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Whole30 safe for 91-year-old husband?


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My husband and I are on our 14th day on the Whole30 program.  He is 91 and very strong, but does have arthritis pain in his knee and mild memory loss.  We have always been very careful to eat a healthy diet (gluten-free and dairy-free and low in sugar, with only a little chocolate every day), and have always taken supplements.  But I'm wondering if there is anything I need to be aware of that could be a danger for him.  So far, he's had a lot of itching, maybe from sugar withdrawal or candida?  It's getting better now, and his brain fog seems to be lifting!   I've had greatly improved sleep and seem to be losing weight.  I'm 66 and have had ulcerative colitis (much better even before the Whole30), very frequent hot flashes, and I seem to be having some memory loss too.  I'm hoping all these things will improve.  But I mostly want to be sure my husband is OK.

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I am not sure what concerns you, but there is nothing unsafe or unhealthy about following a Whole30! Good on you both for considering it! Good Luck! :-)

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Thank you, Andria.  I guess I just wondered if changing his diet could throw something off, or shock his body too much.  But so far, so good!  I'm hoping it will help us both. His extremely dry skin seems to be getting much better. And I don't think it will harm him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had him do it for 14 days.   After all, it's just food!  And healthy food at that.

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Just some thoughts if your worried about things:

Some experience digestive upset (bloating, gas, constipation) with a dietary change. Things that are helpful: stay away from too many raw veggies (if he is not accustomed to eating them); Magnesium (unflavored Natural Calm) at night for constipation

If he seems low energy or weak: add in starchy carbs

This WOE is pretty low sodium if you are not adding it in. Be sure to add good quality sea salt

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Thank you again!  We have used Natural Calm (actually the vitacost equivalent which is much cheaper) for years, and we do use good sea salt too.  Good idea about the low energy. Actually, my stomach is bothering me now, after 14 days.  Can it take longer to get on track if you're older?  And is it common to experience emotional symptoms?  We both have had those.  Kind of down.

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Thank you again! We have used Natural Calm (actually the vitacost equivalent which is much cheaper) for years, and we do use good sea salt too. Good idea about the low energy. Actually, my stomach is bothering me now, after 14 days. Can it take longer to get on track if you're older? And is it common to experience emotional symptoms? We both have had those. Kind of down.

In what way is your stomach bothering you? Is it related to anything you're eating in particular?

I would suggest that you may both take longer to adjust - your digestive system becomes less effective with age unfortunately!

Low mood could be due to not enough fat, or starchy vegie carbs - are you including plenty of both of those?

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Hi Amberino, 

 

Yes I think we've had more than enough fat. In fact, I was wondering if we've had too much and that was why my stomach has bothered me! (It's just kind of unsettled and uncomfortable feeling.)  It's been better today. We've been having bananas too and sweet potatoes, for starchy vegies, but I don't know if that would be enough.  Maybe it was just something working out of our systems?  Like you said, our age may be making it take longer.  Today we both seem better in the mood area too.  Thanks so much for your thoughts! 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I find some extra starch helps if fat isn't sitting well in my stomach (I sometimes find coffee & fat together can sit funny, although mostly it's fine for me).

 

Liver would be an ideal addition if you can have it, as it's an excellent source of Vitamin K2.

Fish & seafood high in Omega 3 are excellent for brain function, oysters are supposed to be particularly good (if you can get them).

 

Tracking each of your intakes can help you find daily menus which work better than others (how you feel). Some just need a few tweaks (more fats, more starch).

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Thanks so much!  It's day 30 for us, and we don't plan on going off the Whole30.  We both feel good, and I have my husband back!  No more brain fog, his itching back is fine now, and I think we've both lost weight, although I'm waiting till tomorrow to weigh.  I'm sleeping very well now, something that has been a problem for me for years! 

 

Can we eat regular liver, or does it have to be from grass-fed animals?  My husband loves liver!

 

Thanks again!

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SO glad to hear he's doing well! :D

 

Marrow is good too (osso bucco, lamb shanks) and bone broth! For a lot of people in my generation and younger, these are new-ish foods as our parents didn't teach us how to make them, most of my pre-Whole30 food has been boneless and devoid of organ meats.

 

I did ask before though and regular livers are better than no livers at all. If you can get grassfed organic, awesome, but if not, don't stress. If you do feel they don't agree with you (supermarket ones), switch to an alternate supplier (local butchers may have nicer ones).

 

If you're worried you're losing too much weight, you might need to add more starches, fats and protein.

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