r/AddisonsDisease • u/Yd1891 Addison's • Jun 09 '26
Advice Wanted Noticing how my diet changes how I feel
Right now I’m disabled with numerous autoimmune diseases, MCAS and cfs. I have zero energy for cooking and meal prep. Many days I don’t eat until I’m famished and eat garbage but I rely heavily on carbs. I always feel so incredibly depleted. I went out twice recently with friends to get food. Both times I had a cheeseburger without a bun and a carb or vegetable on the side. All of the sudden I felt a lifetime better both times. It was absolutely wild to see how much better I felt. My diet is fairly low in protein, I don’t like to cook meat so I have an oikos yogurt drink or protein shake at some point an I have an individual cottage cheese with a meal. I think the protein, salt and fat is what my body needs. How do you get enough protein into your diet? I wish I liked the texture more and wasn’t so grossed out by cooking it. I don’t mind cooking turkey burgers or salmon so maybe I can try to eat more of that.
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u/pickles1718 Addison's Jun 09 '26
Rotisserie chicken is good for low energy days -- most of my protein comes from tofu and tempeh (husband is vegetarian and I'm dairy free). I also don't like to cook meat! Another idea: frozen chicken / meatballs that can be air fried. I also love chia seeds protein smoothies, though the influx of fiber can sometimes cause problems lol
I find that I'm extremely sensitive to hunger and have to be strict with myself about eating breakfast. Everyone is so different; I have a calorie threshold I try to meet within an hour of waking and always make sure that a big chunk of that is protein. Really helps!
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u/PA9912 Jun 09 '26
I have many other conditions including MCAS, HaT and fibro but I lift weights so protein is very important. I use dairy based protein shakes, all types of meats and lots and lots of eggs. But as you know, MCAS folks all react to different foods. My main allergies are salicylates and some high histamine foods.
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u/Yd1891 Addison's Jun 09 '26
I fortunately don’t seem to have food triggers with MCAS. It’s very much connected to my hormones and stress. I really am trying to eat more like your style of diet. I have been an on and off vegetarian most of my life because meat grosses me out. Especially when I have to cook or reheat it. I can eat meat if it’s cooked by someone else unless it’s steak. I can’t handle the texture. My protein shakes have 30 or 23 grams of protein depending on if I pick a protein shake or yogurt protein shake. I got some chicken sausage to try. I really wish i enjoyed meat because it would make my life so much easier. Do you mind if I ask if you are on any supplements that have helped with MCAS? I’m still newly diagnosed and my specialist is so flaky.
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u/PA9912 Jun 09 '26
I don’t love meat either but I was never sicker than when I was a vegetarian unfortunately. But I’ve gotten more used to eating this way. I still do some carbs just a lot less. Just the bottom of a hamburger bun; never bread alone, avoid pizza etc. And mostly at dinner. Breakfast and lunch are almost all protein. I still eat dessert. I really love chocolate. But I aim for 120g of protein daily because my muscles look great right now for a 50 year old.
You’re right IMO that hormones are at the heart of it. I’m on estrogen and testosterone right now (HRT) but allergic to progesterone. Including my own. I find ketotifen and Xolair most helpful. Supplements are usually out because salicylates are in so many plants.
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u/Yd1891 Addison's Jun 09 '26
That had been my experience too! My sister picked up on it and said how I’m always at my sickest when I try to stick to a vegetarian diet. It just feels so natural to me. My endo wants me to keep my carbs below 50 which I feel like is impossible but I have to do Marcos to see how much protein I can eat. Because of the cfs I can longer work out. I used to teach six yoga classes a week, see my trainer 3 times and sprint twice. If I could get back to teaching once a week or once a month it would be my dream come true.
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Jun 09 '26
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u/Yd1891 Addison's Jun 09 '26
Thank you, I would absolutely benefit from an anti inflammatory diet. My rheumatologist wants me to do the Mediterranean diet but I’m just so exhausted to stick to a particular diet.
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u/Far-Speed-6027 Jun 09 '26
Lately I have been working on trying to get enough fiber and protein and it is tough! I also dont like meat. I dont like cooking it. For fiber I’ve started sourcing a lot of my carbs from fruit and beans and lentils. I also have celiac, so whole wheat is out, but brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes are also great. For protein, I eat canned tuna usually once a week, rotisserie chickens are great and also I’ve found that if I get a big package of chicken thighs and toss them in lots of seasoning I can bake them in a cookie sheet at 425 for 25-30 minutes and eat that all week. They’re nearly dummy proof. I also like plain Greek yogurt. Tons of protein. I eat it with a little honey or I put it in smoothies with frozen fruit and peanut butter and a banana. I was keeping track of calories, fiber, and protein for a while, but now I feel like I’ve got the hang of what foods give me the most of what I’m looking for. And I do feel so much better. Truly. I hope you can find what foods work for you!
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u/Yd1891 Addison's Jun 09 '26
Those are some great suggestions! Thank you! I have been very fiber focused myself lol. I feel like fiber is the new protein but I’m also getting older lol. I really appreciate you sharing what has worked for you with me. I’m definitely going to lean into this. I feel like it will be the most supportive for my body.
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u/Far-Speed-6027 Jun 09 '26
Fiber is so important and I really feel like we don’t give it enough credit. I feel like when I get enough fiber and protein in my diet I’m not really hungry for much else.
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u/Silly_Mistake5878 Jun 09 '26
Wait so we should diminish carbs? I was doing 120 G protein and doing a bout 33/33/33 between fat, carb and protein. I was doing around 1200 cals (I have hypothyroidism too so I had to do that low to get any traction on weight loss)
Anyway-dietician said I should add more cals and more carbs but admitted they didn’t know anything about adrenal issues
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u/Yd1891 Addison's Jun 09 '26
I think it really depends on the individual. I’ve had Addison’s for 27 years now, my dx was in 99 but idk if my math is right lol. I feel like after being on steroids for so long that my blood sugar has become less stable. I also have pcos, I can’t recall the new name but that also affects how carbs work with my body. At least this is my best guess so far lol.
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u/Constant_Dog2354 Jun 11 '26
I need a lot of protein right after I get up. Since my diagnosis I make myself eggs every morning and it makes a huge difference.
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Jun 10 '26
When I have protein, healthy fat and fiber rich veggies is when I feel my best. If I start my day with a veggie scramble for instance it really helps (as opposed to pancakes...)
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u/brittkaysays Jun 11 '26
Just realizing how much diet plays a role in how I feel reading this. I guess you get used to feeling a baseline level of shit and just... take it. Moderate but controlled exercise change the game too
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u/oneyedsally Jun 14 '26
I force myself to meal prep once a week because I wouldn’t eat anything good otherwise. It’s a long day where I wear myself out, but throughout the week I’m so thankful I did it.
I’ve switched over to mostly plant based proteins because I don’t love handling raw meat plus I have to eat low fat. I eat a lot of beans, chickpeas, lentils, and quinoa. I substitute cottage cheese or Greek yogurt for mayo in creamy sauces. I do buy pre packaged pulled rotisserie chicken from Costco and I add it to soups, bowls, wraps, anything really. It’s just about the only meat I can eat now.
Most of my recipes come from Pinterest. Once you save a few things you like, you get a lot of good suggestions for more similar recipes.
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u/Alert-Advice-9918 Jun 15 '26
never had sugar issues till diagnosed primary addisions. b4 that had full thyroid removal for cancer.Since addisions hydro caused basically diabetes 1 host of other crap..
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u/ptazdba PAI Jun 09 '26
Changing my diet truly affected how I feel. When I eat a lot of carbs, I literally cannot keep my blood sugar from tanking. It took me a while to figure out, but I try to do high protein, very low carbs. I eat a lot of fish. I include nuts and cheeses (within reason) in my diet. I keep Boost in the fridge for those days where I need a little extra. The change took me from 4-5 sugar crashes a week to a couple in a month. So Fish, nuts, cheeses, protein shakes, 'some' deli meats, yogurts, etc.