb (dalianutrition.com) . 

Don't loose hope- I would get it checked out with a GP but I am almost certain that you can enjoy and digest a much much wider variety of food than you think. 

Matt said:

I just don't like anything else, I've always been like this with my diet.

That's the key.

I have a very limited diet and unfortunately it's mainly carbs.

I was thin when I was into my 40s but no longer so because my metabolism has slowed down.

Texture, colour, taste and smell are all important and also I'm more or less (with the very occasional aberration) vegetarian.

Your symptoms seem quite likely to be IBS.

They are very similar to my own (+ I have some more) and although I have had hospital examinations, nothing onerous has so far been found apart from hiatus hernia causing acidity + a chronic cough, and diverticula (which can lead to problems and I think have with me).

I also should go for more tests but contacting my GP is like licking sandpaper.

I'm going to try to eat more veg (yuk) by mashing it (just like a child's).

I hope that you can see a way forward with this.

Also I'm eating chocolate covered brazil nuts as I write this

I'm obsessed with chocolate and would live on it if I could, but obviously I can't so what I do is add chocolate to all the healthy stuff to make it more palatable. Like, I'll have a healthy bowl of porridge with peanut butter and banana - and melt some chocolate into the porridge. Or I'll buy the healthy cereal with plenty of fibre in it and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Or I'll buy that healthy high protein Icelandic yogurt and again add chocolate chips. If I'm having an apple, I'll have a bit of chocolate too. My family tell me I eat too much chocolate and they're right, but I've found that I can get lots of healthy stuff into my diet if I just add the chocolate too, so I end up getting a lot of nutrients in my day as a result. 

I love how he's taken to wearing the costume again at recent fan events, after they made him one that fits his present middle aged dimensions a little better. For his Tegan reunion scene last year. Sublime moment. 

You should be eating a shed load of protein and fruit and veg and carbs if you are working out. The body needs extra fuel to exercise. Are you sure you are not dehydrated. Thirst feels like hunger for many. You need more than 8 full glasses of water a day, on top of your usual drink.

Have you considered trying tiny amounts of sweet foods. Sweet potatoes for example. Porridge fortified with vits which you can add sugar or a sweet er or even honey or maple syrup? I think there are loads of plain options to try, but go small. You don’t want to shock your stomach. It’s already in a bit of a pickle with high sugar content and gas. 
 Good luck.

Yum indeed. The man had style, no doubt about it! 

Hi Matt, sorry to hear about your abdominal and diet struggle. The wrong stuff can have an adverse effect on the abdomen and the body in general, especially if it's in large doses, like cola. I've had similar problems with my own diet and one thing I suggest is having mints. They're not exactly unhealthy, you still get a nice taste and they'll make a good substitute from sweets and chocolate. Don't go for a really strong flavour though! They can be very strong.

I would suggest you have a phone conversation with your GP though. What you describe is likely to do with your diet but it could be something like Crohn's or IBD. Not saying it is but it's best to get checked out, just in case. They might be able to give you something for the pain and discomfort.

Wearable snacks, yum yum

I saw that last forty minutes of that Christine McGuinness autistic journey documentary, and at one point she visits a rehab clinic for eating disorders. Someone there had done research and found that a high percentage of the in-patients were autistic. Anyway, she said at one point that if an autistic person finds certain foods just too overwhelmingly jarring to persist with, she doesn't really care what they eat instead as long as they can maintain a healthy weight, some baseline nutrition and so on. 

So, maybe that same lady would tell you to make small adjustments but to keep on 'doing you' on the diet front, as the trade-off and cost to your overall wellbeing is not worth the hassle. 

I eat relatively plain and bland for the most part, and I do have a bit of a sweet tooth but still eat savoury stuff too - really as the main part of my diet.

Knowing that I'm going to find the 'five a day' stuff a challenge, my strategy in recent times has been to do a kind of intermittent 'take your medicine' thing a couple of times per day. This takes the form of juicing celery for a quick 'down the hatch' and then I swallow some of the pulpy pellets left behind as well. I also have a bag of spinach in the fridge that I take a handful or two of in any given day, just raw and as quickly chewed and swallowed as I can. It's not a gruesome taste, but nor is it especially nice - just a neutral 'must do' thing. Small doses of blueberries as well. And I might cut a pear up into sections and have that. And the occasional pre-packed Caesar salad. Beyond that, I'm kust living off carbs and cheese. And tinned tuna. My elderly mother tells me off all the time for being insufficiently diverse in my nutrition pallette and culinary experimentation, but it's just not who I am. 

Hello Matt,

I too am a keen sportsman and this does tend to lead to a sugar craving. I do eat healthy as possible but as you state, it is hard when you are unable to eat certain foods. I did suffer with stomach pain but I did some research and started to take live bacteria supplements and I have had no more pain for over a month now. I eat a lot of apricots and sultanas instead of sweets so maybe this would be an option? I avoid sugary drinks like coke and only use a energy powder when on long bike rides.