Hi. I'm currently beginning my NP journey. Probably Vitamin deficiency based, with any alcohol not helping. If you want to say Alcoholic Neuropathy, then so be it, I won't argue it. I was also on PPI's with lots of Tums each day and had no idea that they could stop you from getting your b12 from food.

Anyway.......

Right now I am not eating enough and am losing about a pound a day which is not good. I'm not always hungry anymore, especially when the pain is bad, but when I am, I know I need to eat more. I want to eat food that is healthy as over all I want to drop another 45 pounds this year as I feel that can only help me, but I also need to have times that I'm eating. Right now I am only eating as follows.

A bowl of oatmeal in the morning, sometimes with some strawberries in it. One meal at night, like a piece of baked chicken with some broccoli and green beans. Sometimes that meat is fish. I also sometimes snack on mixed nuts or peanuts and then of course, lots of regular water. That's pretty much it right now for days.

I just don't want to eat anything that will cause pain!

Take tomorrow for example. My mom is in town to help me out, and my brother wants to take my mom out for lunch and I can go along if I feel well. But what could I eat? A hamburger? With or without the bun? With or without cheese? Is the tomato OK? Maybe some ketchup? I can do without ketchup. Maybe add some avocado? The fries are probably not a good idea, right?

If we went Tex Mex, and I ate a steak, which I'm' not sure if I should, would the beans and rice be OK? I probably shouldn't' eat any chips and salsa, right? I"m not sure what to do.

Where do all of you PN suffers eat when going out and what do you eat?

Meanwhile, there is my daily diet. Specifically what veggies to people eat? What fruits? Specifically what kinds of meats. Is pasta bad? What about tomatoes or tomato sauce? Do you all have a cup of joe and does that flare you PN? Bacon and eggs? Do any of you eat any bread, or is that a big no no. Milk or dairy based stuff? What other foods? What is very bad to eat as it flares your PN? Are artificial sweeteners bad for my PN?

So far all I can find is people saying, eat Paleo, or eat Zone, or Mediterranean, and that is all good in the long run, but I need to eat right now. Sometimes when I am hungry, I am so hungry, and I need more then just more chicken and broccoli.

Please help. Specifics are great. Like actual lists of foods to eat or not eat that won't cause any additional pain. I don't want to pay the next day.

Thanks you! :-)

Choices of foods, may become important if you have intolerances.
Hot sauces, salsas, lots of tomatoes are not tolerable for some people (including me) because they increase burning nerve pain.

If this is true for you, then you will have to avoid them. Do an elimination diet of them for 2 weeks and see what happens. If you improve, then when you use hot sauce again, you get a flare, that will be your answer.

I try to follow the Zone diet. It has shown good response for sugar control, and has been around a long time. It is moderate and allows you to eat rather normally with just some balancing of types of carbs/protein/ good fats.

Do an elimination of gluten, this same way, and dairy to see if you have some intolerance to them too. Do the eliminations one at a time, for clarity.

If you don't have a gluten problem, you can have some breads in moderation. I'd avoid ice cream, and high sugar loads though.

You can switch to another eating plan in a month or so if Zone doesn't agree with you. One thing I'd be careful of is eating junk food. Eating MSG in that junk food also.

There is new research suggesting junk fast food actually causes autoimmune diseases...
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread230822.html
autoimmune diseases, lead to neuropathies.

Learning to make simple meals can be done at home. Just watch for MSG in processed foods (Doritos, some soups, etc).

You will get the hang of it.

I suspect your sudden weight loss is water weight. That will stop in a week or so, as you plateau out.

I am sure others here will give you advice too. So keep your mind open to ideas, and choose what will work for you.

Coffee causes instant burning for me and I would avoid artificial sweeteners regardless. I also avoid sugar including simple carbs that convert quickly to sugar. I can usually get away with a small amount but if I overdo it I pay for it.

Avocado is a great addition to meals. If eggs work for you an avocado omelet is delicious.

Great info so far! :-)

I'm also looking for specific lists though as well. Like do you eat any bread? Do you eat any pasta? Do you eat tomato's or tomato sauce. Do you consume any dairy or dairy products. What kinds of fruits do you eat pain free? How much sugar is too much for you? Can I only eat foods with zero sugar?

I know it's a lot of work to type of this kind of stuff, and yes, peoples list will vary, but I imagine tons of people would love to know what other PN sufferers eat and don't eat.

I have no problem looking into types of diets down the road, but when a person is a new suffer, we need some specifics today. Lists of what works for you and doesn't are very helpful. I"m not trying to create a bunch of work for anyone, but if a few people out their like to type, then feel free. I have scoured the net looking for some specific lists and it seems like no one has every just said, this is what I can eat, this is what I can't.

:-)

If you know your blood type, you might look at this site - http://www.dadamo.com/ - to see if foods fit or not for your type.
His books are in most libraries also.
I found many foods that I knew gave me some problems on the "bad" list for my type.
And it lists the best foods and neutral foods for each type..
It may help you find best foods for you, and what to avoid.

Here's a thread that might be useful: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread230343.html. A paleo ketogenic diet has done wonders for me and several others whom I've met. I have a long post on that thread. The most important principle of all is to listen to your body. A great way to get in touch with your body is to go on such a healthy, restrictive, but therapeutic diet like the paleo keto and then after at least 1-2 months (I'd say 6 to be safe) very slowly introduce foods and food groups. I didn't eat out for 6 months, and since then only twice and nothing that broke the strictures of a paleo diet. I also lost about 50 lbs without calorie counting, and often eating 4-5000 calories per day. Good luck!

That's a hard one, not because of typing or time but because food intolerances as MrsD mentioned can come into play. These can be different for everyone and not necessarily a common trigger for PN. One way to figure out if you have any of these sensitivities is to eliminate an entire group of food such as dairy or gluten and then introduce it back slowly and see what happens. I am going to have "Allcat Testing" which may show me what foods I need to leave out of my diet.

So here is my food list. I eat a "modified" paleo- keto type diet. I have recently given up dairy and will be introducing it back slowly in a few months. I also am limiting eggs and nuts right now so I don't have them on my list. Gluten does not seem to bother me so I'll have an occasional sandwich with whole grain bread, but not on a regular basis.

Protein:
Fish. Preferably eating anything that is caught wild like cod, flounder, halibut, mahi-mahi, salmon, snapper, trout, and tuna.

Meat. Beef, Veal, Lamb. Grass fed is preferred.

Poultry. Chicken, Duck. Free range or organic is the best choice here if possible.

I don't eat Pork because I don't like it. If you eat it I'd watch out for added sugars in ham.

Vegetables:
Arugula, Artichokes, Asparagus, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chives,Collard greens, Cucumber, Endives, Fennel, Garlic, Kale, Leeks, Leafy Greens, Lettuce, Mushrooms (All Kinds),
Onions, Parsley, Pumpkin, Rhubarb, Romaine Lettuce, Scallion, Shallots, Seaweed (All Sea Vegetables), Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip Greens, Watercress, Zucchini, fermented vegetables
like Kimchi, Sauerkraut

Fruits:
Avocado, Blackberry, Blueberry, Canteloupe, Kiwi, Olive, Lemon, Lime, Raspberry, Strawberry

Oils:
Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil and Butter (Butter only if you tolerate diary)

Spices:
Salt, pepper, basil, thyme and most others. I do not use cayenne, tumeric, chile pepper or herbs that are too spicy as they trigger me.

Beverage:
Water with lemon, herbal tea (Camomile, mint) AND 1 cup of Joe in the morning with 1/2 & 1/2 AFTER breakfast to negate the burn!
I love coffee

Other stuff::
peas, lentils, hummus, squash, sweet potato, brown rice

Occasional foods:
Whole milk unflavored Kefir, butter (Not Margarine), Pistachios, eggs, whole grain bread

As you can see I eat a pretty varied diet. I was pretty strict in the beginning but now if I stray as long as it's not a lot I don't have problems. Hope this helps!

For me, I avoid sugar (can handle fruit sugar to an extent), gluten, rice, artificial anything and bottom feeding fish (shrimp, crab, etc). these seem to be the killers for me and lead to major flare ups. I stick to lean meats, chicken, pork and turkey, non-starchy vegetables, nuts and healthy fats (I can tolerate dairy). I take supplements for any areas i feel I am not getting nutrients because of my eliminated foods.

Don't eat anything white except Cauliflower. Low carb instructions from my Neuro as my PN was diabetic in nature. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Thanks pinkynose, naturally I fully appreciate all of the responses from everyone. Thanks all! Your post however was a bit more along the lines that I was hoping for. A spoon fed list that I can use as a starter blueprint. Very helpful! :-)

A few followup questions for you.

How long have you had PN and where and how bad, and how much better or worse is it now, if you don't mind me asking? Were you able to eat more things as you have come along or something?

What do you mean by "AND 1 cup of Joe in the morning with 1/2 & 1/2 AFTER breakfast to negate the burn!" So after you eat it the food helps or something?

Some PN suffers I think mentioned not eating tomatoes? Does that sound right or did I just think that up for some weird reason?

Does butter upset your PN? Does fat in general?

You said "I also am limiting eggs and nuts right now" Why? Does that hurt you, or other PN suffers?

How do you handle eating when not at home?

I would love to see some others come up with their own lists like this for not just me, but the many other lurkers here who I am sure would love the help.

If ya want to.