Re: Products and Use

[Guest guest]

Has anyone used items from this site? What

> about the Silent Night or the cough surup. I have a cold and the

cough is

> starting. Please let me know. You all are wonderful....

> In health,

> Cosy

Hi Cosy - I have only gotten my Stevia from the site because it is

very reasonable compared to the health food store. However, Ramona is

a hepper who is also a nutritionist, and I trust her to only carry

products that are of a good quality. She became a nutritionist after

being diagnosed. I see that Mark has posted that she also carries

Maximum Milk Thistle which is one of the best. If I needed anything

else I would not hesitate to order from her. Here are her diet

recommendaitons:

A Basic Diet for Hepatitis by Ramona L. , C.N.C.

Foods to AVOID

Animal products - Animal products should be avoided for several

reasons. First of all when you consume animal products you consume

what that particular animal has consumed. If it was fed with grains

that have been chemically sprayed you also are eating those

chemicals. Then there are the injections, growth hormones,

antibiotics, steroids, etc. If the product is in the form of meat,

then you have just added stress to the digestive process, stressing

the liver, gall bladder, pancreas. Meat is one of the hardest foods

to digest. It can sit in the stomach for 5-7 days and ferment,

causing flu like symptoms, gas, bloating, and even more stress.

Caffeine, including colas, chocolate, coffee, some teas, OTC meds. A

good substitute for coffee is

Raja's Cup, an antioxidant herbal tea. Caffeine of course is a

stimulant. Stimulating the liver can cause stress to the liver. If

you are in the habit of drinking caffeinated beverages you need to

eliminate them slowly as they are addicting. If you stop too suddenly

you can have withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea,

irriratability, and weak shakes.

Tap water - drink distilled water only. No filtered water. Your tap

water may contain more than you bargained for, including chlorine,

fluoride, inorganic chemicals and compounds that the liver is not

able to process. Filtered water is of course better than tap water

but filters breed bacteria. In order to reduce the stress from the

liver you need to give it the purest form of water possible which is

distilled water. Even the shower you take every day has toxins in it

which are absorbed through the skin and inhaled through the lungs.

If you can possibly purchase a water filter you would be doing

yourself a great favor.

Junk foods - Junk foods are our favorite foods but the name fits,

Junk is junk, meaning worthless. Our body does not get a good source

of nutrition from junk foods and most often they are full of all the

things we need to stay away from, fats, sugars, empty calories,

chemicals, additivities, etc. Our poor livers don't need this added

stress .

White flour unless it is organic and unbleached - Bleached white

flour has been chemically processed. Lots of vitamins and minerals

are lost during the process, about 78%. When we consume this

chemically altered product our bodies need extra vitamins and

minerals in order to process it and utilize it. Isn't this the

opposite of what we want? We want to eat foods that will nourish the

body, not make it work harder.

Hydrogenated oils - Hydrogenated (they are refined) oils are another

product that is hard for the liver to handle. Any type of oil or fat

that hardens when cold. A better choice would be flaxseed oil or

virgin olive oil.

Dairy products (animal) - Dairy foods are extremely hard to digest

and again you are eating whatever the animal ate. Yogurt is not

considered a dairy product but be sure to read the labels as the

commercial brands are usually high in sugar content. A yogurt maker

is a great investment.

Fruit juices - Fruit juices are high in concentrated sugar. Sugar

is a shock to the liver, stresses the digestive process, stresses the

pancreas, and it feeds the virus.

Artificial sweeteners (use liquid stevia instead) - The first word

gives you the first clue, artificial. These sweeteners are extremely

hard for the liver to process. Your poor liver doesn't even

recognize what this substance is.

Processed foods - we all know processed foods contain unnatural

substances, preservatives, fillers,

and chemically treated substances. Common sense tells us this is not

healthy for us.

Remember our goal, to take as much stress and strain off the liver as

possible.

Changing your diet is probably one of the hardest things to achieve.

Not only are we cursed with this virus but we have probably

unknowingly addicted ourselves to the wrong foods. I say addicted

because most of us tend to eat when we feel depressed, down, bad,

tired angry, or when we have insomnia. Before I was diagnosed with

Hep C I had been experiencing symptoms for 6 years. I know that many

times when I felt just plain rotten I would eat something thinking

that it would make me feel better. The majority of the time we tend

to eat for all of the wrong reasons but mainly we are reaching out

for something to make us feel better. Little did we know that we

were only making ourselves feel worse. But the habit was started and

now we are going to break it. Any one who is serious about taking

care of themselves has got to know it starts right here,with the

diet. So let's do it...

Start with one step at a time. NEVER try to change your eating habits

overnight. You will throw your body into shock! This means that your

body has become accustom to receiving any type of food at any time

and to bring this to a sudden halt will cause havoc, not only

physically but mentally. Caffeine and sugar are the main culprits,

giving us that " high " feeling and quick energy. If you were to

completely stop feeding your body sugar and caffeine your body would

most likely have withdrawal symptoms, as I mentioned before, causing

you to have the shakes, nausea, a wonderful PMS feeling, being

grouchy, irritable, etc. I don't know about you guys but where I live

that's grounds for divorce. So you start with changing a few foods

at a time, a little at a time. Take one day and write down

everything you eat. You would probably be surprised to see you just

consumed half of the Hershey factory.

Foods you CAN eat!

Whole wheat bread

Whole grain cereals

Cheerios !

Malt O Meal

Oatmeal

Cream of Wheat

Brown rice

Vegetables (potatoes in moderation)

Beans, all kinds

Refried beans (cook a small pot of pinto beans and put in blender

when done and cool)

Lots of vegetable juices, freshly juiced by you

Fresh fruit in moderation (2-3 pieces per day)

Better Than Milk - a soy milk (White Wave is also good)

Rice Milk if you like it, I think it tastes like dirty water but a

lot of people do like it.

Soy-Sation Chedder Cheese by natti. It's certified organic

soybeans, and yes, it does taste like cheese and it even melts.

Miracles never cease! (To find a store in your area or to order

direct call 503-652-1988)

Corn tortillas - love those tacos, make your own chips too, just bake

in the over till crisp

Organic flour tortillas made with unbleached white or whole wheat

flour

Salsa - if it doesn't bother you and you do not have liver damage go

for it

Canned tuna in small amounts

Organic whole wheat pasta or semolina pasta (available at most

grocery stores)

Spices and herbs

Herbal teas, iced or hot

Lemonade made with fresh lemons and stevia for sweetening

Organic unbleached flour (white) in moderation

Organic Virgin Olive Oil

Flaxseed Oil

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Baked chips

Nayonaise instead of mayonnaise

Yogurt - Do not eat yogurt if you are taking Hepatico

Okay, those are some of the foods you can eat. Now let's get a

little creative here and slap a few of those together.

Here are just a few dishes you can make using healthy foods.

Spaghetti

Macaroni and CHEESE - use the Soy-Sation or a tofu cheese

Tacos - using a meat substitute and lots of seasoning

Toastados

Enchiladas

Hamburgers - there are lots of meat substitutes at the health food

store. I use one called Gimme Lean

Hot dogs - tofu hot dogs

Chili Beans

Tuna Salad

Chicken Salad - made from canned chicken

Puddings - sweetened with liquid Stevia, using Better Than Milk

Cake - in moderation using unbleached flours. Eat desserts in

moderation

Distilled water with a little lemon or lime juice and liquid stevia

makes a great drink and NO CALORIES

Whole wheat waffles or pancakes - top with a fruit puree sweetened

with liquid stevia

Ultimate Meal - this is a great healthy drink. I add a banana and

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice

Pizza! - whole wheat crust and vegetarian and CHEESE

Homemade yogurt with or without fruit- sweeten it with liquid stevia

Baked potatoes topped with cheese, or a vegetable or both.

These are only a few ideas. I have plenty more in my cookbook. If

you are interested in the cookbook you can order it by calling 800-

216-5195.

So you see, there are more foods to eat than you thought. You can

take almost any recipe and convert it into a healthy dish simply by

using healthy foods.

Now here are a few tips for you regarding your eating habits.

Eat 4 small meals per day. Never eat a large meal at one time.

Do not eat for 5 hours before bedtime.

Try new foods, you may just like them by accident.

Drink lots of distilled water throughout the day and pop a vitamin C

ever so often.

Take a digestive aid (1 or 2) with each meal. ( I suggest Di-Acid

Stim by Atrium Nutrition)

Eat slowly and eat alone if and whenever possible and not in front of

the TV.

Prepare your foods ahead of time so they are ready when you are.

Salt - if you do not have a problem with retaining fluids and you do

not have high blood pressure then a little added salt is fine. You

can tell if you are retaining fluids by pressing on your shin bone.

Press and hold for 5 seconds, if it's indented after releasing

pressure you are retaining fluids and should reduce your salt intake.

Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew. The digestive process starts in the

mouth. The chewing actions begins the release of digestive juices.

Chew, chew, chew, chew.

Are you finished chewing? Great...

Do not eat and then go lay down. If you feel tired you probably ate

too much or the wrong foods. (Or you could have hep c)...

Do not eat when you are angry, frustrated, or bored. Instead go take

a walk and talk to yourself. This is a great way to relieve your

stress and stress out the neighbors.

If you need help in any way with changing your diet you can always

call me at 405-878-6644 or e-mail me. Just remember to make your

changes sloooowly but surely. It took you years to learn those bad

habits and it will take time to break them. And just for the record

it took me almost two years but I am a slow learner. Of course the

BBQ restaurant that I used to own didn't help matters.

Tips for Those with Cirrhosis

Here are some tips concerning the diet for those who have cirrhosis.

The majority of the diet is the same but there are a few differences

that I feel are important.

1. Do not eat raw vegetables but steam them instead. These include

carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, or any " hard to chew " vegetables.

Juicing is preferred.

2. Avoid meat, alcohol, hot sauces, spicy foods, fried foods, fatty

foods, salty foods, coffee, and caffeine.

3. Suggested fresh juices:

Carrot, beet, and cucumber

Carrot and spinach

Carrot, celery, parsley

4. Take 2-3 plums with pits and crush them. Add one cup of boiling

water, mix and obtain the juice. Drink in the morning and the evening.

5. Cook soybean sprouts and adzuki beans (1/2 and 1/2 in amounts),

cook into a light soup and eat.

6. Add lecithin to foods and take as a supplement, up to 1500 mg.

per day.

7. Take 800 mg. of vitamin E per day in dry form. If you have not

taken Vitamin E before start with a lower dosage (200 mg per day) and

slowly increase.

8. Good foods to eat are broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower,

onions, garlic, legumes (beans, lentils) , cabbage, peppers (mild),

whole grains, artichokes, beets, dandelion and herbs such as

cinnamon, licorice and turmeric.

9. Do not take Vitamin C with meals as it enhances the absorption of

iron. Take at least 1-2 hours after eating.

Eat healthy and live longer!!!

Proper diet is a must for all of us.

Ramona L. , C.N.C.