Elderly mother is struggling on vegan gluten-free diet

[Anonymous]

My mother is 76 but feels 90. She has lots of autoimmune diseases and battles inflammation from lupus and bone loss from long-term steroid use. Recently she went on a gluten-free vegan diet and her inflammation has improved. Her doctors are amazed and encourage her to continue with it. But she has gained 30 pounds in six months and is depressed all the time. I'm wondering if she gets too much soy. I know she eats much more than her activity level requires, but she feels deprived if she doesn't. Can anyone recommend a good dietician in NoVa who can guide her in establishing a plan for someone with severe health issues and extremely low activity level. I am desperate to help her but don't know what to do. I was researching books but her needs are so specific, I'm beyond my skill set. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

You mentioned autoimmune diseases, is celiac one of them? If not, she won't need to extremely strict about being gluten free. There is some link between less gluten or avoiding certain foods and inflammation, but maybe she's putting too much pressure on herself.

If you don't get any specific recs here, maybe you could find a nutritionist through a local celiac support group or even via meetup.com as there are some local GF groups.

[Anonymous]

Is she eating unhealthy foods? One can be vegan and still eat a ton of crap! (me, in college). Gluten-free is good for a lot of autoimmune conditions, dairy-free is good for some people but your mom might not be one of them. I am surprised she has gained so much weight - unless maybe it's hypothyroidism?

Sorry, don't have recs for a nutritionist.

[Anonymous]

OP here: She doesn't have celiac. She eats very healthy foods and nothing processed. Cooks everything herself. She eats a lot of soy and I'm wondering if that is the culprit. Her doctors have told her to lose weight and stay vegan, gluten-free. I'm sure there's a way to do both with the right balance, but I don't know that that is.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure there is a way to do a vegan anti-inflammatory diet.

My MIL saw great results doing a macrobiotic diet when she first was first diagnosed with RA but she hired someone to cook for her because she couldn't do it for herself.

This site hasn't been updated in a while but as I remember she avoid gluten as much as possible, and was not a fan of soy:

http://veganepicurean.blogspot.com/

[Anonymous]

Some people have had luck with intermittent fasting - look into the 5:2 diet. There is some evidence that cutting back significantly on protein can reduce inflammation.

[Anonymous]

She sounds like an excellent candidate for Whole30:

http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

This book explains it in detail with incredible emphasis on the importance of eliminating specific inflammatory foods:

http://www.amazon.com/It-Starts-Food-Discover-Unexpected/dp/1936608898

After adhering to this eating approach for the last 25 days, I'm a true believer. This is the best I've felt in 10 years!

[Anonymous]

Vegan is very good for anti-inflammatory purposes (I am doing it for those very reasons). Not sure about why she's gluten-free though. Is it supposed to be good for that?

[Anonymous]

What are considered most inflammatory foods?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are considered most inflammatory foods?

refined carbs, the white stuff - sugar, breads, potatoes, rice. I would have thought gluten free eating would be helpful, but perhaps there are a lot of other carbs still?

[Anonymous]

Ask her doctors to recommend a nutritionist. hopefully one who works with the elderly. If you are willing to drive to Maryland, I recommend Kathy McNeely http://kathymcneely.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask her doctors to recommend a nutritionist. hopefully one who works with the elderly. If you are willing to drive to Maryland, I recommend Kathy McNeely http://kathymcneely.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/

Thanks for the referral. I've been trying to focus more on dieticians instead of nutritionists because of the role supplements play in many nutritionists' practices. My mother had a nutritionist she swore by and then ended up with liver toxicity from all the supplements she was taking. We've also found her doctors know little of nutrition. It's so frustrating. I will contact Kathy McNeely and ask her approach to supplements.

[Anonymous]

I can definitely recommend Danielle Omar: http://foodconfidence.com . She's an RD with a lot of experience coaching and counseling on gluten-free diets. I'm actually in the middle of a whole foods detox with her right now and feeling fabulous!

[Anonymous]

Is she exercising? This is important for any diet and helps the body in so many ways. Too much soy is a problem and cutting back on that is important. Generally when meat eaters go veggie/vegan, they try to replace meat. A helpful way to change is to focus on enjoying the vegan foods as opposed to eating meat substitutes. Also soy is an allergen for some people, has she been tested?

Acupuncture may be helpful.

How is her sleep? Enough sleep is a must!

GL

[Anonymous]

I've been vegetarian for 16 years. I also gained weight when I first became vegetarian. Vegetarian food doesn't keep you full as long as meat. To avoid gaining weight, you need to make sure you eat enough protein, fiber and healthy fats to keep you full, as well as schedule snacks between meals. Things like lentils, beans, and hummus are good for satiety. Tofu does not satisfy me for long, though edamame does.

As far as the depression, a lack of carbohydrates can interfere with the production of serotonin and make one feel depressed. I suspect your mother needs more healthy carbs, like brown rice, potatoes, corn and cornmeal in her diet.

Sorry I have no recommendations for a dietitian for an adult. I can only say I've found few nutritionists or dietitians who have a good handle on vegetarian diets and practice evidence-based medicine.