Repairvite: the beginning

The beginning: i.e. sharing the hate love with repairvite recipes

After 4 days of sheer torture, I decided that I would finally start that blog I've been thinking of doing for years.  I am hoping that it will be a sort of therapy to get me through the toughest diet I've ever encountered.  I haven't even written about my health history yet, or my journey to health, or my reasons for getting healthy...I just had to start writing.  Just to get things moving along, those who have found my blog because they are on the diet of torture repairvite diet, I wanted to add my meals and snacks I have come up with to help us all find something to eat while on this crazy ride!  For those who do not know what the repairvite diet is, or why I am submitting to volunteer torture, it is to repair damaged leaky guts.  That includes removing all foods that cause inflammation in the intestines for 30-60 days (I'm hoping Doc Waters (Steve!) will get me off 30 for good behavior). 

Side note:  I will talk more about my new Doc, Steve! later, but ever since he said I could call him Steve, I immediately think of the monkey on the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, who has the translator on his head and always drinking coffee yelling, "Steve!".  (Hey, I have 5 kids and would probably have seen the movie anyways)

I will have my health journey up soon, and most likely will be found under the about me tab. 

Anyways, here is the gist of Repairvite:  (yes, I did copy and paste)

The Repair Vite program is an aggressive and complete regimen designed to break the vicious cycle of leaky gut.  It consists of a restricted dietary program (to reduce intestinal inflammation) as well as targeted nutritional supplements that are required for several days to help support intestinal membranes.  The program will need to be conducted for 30-40 days.

The Repair Vite regimen requires a very strict dietary program necessary for repair of the intestinal membranes.  The dietary restrictions are not caloric (quantity of food), so you are allowed to eat whenever you are hungry.  However, you must only eat from the list of allowed foods.  The goal of the dietary program is to reduce intestinal inflammation and provide nutrients necessary for healthy intestinal microflora.  The dietary restrictions include high-sugar foods and starchy carbohydrates that promote intestinal yeast overgrowth, inflammatory proteins (dairy, gluten, etc.), inflammatory lectins, and alcohol that all promote destruction of the intestinal membranes.

You are allowed to eat food with high fiber content, such as vegetable and low glycemic fruits.  Also, eat foods with healthy essential fatty acids such as olives, olive oil, and some kinds of fish.  Eat foods that are fermented to help improve the health of the intestinal microflora (good bacteria), as well as proteins, such as meats, that are not inflammatory.

You should make every attempt to eat frequently during the day in order to maintain stabilized blood glucose levels.  It is not a good idea to fast during the Repair Vite program, since it may raise a hormone called cortisol that may further compromise the intestinal mucosa.

Understand What Repair Vite Does

If you are beginning a Repair Vite diet, it is important to understand what the Repair Vite protocol includes.

Repair:  the damaged intestinal lining

Replace:  the normal flora (friendly bacteria) and digestive enzymes.

Remove:  the infection

 

The bottom line is that we will NEVER get you better without getting your gut function back!

Ok, got all that?  Good.  Cause I've read it like 10 times and I think I am starting to get it.  On to the food.  Or lack thereof.

Repairvite Diet:   Foods To Eat and Foods To Avoid

Foods To Eat	Foods To Avoid
Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, avocado, beets, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, kale, kohrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peas, radishes, rhubarb, shallots, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, turnips, watercress, water chestnuts, yams,  zucchini, etc	Vegetables: Corn, tomatoes, tomatillos,  eggplant, mushrooms, peppers (bell and hot), white potatoes and paprika. Lectins: nuts (except almonds), red/black beans, lentils, soy, peanut oil, soy oil, etc.
Fermented foods:  sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled ginger, mixed pickle, coconut yogurt, kombucha tea, etc.	Sugars: including corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, honey, candy, etc.
Meats: fish (except shellfish), chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork, organ meats (liver).  No nitrates in bacon and sandwich meats.	Meats: shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp), no nitrates are allowed (i.e. most sandwich meats, most bacon and all hot dogs).
Low glycemic fruits: apricots, plums, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, berries, banana, grapes, grapefruit, lemons, limes and kiwi.	High glycemic fruits: watermelon, mango, cantaloupe, oranges, pineapple, raisins, and canned fruits.
Coconut:  including coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut cream, and unsweetened coconut flakes. Almonds, almond butter, almond flour, and almond milk.	All grains (even gluten free grains): wheat, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, soy, corn, wheat germ, spelt, amaranth, kamut, millet, quinoa, etc.  No canola oil (corn based oil).
Cooking:  Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar. Condiments:  Mustard.	Gluten containing compounds:  processed salad dressings, ketchup, soy sauce, bbq sauce, condiments, modified food starch, etc. No chewing gum.
Other: Herbal teas, olives, chickpeas, dark chocolate, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds.	Dairy: milk, whey, eggs, cheeses, creams, mayo, etc.
Sweeteners: stevia and raw honey.	Soy:  soy milk, soy sauce, soy protein, etc.
Brown Shirataki noodles (yam noodles).	Alcohol:  beer, wine, sake, cognac, liqueurs.
Spices: sea salt, pink himalyan salt, basil, oregano, mint, ginger, fresh garlic, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme.	Other:  Coffee, processed foods, canned foods.

Ok, now see what we are up against?  And yes, this isn't the exact same diet that is on the bottle, but after 2 days I was about to quit.  I have not eaten so much meat in my life.  I was already gluten free/dairy free and all about healthy treats and snacks, but for my only protein to be meat....no way.  I found this updated list here.  And do you see,

that

it

has

chocolate?

Now I know that it is probably not the best idea, but organic dark chocolate (shout out to Trader Joes!) is my vice.  Its what gets me through the days of teens arguing, siblings whining, and a toddler following me around saying one of the 3 following: "im hungwy", "what I do?", "I wanna pway ipad".  One silky square of dark chocolate and bliss follows...

I've been sneaking in very very small amounts to trick my brain into thinking I'm still getting relief. 

Almond butter isn't on the original list, but this one does, and let me tell you, smothered on a banana saves me from diving into the kids' Jif.  If we have to match a protein with a fruit, for blood sugar issues, then I don't want a piece of meat, got me?

Ok, here is the beginning, ended.  I will try to post with updates on my meals and how I am doing.  Thanks for visiting, hope to see you all very often!