Nutrition

I was asked by a friend to explain the nutritional changes/challenges of CFS. She acknowledged when asking that my being vegan is not in question. However, for anyone else wondering: Being vegan does not cause CFS.

OK, now on to the real topic. The basic advice from Dr. Teitelbaum (and my personal doctor, Dr. R) is pretty standard. Don't eat crap. Eat real food. This is, I think, more important to emphasize with CFS because when you're exhausted, nauseated, and can't think straight, it's much easier to either skip meals or fall back on whatever is easiest. In my case, PB&J sandwiches. Luckily, Nick has taken over cooking in the evening, and he's very good at making sure I eat my veggies. Or, as he puts it, "food that isn't beige."

So once you've gotten sick, it's very easy to develop nutritional deficencies. Also, once you're sick and problems compound, your body may have difficulty processing or creating various important nutrients/chemicals/whatever. That's why it's important to repair any problem areas (I had very low vitamin D, for example), and then to keep your nutrient levels "fully stocked."

Also, if it's suspected that you have yeast overgrowth, you should cut back on sugar intake, because sugar makes the little yeasties happy. You should also take probiotics to make it harder for the yeast to compete in your gut.

In addition, D-ribose is supposed to improve cellular energy production.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine and N-acetyl-L-Cysteine tend to be lower in people with CFS, so supplementing those can be helpful. Coenzyme Q10 may also assist with energy recovery.

Finally, there are nutritional and herbal remedies for many of the bothersome symptoms of CFS. Taking calcium before bed can assist with sleep. Reducing caffeine can help with anxiety. Suntheanine can both relax you during the day and make it easier to sleep at night. Of course, now we're sliding away from nutrients/diet and into supplements. It's a blurry line, but I think I've mostly covered the nutritional stuff.