Put on your Dietitian hat, Jeff. I need some advice on tweaking the McDougall food plan to make it also follow the rules of an antimicrobial diet.
My husband has recently been diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is finishing up the first 28 day chemo cycle. He's been having many side effects not only from the chemo meds but the other "anti" meds they have him on - anti-emetic before each infusion, antibiotic, anti-fungal and anti-microbial.
At the moment he's an inpatient in the leukemia unit because of severe pains in his left calf. They're running all kinds of tests to find the origin of the muscle pain before they can formulate a treatment.
While speaking with his nurse on admission we explained the food plan he's already on (McDougall starch based, of course) and she said he should have also been on an antimicrobial diet. She said the dietitian will eventually be up to talk to him about the diet. That was Sunday and it's already Tuesday and nothing further was said, but the dietary slip that comes up with his meals says "Vegetarian anti-microbial". Luckily it's the type of hospital where they give you a menu brochure and you call the kitchen and put in your order and in an hour or so they deliver the tray.
In the meantime, I did some searches for the anti-microbial food plan, and luckily most of the restrictions don't pertain to us, but I do have a few questions.
Some of the restrictions I found are pretty obvious and stricter than regular kitchen rules, like no leftovers more than 24 hours old, no leftovers reheated more than once.
No black pepper unless it's thoroughly cooked in the food.
No raw fruits or vegetables from outside the house, including salad bars and fruit salads.
No frozen berries and other thin skinned frozen fruits (grapes)
No fresh raw fruits and vegetables that cannot be thoroughly washed such as: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, and grapes (they tend to get mold around their stems)
I have a question about this one to avoid:
Undercooked or raw brewer’s yeast
The head of his oncology team already told us no supplements or fortified foods and especially avoid folic acid. The only nutritional yeast I use, mostly as a faux parmesean as a pasta topping, is the unfortified kind. After reading many of these do's and don't, this one was the first to mention any kind of yeast. Should he also avoid unfortified nutritional yeast?
Can you think of any other food that a McDougaller would usually eat that he should avoid. Because of this recent hospitalization my brain is a bit fried, and some of these do and don't lists contradict each other. Also, his meals have been coming up with things like raw lettuce and tomatoes and packets of pepper next to the salt packets on the trays, and fresh whole fruit, like bananas with breakfast and apples or other fruits with other meals.
The first doctor we met at this specialty facility - a Center of Excellence certified cancer center - surprised us when she started explaining her dietary rules for her patients:
No meat or fish
No dairy
Greatly restrict the amount of added sugars and avoid things like fruit juices and smoothies
Bread is okay as long as it's whole grain, and try to use sodium restricted if possible
No alcoholic beverages or soft drinks
My husband and I looked at each other as she said all that and we openly chuckled. When Dr K asked what that was about we explained the McDougall food plan to her and said we've been eating this way for decades, so these aren't even restrictions to us, it's how we eat naturally. She was very happy to hear that, and said we're probably the first people she's met that eat this way. She said most patients fight it and try to negotiate with her to get some of their favorite SAD foods allowed. Unfortunately, the other doctors and APN's (Advanced Practice Nurse, a.k.a. Nurse Practitioners) on the team just say "all foods in moderation" are allowed and tell him he doesn't have to be so strict. There are plenty of soda and junk food machines around the building but no place to buy a bowl of rice and veggies or even a baked potato, not even the cafeteria.
Right now the chemo is playing a number on his tastebuds and he complains his saliva tastes like 40 weight motor oil. When he's home I can spice up some of his formerly favorite dishes, but he was recently most happy with just some rice and veggies or a plain potato with mustard. In the hospital he's been trying to pick as many starches and side dishes as he can to make up a meal. At least breakfast is plain oatmeal made with water and a banana, his usual breakfast at home, too. He said this tastes normal and he wishes he can have it for all 3 meals a day.
So, any other helpful hints or further foods to avoid? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
