5 Ways to Improve Your Chronic Fatigue Through Diet
In order to maintain a healthy body, or to help your body heal itself from Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia you must eat a nutrient dense, healthy diet. Without the essential nutrients you get from eating whole, fresh, raw or minimally cooked foods you will not have the building blocks your cells and organ need to function at their optimal levels.
Whether you eat 3 to 5 times per day or do intermittent fasting, each meal should include lean animal based protein, veggies, minimal starches like potatoes or rice, no wheat products at all, and healthy fats.
Increase Lean Protein - Lean Protein should be the number source of calories in every meal. Protein is required by every cell and organ in your body; muscle, bone, hair, skin, all of your internal organs. Lean protein provides the nutrients your body needs to heal itself. The protein you eat is broken down into amino acids which are used in metabolic processes and are converted into other type of proteins that are used by the body. Lack of protein leads to low muscle mass, low bone density, overall weakness, poor fat burning ability and low energy. This is because the body will pull protein from existing muscle and convert it to the amino acids it needs. Unlike carbs and fat, protein cannot be stored. Your body either uses it or excretes it.
Decrease Starchy Carbohydrates - Starchy carbs like white rice, white potatoes, breads, and other carb containing foods break down into sugar quickly and if you don't burn them off via exercise within a few hours the sugar (glucose) is stored in the body as fat. Too much glucose circulating in the blood leads to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), obesity, and overall poor health.
Pay attention to your fruit intake as well. A little fruit, an apple a day, is beneficial but more than that leads to the same issues as with all sugar intake. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries are the best fruits as they are low in sugar and have anti-oxidative properties.
Eliminate ALL Wheat products - Most people have heard of gluten sensitivity but there are other plant proteins in wheat that people may be sensitive to. These other proteins cause the same leaky gut issues as gluten. This sensitivity causes an inflammatory reaction in the gut lining which causes the cells to separate allowing food particles and waste materials to leave the gut and enter the blood stream. This causes your body to react by increasing inflammation throughout the body and activating the immune system response. The toxins can get into organs and cells and when the immune system kicks in to fight the "invaders" they wind up attacking the organs the toxins are hiding in. This leads to many diseases such as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue, and Fibromyalgia.
This inflammatory response also affects the blood brain barrier, leading to "leaky brain". This is the same mechanical breakdown that occurs in the gut lining. When the blood brain barrier is breached, toxins can pass into the brain and cause inflammation leading to many diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Eat More Healthy Fats - Healthy fats include Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, fat red meat, fish, chicken, etc. Unhealthy fats include soybean and other vegetable oils. Healthy fats are naturally occurring, unhealthy fats are high-processed, man-made products. Healthy fats are necessary for the creation of all hormones in the body including estrogen, testosterone and Vitamin D. Healthy fats also improve mental clarity and overall brain function. In fact there are multiple studies that show those suffering from Alzheimer's Disease see significant improvement when they switch rom a high carb diet to a very low carb, higher fat diet like Keto.
Plant-based fats can cause leaky gut and leaky brain and people tend to have sensitivities to them which, like wheat, can lead to auto-immune issues and inflammation throughout the body.
Eat More Green Veggies - Green Veggies contain a lot of vitamins and minerals as well as fiber all of which the body needs to thrive. Vitamins and minerals are required to build muscle, bone, brain health and overall proper functioning of the body as a whole. Your cells need Zinc, Copper, Magnesium, Calcium , Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin A, all the B vitamins and more. Without them your health will decline rapidly and you will have no energy.
The fiber in veggies helps bind toxins in the gut and improves gut motility, the movement of waste from the gut through the intestines and out. Lack of fiber increases the build up of "sludge" in the intestines and causes constipation and increases the burden on the body because it can't get rid of the toxins.
Use these 5 Ways to Improve Your Chronic Fatigue Through Diet by eating nutritious meals that are higher protein and fat with fewer starchy carbs, no wheat or added sugar allows the body to function optimally. The kidneys and liver can do their jobs of detoxification without being overloaded, while the rest of the body has the elements necessary for generating energy, replacing dead cells (think hair and skin), keeping the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones strong. Proper nutrition also speeds the healing process if you get sick, have to have surgery, or are recovering from a broken bone or torn muscle.