Sickle Cell

SICKLE CELL AND FOOD

October 30, 2017 | by admin | 10 Comments
  • fruits-and-vegetables-of-brazil-FI SCIf there is a question that I get asked a lot, it is about, what should people with Sickle Cell eat, in
    order to stay strong and healthy and most especially out of hospital? With sickle Cell, it is
    important to eat a well-balanced diet, meaning, your vegetables and fruits.
     
    People with Sickle Cell tend to have iron deficiency. One thing you can do to help yourself if you suffer from Sickle Cell is to eat well. By that I mean, eating food that have a lot of nutrients and will help boost your immune system; less infections and stuff.
     
    All the various things that I recommend, I also do, as staying healthy is very important to me.   Even though I look after myself, as much as I can, I still find myself down with a Sickle Cell crisis or something else that would then trigger a Sickle Cell crisis. All in all it’s all good.
     
    During such situations, I wonder if there is more that I should be doing that I am not doing. One thing that I have tried to do is – to buy organic food as much as possible. The fresher the food, the better for us. All these genetically modified foods are not good for the human body anyway.
     
    Some countries insist on the labelling of GMO foods but not all countries and such, it is better to buy food labelled ‘organic’. This is about preserving life, living well and the only way that can happen is if you watch what you are putting inside of you by being more conscious of what you eat as the ultimately goal is not be admitted into hospital at all or not often.
     
    Medicines are also genetically modified and so, it can sometimes be a losing battle for the human body. And that is the reason why, when I am taking tablets, 8 times out of 10, I will eat some solid food especially if I am indoors. I will not just take tablets on an empty stomach ever.
     
    Sometimes, I might be outside and not indoors where I can get some food, so it might mean taking my tablets with biscuits or eating crisps. When I buy crisps, I buy multi-grains crisps and I also tend to eat pop corns more than crisps, as the calories are less and now you can buy wholegrain pop corns.
     
    A lot of shops now sell, dried fruits in small amounts that is worth buying and keeping in your bag. I usually have various nuts, as they are easy to carry in my bag.  Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not advocating not taking tablets. But I believe in taking tablets with good food and not on an empty stomach or with healthy snacks, like nuts, roasted plantain or yam or akara etc… if you are out an about.
     
    I have compiled a list below, if you don’t already eat most of this, then do include them in your regular diet.
     
    HEALING FOODS: all nuts, all beans, fruits in general, goat milk, butter, coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, grapeseed oil, fish oil, all vegetables, eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, venison, wild game, brown rice, millet, oats, sweet potato, yam, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, herbs and spices, soy sauce (wheat free), honey, mayple syrup, purified water, raw fruit juice, raw lemonade, all manner of spinach, greens, okra, tuna, quinoa, geisha, wheat, brown bread. Red lean meat, liver, seeds (sunflower, sesame), vitamin C, red peppers, broccoli, kale, berries, sardines in a can, boiled eggs, dried figs, beef, nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts etc…), kidney beans, dried apricots, corn beef, dates, shrimps, black eyed beans, almonds, raisins, turkey, pork, lamb, cabbage, steak.
     
    CEREAL: raisin bran, whole wheat, brown bread, gammon, watercress, veal, hot dogs, potato (with or without skin), pasta, tomato, bagel bread, cereal.
     
    DRINKS: orange, carrot, apple, cherry, grape, cherry, tomato, strawberry juices.  Red wine, guiness, V8 drink, pomegranate drink, herbal teas and fermented drinks.
     
    The Healing Foods consists of eating equal amounts (33% each) of clean protein sources, healthy fats, and low glycemic carbohydrates in the forms of fruits and vegetables.
     
    Of course, with all of this, one can still fall ill and so just take it in your stride. The way I look at it, is at least, I have don’t all that I can do to look after myself and be healthy and stay out of hospital as much as I can.