If you struggle to read from a screen, listen to an audio of this blog here
Do you worry about what you eat and how it effects your levels of energy, your pain, or other symptoms? Do you get confused by all the conflicting advice? Nutrition is such a complex and contested topic that, for many of us it becomes just one more source of anxiety and guilt. We end up yo-yoing between different diets, hoping to find the magic key to recovery. Alternatively, we may lapse into comfort eating and self-loathing. If you have IBS, multiple sensitivities, or any of the other gut disturbances that are so often a part of chronic exhaustion, the situation can be even more fraught.
Nutrition is one of the 8 areas of the coaching wheel that we use at The Chrysalis Effect to help give some structure and focus to your recovery. When Elaine Wilkins did the original research that formed the basis for the programme, she found that all the people she interviewed who fully recovered had addressed challenges in every one of the 8 areas. Nutrition comes near the beginning of the programme, because nourishing your depleted body helps to bring you to the level of energy and clarity needed to consider deeper issues of emotional health, relationships and life purpose.
One of the foundations of my own recovery was working with two highly experienced and qualified nutritional therapists, who were able to give advice that was personally tailored to an extraordinary degree. I learned from them about the science of epigenetics, how my genes were switched off and on by environmental factors, and particularly by stress. They recommended supplements on the basis of specific gene mutations in my energy metabolism, and explained that diets or supplements that help one person can make another even more ill. I learned more about the importance of the gut microbiome in transforming the inactive form of thyroxine, that my GP had been measuring, into the active form that my cells can use. The NHS does not test this and so GPs often tell people that their thyroid is fine on the basis of incomplete information. We identified what was missing in my own microbiome and developed plans to supplement and support its growth.
Nutritional therapy can be expensive, but for me it was ultimately an investment that has paid back hugely, in terms of the life it has helped me to rebuild and the money I can earn now I am fully well. For others it is not a viable option, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t address this area of your own wheel.
So what can I do to improve my nutrition?
I have to make clear that I am not a nutritional therapist and so am not qualified to give personalised advice in this area. However, during my recovery and subsequent training, I learned some key lessons that apply to most people, and can help us to begin that process of nourishment and renewal, without spending a fortune on nutritional therapy or expensive diet plans. (However, if you have a previously diagnosed condition like diabetes, or food sensitivities, please do check with your GP before making any significant dietary changes.)
What really surprised me as I learned was how changing my diet turned out to be fun and tasty rather than depressing and demanding high levels of will power.
Reducing your carbs and sugars and increasing the level of protein in your diet can help even out your blood sugar levels, avoiding damaging highs and lows. Even complex carbs help to create swings in your blood sugar that impact on energy and brain fog. You might try starting your day with a protein and fat rich diet instead of a bowl of cereal or toast on the go. I enjoy a bowl of whole milk, live yoghurt with some nuts and honey and a sprinkle of seeds for extra flavour.
Forget the moral duty to eat your 5-a-day and have fun experimenting and seeing how many different food sources you can include in your diet, and how many colours. For some ideas on this front you can read my recovery blog from 2019 here. It concludes:
Each week I look for new and interesting lunch items, chopping in cubes of cheeses, cold meats, eggs, nuts, dried fruits and seeds. I make a couple of small pots of coleslaw each week, with root veg: celeriac, blackberry vinegar, pumpkin oil and raisin, carrot and orange with sunflower seeds. Not only is every lunch different from the day before, but every mouthful is different, calling my attention to my meal not my next task. The quick results, deliciousness and fun involved in this positive approach to nutrition mean that it is no hardship to changing my lifestyle. Now, when I come across yet another poster nagging about 5-a-day I laugh. I am eating a rainbow every day and loving it.
Nourish your gut micro-biome. Your gut is supposed to be teeming with billions of micro-organisms that play a huge part in your health. Not only do they process your food to release nutrients that are not otherwise available to you, they support your immune system and mental health too. If this interest you, I would recommend Giulia Enders' wonderful book, Gut, which is a readable, funny and fascinating introduction to the subject.
To help rebalance and boost the diversity of your gut biome, replace the carb heavy parts of your meals with larger portions of vegetables, cooked and raw, which all provide vital fibre to support the growth of good bacteria. These will also help you to feel fuller for longer.
Eat as many different fermented foods as possible. You’d be amazed at what this includes, A news article in the Guardian gives some great ideas beyond the usual kombucha, kimchi and kefir.
Top Tips
The key to making the changes I have described lies in identifying just one change that feels manageable at a time and focusing on that until it becomes a habit.
Make it something really small, manageable and specific and set a time frame so you will know when you have achieved it.
Reward yourself when you have done it and then set a new goal. For example, instead of setting the vague and enormous goal, ‘I will give up carbs completely’, try, ‘I will eat a tasty, high protein breakfast each day this week.’
Plan ahead to make sure you have time to make and eat your breakfast slowly, decide what you will eat and when, and buy in what you need to make it easier.
Have fun exploring different breakfasts and take time to notice how the change makes you feel.
If food has become a chore or a nightmare, it really helps to approach it from a more curious and playful perspective and focusing on enjoyment rather than discipline.
