Out of every single question I get asked about TSW/eczema etc, the most common one (by far) is what I eat in a day/what my diet is like. I am not a nutritionist, and neither do I eat solely from Wholefoods or take more vitamins per day than I have had hot dinners - this is just an honest view of what I eat in a typical day. I believe in real food - food from the source and stuff with as little extras as possible. I do not believe gluten and dairy is the enemy but of course, if you have an intolerance etc that is a different story altogether. In my opinion I have never looked so well and the quality of my skin - regardless of eczema/TSW or otherwise - is to be perfectly honest, wonderful and I know this, for the most part, is down to what I eat.
I am probably eating too much of one thing over the other (YAY for cheese and yogurt!) but now I try to listen to what my body wants over eating for any other reason. I spent years counting calories in a bid to lose weight and amazingly since I have stopped counting calories and actually listened to my body and when it actually wants to eat, I have lost weight and got to a body shape that I have never been happier with. As I am on a very tight budget, I try to walk whenever possible to save on the fare and it's amazing how that has changed the shape of my body too. When I was going through the tough parts of TSW, I sat on the sofa for shocking amounts of time and now I can't tell you how much joy I get from walking around for long periods of time - first off, because I can, and because it doesn't give me any discomfort whatsoever!
So here is what I eat in a typical day:
BREAKFAST
99.999% of the time my go-to breakfast is porridge and blueberries. I just cook porridge oats with semi-skimmed milk then add approximately 100 grams of blueberries when the porridge is cooked. I love it dearly and it really keeps me going until lunch. Something pretty special would have to come along for me to not have this any more. When I am feeling particularly 'wild' at the weekends, I love to add a chopped-up ripe banana into the mix which tastes so indulgent that I can't believe it's actually good for you.
LUNCH
I tend to have a bigger meal at lunchtime as I don't like anything too heavy before bed - I would definitely try this if you can as it makes a big difference. A meal I love is brown rice pasta with fresh pesto. I have an 'unhealthy' obsession with broccoli so I like to add a large portion of it to my plate which tastes absolutely wonderful with the pesto. Aside from the health benefits of choosing brown rice pasta over it's traditional counterpart, I actually prefer the taste ... really. No matter what I have for lunch, I always finish off with two clementines.
SNACKS & DRINKS
I have an apple each day between lunch and dinner which tides me over perfectly until my next meal. I drink plenty of water each day and after every meal, I have a large cup of green tea that finishes off the food so perfectly I feel bereft when I don't have it (a little strong there perhaps Cara ...).
DINNER
My love for the avocado knows no bounds and this easy meal is a favourite of mine (and one I am having today!!!). I have three to four pieces of buttered German style rye bread from M&S with one mashed up avocado and a side of spinach. It's quick, filling and absolutely delicious.
DESSERT
This makes me very happy indeed and is probably the food highlight of my day. I have talked about this (A LOT) before and all it consists of is 2 RIPE mashed up bananas with a generous portion of Yeo Valley natural probiotic yogurt. It tastes better than ice cream and I look forward to it every day. A perfect end to the day.So there you have it! I hope it's given you a few ideas and if you like these kinds of posts, do let me know and I will try to do more in the future.
Hugs
Cara xxx
Hi cara,
ReplyDeleteAt what month of tsw did you change your diet? Did it coincide with your skin getting better?
I am currently almost at 26 months, used for less time than you but still experience awful skin.
Thanks, O
Thank you for the comment but sorry to hear you are still suffering - I think a lot of different things come into play with TSW but unfortunately until people test them out and study it, we won't know. We are all different but the thing we all do share is that we all get better. A month before I got better I decided to eat well 5 days out of the week and have 2 days where I could have treats but honestly I don't think this had any bearing on recovery - I think I got better when I was going to get better if that makes any sense. When I did get better though I felt so good I wanted to eat as well as I could the whole time in the hope I would stay well. Now I have relaxed this but my general diet is really good still :) I really hope you see a change with your skin soon. Hugs
DeleteCara xxx
Hai, Cara..
ReplyDeleteI feel inspiring when see your video and insta. many new info and tips.but i want ask you, how you become so motivated and cheerful lady during tsw phase. i also on tsw. i so depress, stress. sometime about one week , i keep crying on night because it so painful..
Thank you so much for what you said Syahirah :) I totally understand how you are feeling - TSW is so SO tough both mentally and physically. For me, the fact that I didn't have 'incurable eczema' was such a relief - I spent years accepting that I would have to use steroids creams etc for the rest of my life and do irreparable damage to myself internally and externally. Knowing there was a simple (but very hard) answer to my skin problems, I was just so happy and that kept me going. I also found when I was suffering that it was a really reflective time for me - I did a lot of thinking about everything and I feel so grateful for the experience. Granted, there were times where it was too much - I doubted the process and questioned if I would ever get better but I did on the whole stay positive because I just knew this was the right path for me.
DeleteI hope things improve for you soon - message me whenever you need to.
Big hugs
Cara xxx