In desperate need of dietary help

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So, I've been seeing two seperate dieticians, and they have hardly been helpful at all. I think there are a couple of reasons for this.

- I, being autistic, need concrete tips on concrete food items that I can eat. The dieticians I have spoken to won't go further than recommending "two potatoes, 100g of meat, one vegetable and one fruit". This does not help me, for several reasons.

- When she says "two potatoes" she actually means "x amount of carbohydrates of y variety". I need to know what i need (in terms of nutrition), not one specific plant out of many that could potentially include these nutrients. I can't, and shouldn't, eat potatoes every day. Also I don't eat red meat, and would avoid poultry and fish if possible (but can eat them sometimes it if necessary). Also "one vegetable and one fruit" is like saying "pick any two food items from the whole kingdom of edible plants, and it will be fine", and of course different ones have different nutrients.

- I have a hyperactive thyroid, which leads to an unpreferably high metabolism, causing a lot of stress on my body, which in turn leads to muscle pains, fatigue, etc. It also leads to heartburn/acid reflux. Therefore I need to avoid acidic foods, and eat more alkaline foods.

- I also have some food allergies, e.g. wheat, milk protein, soy, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews...

- I only recently figured out that the levels of stress and indigestion I've experienced almost all my life are not normal. Therefore My body is in a really bad shape, so I can't eat anything that is difficult for a worried stomach to process.

When I talked to these people I told them all of this, and that it would probably be best for me if they could tell me what I would need to put in my body regularly (nutrition-wise), and in which amounts, and that way I could put together my own diet.

The problem is they have been very reluctant to this proposition, and as I see it, that is because of two things:

1: They don't seem to belive, or be able to grasp, that I can possibly have all these problems at the same time. They seem to think I'm just trying to be difficult (not the first time I get this reaction from a doctor).

2: They don't seem to have any actual knowledge about the nutritional needs of human beings. Their expertise seem to be limited to the afore-mentioned equivalent to the MyPlate model, and promoting a limited amount of gluten/dairy alternatives (by handing out leaflets) and ready-made nutrient shakes.

My first dietician had clearly never met an autistic person before, and I had to leave when she got upset because my problems were too big. She said things like "Well, then you can't eat anything, can you?". Very helpful (sarcasm).

The other one actually tried to do something. Talked to me, let me explain things, and decided to send me some nutrient shakes in the mail, and then she would call me two weeks later.

I tried the shakes, but couldn't stick to them, because they were really acidic, so they upset my stomach too much. I would have told her that, but it's now been two months and she still hasn't called.

Now I feel I have to get a third dietician, but this time I want to make sure I get someone who can actually help me. I'm going to schedule an appointment with my doctor to speak about it, but how do I explain what it is I need? I need someone with greater knowledge, and people skills, than the last two, although I already asked for that the last time.

Also if you have any tips on how to compose a healthy dietary plan, or even a single meal such as breakfast or dinner, within these limitations, that would be very helpful.

you might investigate dr. joel Fuhrman's "nutritarian diet."

Seems really good! I will check it out. Thanks!

prego when I watched him on PBS talking about it, it made sense to me and I gave part of it a chance, it worked for me.

Man, this could've been my thread lol. Therefore I'm sorry but I can't help much except to say that I know exactly what you mean in all the points you mentioned and how annoying it is. My dietary problems are so weird and they seem to want to treat everyone as so stupid they don't know a normal way of balancing meals- like a bit of meat, a few carbs and lots of veg. I wish it was that easy!

I am allergic to... life, basically. The foods I definitely can't eat are peanuts, uncooked fruit or veg (except tiny amounts of strawberries, grapes and oranges), seafood, and an overly acidic diet is disastrous (so drinking lots of fruit juice to replace fresh fruit is out).

I have tried taking various supplements, but I react badly to them too- fish oils make me really dizzy and i was told not to take vitamin b12 because of a metal allergy. I can't remember which metal but there's a few I am officially diagnosed with being allergic to.

The only thing it says on my doctors notes (that come up when they access my records) is "allergic to penicillin", put there when I was 2, and when I went in for an operation I had to tell them all myself, and I have such a terrible memory in those "listing" situations. I think it's negligence really.

So I thought I would rant to let you know you're not imagining how difficult it is to get them to take you seriously. They seem to know less than me on the subject and it's not one of my "special interests"- what exactly were they doing at university?

Thanks for sharing. It does feel better knowing I'm not alone in this, and that I'm not just being overly critical. People are always telling me I'm overreacting and that "it can't be that bad", etc, and sometimes I really do think they might be right, at least to some degree. Fortunately that goes away as soon as I'm in a calm place and have time to think.

I really dont have any respect at all for the medical profession nowadays. If you don't do your research and know exactly what you need and what you're entitled to, they'll just run straight over you, and not even ask for your opinion, and most of the time their treatment will be ineffective, if not counteractive.

This is exactly what I've been thinking.

I think i am overly critical of people who just turn up and do their job to get paid, (I once got really annoyed (not to their face) by a window company that didn't know what "astragals" were, (the bars across georgian windows) lol. but this is healthcare and i think there is a moral responsibility to know your stuff, or to research/refer to someone else if you're not 100% sure. i really don't mind if someone finds my case a difficult one- I just want them to do 5 minutes extra work to look into it. With the knowledge they are supposed to have from uni it would only take 5 minutes. I would in their situation! It would give me great satisfaction to be able to help someone out like that, someone who has complex problems incurable by google.

Having blamed them for not doing anything at uni, I think this could really be the fault of the uni. My study had to be almost completely self-directed, because they just wanted to get the money and spend it on looking great to the world, not on good teaching. I went to a top fashion uni in London to study footwear design and technology, the course I did would now cost £9000 a year (since the lib dem promise-lapse), and my teacher had NEVER made a shoe. Seriously. It makes me wonder whether the healthcare tutors are equally inept.

If I find any other good web resources for our type of problem I will direct you to them.

Yeah, I too get annoyed sometimes at people not doing their job "properly", and it can take me some time to realize they might not even want to be there. In those cases it's a good thing I'm a bit too afraid of getting into conflicts. But as you say, if you work in healtcare, of course you need to make sure that you do everything that is in your might to supply the patient (directly or indirectly) with sufficient treatment. When they instead have that "my way or the highway" attitude, I'm not just feeling insulted and belittled, but I lose even more of the small faith I have in both the healthcare system and people in general.

And you're right that the problem (with lack of knowledge) might often lie with the school system rather than with the student. That's also where people learn that everyone is supposed to function in the same way, and if you don't, there is something wrong with you that needs to be fixed, and you can't be trusted.

A big problem I've noticed is that when they don't know what to do about your problem, it hurts their ego, because often a huge part of their identity is based on that doctor's degree. Therefore, they will defend themselves (maybe unconciously) by trying to manipulate you into thinking that maybe you're just imagining things, and maybe their theory is right after all (rather than accepting that they are not perfect, and might need to ask someone for help). Then, if you "decide" to disagree with them (because you know what your problem is, and their theory is incorrect), you are, obviously, intentionally hurting their feelings.

Of course nobody can be so ill that I, the allmighty doctor with the fancy degree cannot cure them, so if they try to tell me that, they're obviously just grandiose hypocondriacs trying to make me look bad!

I don't blame them for not posessing the knowledge needed to treat my ailments (because I know it's a bit complicated). What does piss me off though is that most of them feel threatened by this, and actively try to make me feel bad for being "difficult".

Luckily I do research a lot on my own, so I'm not completely in the dark, but it seems no matter where I look I can't find any source of information about what i need to eat (nutrition wise), only what is "good" and what is "bad".

Exactly:)

I think maybe the idea of what you need to eat is too difficult because it depends on your genes? Like I am half the size of my partner but I need to eat twice as much so I dont lose weight. I always needed more food than anyone I knew- maybe because my gut didn't absorb enough nutrients, or that i move a lot more than most.

Is your thyroid problem autoimmune in nature? (ex. Grave's Disease) If so, you might want to check out the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol diet. It is very strict and structured, but following it will guarantee that you eliminate most, if not all, of the foods you have problems with. It is also intended to help people better manage symptoms of an autoimmune disorder.

The only downside to it is that it necessitates having to give up almost all processed foods. So, unless you like to cook, it can be challenging to adhere to. I'm on it now and am spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

AlienorAspie: Yeah, of course that makes it difficult, but I still feel like they should need have some kind of base to build on, some kind of abstract "ideal diet" that can then be tailored for individual needs. I too always have to eat more than almost everyone I know. People always tell me I'm so lucky for not putting on weight, and I'm like "screw you, I have to live with not being able to pick up any nutrients".


blueroses: Yes, I do have Grave's Disease actually. I will definately check that out! Is there a specific author I should look for, or is there only one (or only good ones)?

I do like to cook fortuntely, and try to make as much as I can from scratch. It haven't been as fun lately because everything I put in my stomach upsets it, but if I know that what I'm making will be good for me I think I'll be able to really enjoy it again.

Right now, I'm reading The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne. Dr. Ballantyne is a former researcher in medical biophysics who had success managing her own health problems and getting them into remission using nutrition and lifestyle changes. She has a blog/website where you can get a lot of info and, I think, maybe a podcast, as well. She gets into the science behind her nutritional recommendations, but does it in a way that is accessible for people who have a limited science background. (Like me. )

If you think it's something you'd want to try after researching it, this website has some great recipes: http://autoimmune-paleo.com/ (The site is by a woman with autoimmune thyroid disease, too, who is also a personal chef and nutritional consultant).

Something to bear in mind with this diet is that there is an elimination diet phase, which is very strict. You are supposed to stay on that for several months or until you see substantial improvements with your health issues. The idea is that this period allows your gut to heal. Then, you can gradually and systematically reintroduce foods back in, to see what works for your body and what doesn't. At the end of the whole process, you'd then have your own custom nutrition plan that works for you and your body.

I mention that just because I think some people are scared off by the protocol because the elimination phase is so strict. But, it's not forever. I started it recently myself and think it's too early for me see how much it is helping, but I'm going to give it a good, solid effort and see what happens before giving up on it.

Sounds great! I will definately get the book as soon as I can afford it. And about the strict diet, I've actually been thinking for a while now about doing something like that, just eliminating everything and stick to the necessary basics until my body starts to agree with me again. The only thing stopping me is that I haven't really been able to figure out what I actually do need to eat, only what I should not eat. Also been really into natural stuff and trying to find out what people should eat, in contrast to what school and the healthcare system recommends (which I can see clearly now is mostly BS).

One thing though. In this diet, is there a lot of strange foods that could be hard to find? I don't live in a very big city, so that could get really expensive, 'cause I'd have to order online. I guess I'm mostly worried about the staple foods that I'm gonna eat a lot of.

To be honest with you, you could probably get all of the information you really need from her website without buying the book. So, if finances are an issue, I wouldn't worry too much about that for now. I'd just start by Googling her and checking out the autoimmunity section of her site.

The diet consists mostly of vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and healthy sources of fat, like coconut and olive oils. They should mostly be things you can find in a typical supermarket, although, if you try to eat all organic produce and grassfed, pasturized meats, which is ideal, it can get to be expensive.

I actually have not noticed my grocery bill going up, though, since I started cooking everything from scratch, which is generally cheaper than purchasing processed, packaged foods anyway. I'm lucky in that I live in a rural area where there are a lot of organic farmer's markets and such, though, which helps me a lot with the costs, I think.

Oh darn it. I don't eat meat. I did, but I don't anymore, because I can't process it (and I don't really want to anymore either). Fish is okay, but not too often, poultry is so-so and red meats are definately out of the question, no matter what quality. I'm trying to go vegan, but have been putting it off since my food options are so scarce anyway.

Of course I'll probably find a lot of great information anyways, but I'll still have to do some extra research i guess, so I don't miss out on any necessary nutrients.

Oh, and I looooove coconut oil! I rarely use anything else nowadays (and when I do it's olive). I want to use avocado oil for salads and stuff, but unfortunately I can't find an organic one here.