Wahls Protocol Diet (on a budget)

[tortoise]

My doctor has me starting Wahls Protocol. I'm preparing for Wahls Paleo Plus (WPP), with intended start date of Jan 1, 2019. In a nutshell it is dairy free, grain free, ketogenic, with the addition of organ meat, oily fish, sea vegetables, and 6 - 9 cups of vegetables, divided equally between leafy greens, colorful, and sulfurous categories.

It's considered to be a very expensive Way Of Eating (WOE). I'm determined to not let it get expensive. My goal is $50 per person per month, by December 2019. This thread is to document progress, focusing mostly on preps and costs.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Geeze Tortoise - I can't even imagine having all those food aversions. My problem is I have NO food aversions! I'll eat practically anything - well maybe anything except liver soup, lol! That would have to be the do-all, end-all of things that just don't sound so appetizing. I would loved to have seen the expression on your face @flowerbug when you tasted it the first time!

 

[Mini Horses]

I've been meaning to mention this fact, relative to your new diet. Since I had mom & altzhimers here for several years, the issues to PREVENT the same dementia problems were something I looked into rather deeply. Not where I want to go or be . Our brains do need transmitters to work and placque not to form and on and on.....well, certain things became obvious as helpers within this whole "brain" thing. ONE was that chemicals called "acetylcholine" was needed. Best natural food sources for this -- TA DA -- Pastured eggs (yolks), beef liver, grass fed raw dairy, cruciferous veggies, mushrooms, fish, garlic, onion ...

See anything there in that list which looks familiar??? So, while you are working for other issues, you will be helping the ole brain function well, also... Probably other things within the diet assists but, you are going "non-dairy". I am not. Love my fresh, raw goat milk!!

Just wanted to mention this while I "remembered"

 

[tortoise]

eating lower on the food chain will avoid some of the mercury contamination. that is why small sardines are pretty good food source - unlike tuna or larger fish... you can source cleaner fish. unfortunately down here where i am the waters are not really that great as compared to where i was up north so i don't fish or eat local river fish, but further up north local fish may be ok. check with your local DNR people about what they say are the cleaner rivers and fish sources.

actually i don't know where you are at or your access to fish/rivers for fishing and such so forget my comment about "up north" - i got you confused with someone else.

I'm in Wisconsin. We do have some water issues. I'll eat small panfish (rarely). I'll eat large fish caught in a specific lake in Canada. It's not as pure as it used to be. When I was a kid, the lake water was safe to drink!

 

[tortoise]

This thread is overdue for an update! I only lasted a few months on Wahls Protocol each time. I would feel amazingly better, then sick again in a couple months. I would get sick after going dairy free because I was adding MCT (coconut and palm) oil and coconut products. I learned I'm allergic. I also have since had DNA test done which shows I don't have either of the genes (SNPs) associated with poor tolerance of dairy. I had been having some symptoms from milk, but later learned there is palm ingredients in the added vitamins A and D.

After each time I've gotten sick, I get food aversion to all the foods I was eating at the time. The food aversions seem to last 6 to 12 months. It makes it hard to get back on track.

I'm working toward eating similarly to Wahls Protocol again, but I'm keeping dairy. I might keep wheat too (I tolerate not-enriched wheat products that use palm-free yeast).

I am struggling with taste perception. Healthy foods taste terrible to me right now. I'm using liver capsules. I'm making leafy green capsules too. Eating colorful fruits has been a little easier. Eating meat, fish and vegetables is still harder. I'm using powdered vegetables and mushrooms to make sure I'm getting nutrients.

DS14 is pretty much on Wahls Protocol since the beginning of the school year. He packs a salad for lunch and loads it with pickles, olives, sardines, chopped veggies. I can hardly believe what he is willing to eat 😍🙌

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I have added can of tomatoes and peppers before - forgot about that. And, we have put sausage in it too - sliced link and breakfast sausage when I didn't have bacon.

@tortoise could put some of that powdered kale into eggs and have green eggs (and ham) lol!!

 

[tortoise]

I bought 4# regular carrots and 2# "organic "rainbow" carrots last week. 'Tis the week for new carrot recipes!

I tried this carrot soup recipe yesterday. I am surprised to report that my whole family liked it. We are not fans of cooked carrots.

https://nomnompaleo.com/post/82763611373/carrot-cardamom-soup

I substituted onion for the leak, omitted cardamom because I don't like it, and forgot the coconut milk.


Currently cooking this up with the rainbow carrots.

https://www.africanbites.com/pineapple-ginger-glazed-carrots/

I substituted can crushed pineapple for pineapple juice, omitted apricot and almond. And didn't really follow the directions right, oops.


EDITED TO ADD: the glazed carrots are awful! ewww! But carrot soup above is good! I will make it again.

 

[tortoise]

Yes. The bones are the ribs, don't bother with them, they disintegrate. The roundish bones are the center (I guess) spinal bones. I just mash them with my fingers and mix them in with the salmon. Canned salmon is touted as being good for you because of the calcium. It is not as bad as you think it is. I love salmon patties!

Thank you! I'm getting brave now! Attempting tuna cakes. Because canned tuna costs less than canned salmon so less loss if the recipe doesn't work for me.

https://nomnompaleo.com/post/91332244628/spicy-tuna-cakes


Edited to add: Yum! Hubby says worth a repeat too. I substituted 1 t red dulse flakes + 1 T oregano for the cilantro, 1/3 cup frozen chopped onion for the scallion, 1 t ground ancho pepper for the jalapeno, omitted lemon zest. I will make with canned salmon next time.

 

[tortoise]

I did my first challenge today after elimination phase. to be honest, I wasn't planning the challenge like this, it was more a cheat, but shhhhhhh, okay? Food contained wheat. I thought it was fine, but nope, I'm having MCAS reaction to it, even with taking my antihistamines. Reaction is weak, gets worse when my antihistamine dose is wearing off. I'm on my rx antihistamine for overnight, so hopefully this will be over by morning?

stomachache, nausea. later, indigestion. (eww)
starting later, dermatographism, flushing, itching and burning skin in places. And of course it I touch the itchy spots, then I get the dermatographism or flushing reaction which itches more.

Naughty little mast cells!

I did an unplanned dairy challenge yesterday. Not aware of a reaction, but I went to bed pretty much right away after eating. My doctor said if I react to a food to wait 3 days before the next challenge. She also said to recheck foods I'm reacting to every 3 months. Because these aren't food allergies, it's mast cell activation. So triggers may change over time and checking periodically prevents overly-restricted diet. IDK, I'm pretty well convinced I don't need to be eating wheat, ever.

 

[tortoise]

I was chatting with some ladies in a Wahls Protocol FB about keeping grocery costs down. I did a little calculation. I buy 30 - 40 pounds of butter twice a year, when it's on sale for $2/pound. I'm making ghee. Ghee is typically $12 - $15 per 9 oz jar. By making ghee from butter I bought on sale, I will save over $1,000 per year.

I'm frying up a double batch of those fried meatballs with cauliflower in them. Last time I made a half-batch. Yummy! Will freeze most of them. Having meatballs with onion sauce, egg noodles for family and green beans for me. I like to used canned frenched green beans as a noodle substitute. Costs much less than the trendy frozen zucchini and squash strands. (Except my homemade zoodles! those are almost $0!)