As you probably know already a well balanced diet consists of proteins, for growth and repair, complex carbohydrates which release their energy at a slow and steady rate to keep blood sugar levels regulated, vitamins and minerals for health and vitality, oils supplying essential fatty acids. It is difficult to get a balanced, interesting and satisfying diet when you have to restrict your diet to the foods you tolerate.
We can encourage recovery by rotating the foods on a 4 day cycle and we always have something different to look forward to tomorrow.

By eating a balanced diet we build up our fragile health. This diet includes carbohydrates, fibre, protein, vitamins, minerals and sources of important fatty acids.

Complex carbohydrates give us slow release energy to keep us going until the next meal-time and are in foods such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and wild rice. Refined sugars on the other hand are simple carbohydrates which give us a quick fix of energy but don't satisfy our appetites and they can leave us craving more. The simple carbohydrates are bad news for those of us who have Candida fungal problems.
Fibre is provided by the variety of vegetables, fruits and grains available.
There is a choice of protein to suit meat eaters and vegetarians.

The rotation diet has a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, eggs, fish and milk, to provide us with a balanced intake of vitamins and mineral traces. Refer to Pages 190 to 197, for further information about vitamins and minerals. Those of you who are vegans must take doctors' or dieticians' advice about vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is in meat, cheese and eggs but not in vegetables. Vitamin B12 deficiency is an extremely serious, indeed life threatening, condition.

Trace quantities of minerals are also needed to keep us healthy. For instance the potassium in fruit helps to regulate blood pressure.

Some readers may benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements. Supplements should be taken as directed by a doctor, to suit the needs of the individual. Inappropriate intake of supplements can have a negative effect on health, for instance, an excess of Vitamin C will only cause diarrhoea, but an excess of Vitamin A can be harmful.

The rotation diet also provides good sources of Essential Fatty Acids ‘EFAs'. EFAs are components of oils which the body cannot make but are needed to keep us healthy. Deficiencies can contribute to distressing conditions such as:
Impotence, Infertility, Stress, Sight or Hearing Problems, Poor Circulation, Dry Scaly Skin and inflammation such as that associated with Rheumatic Disease.

It is very difficult to get simple understandable, undistorted information about oils. Cooking oil refiners and margarine manufacturers, ably assisted by the advertising profession, extol the virtues of spreads and oils derived from Polyunsaturated Oils. However, manufacturing processes may damage polyunsturated oils with the production of distorted fatty acids, called transfatty acids which are harmful and increase the risk of heart disease.

There are two types of essential fatty acids, omega 3's which are found in fresh wild fish, and flax seed oil and omega 6's found in evening primrose oil, borage oil, (starflower oil,) nuts and seeds. Fish from the following list are good sources:
Salmon, Trout, Mackerel, Sardines, Eel and to a lesser extent,Tuna. Nuts such as Walnuts, Brazil Nuts and Almonds are good sources. Seeds such as Pumpkin, Sunflower, Flax (Linseed) and Hemp Seeds,*can be included in the diet and are also good sources. (*these are readily available in many health food shops and do not contain any narcotic substances in their seed form and so are not illegal to buy; just don't try growing them!)

Some Cooking Oils, such as Sunflower and Safflower should be good sources of EFAs. Most brands are processed to give high yields of oil but in doing so their chemical nature can be altered and undesirable impurities produced.

Extra Virgin Oils are the first fraction from the seed pressing and are generally better than the subsequent pressings. They should be stored in tightly lidded glass bottles, away from sunlight and should be used quickly. Plastic bottles should be avoided as trace chemical impurities can dissolve in the oil and upset sensitive people. Monounsaturated EFAs are believed to have a very protective function for our health and the best source is extra virgin olive oil.
Another natural oil which can be used in moderation for cooking is clarified butter; some people who are allergic to ordinary butter can tolerate clarified butter which has had its casein and albumen (milk proteins) removed. Dice around 8 oz (200 grams) butter into a heavy saucepan (preferably stainless steel or glass.) Allow to melt over gentle heat and keep it cooking until it is foaming. Skim it well and strain through a muslin cheese cloth into a basin. Allow it to stand for a while until a layer of sediment forms in the bottom and decant the pure clarified butter in to a suitable container leaving the sediment behind. Store in the fridge until needed.

Some readers may wish to take supplements which contain EFAs in concentrated, easily available, forms. Evening Primrose Oil is a very well known example. Beware the outer capsule though. The gelatine shell can be derived from animal bi-products. Sensitive people may wish to squeeze the oil onto a spoon, before ingestion. There are other supplements and Star Flower Oil ( from the Borage Plant ) and Linseed and Marine Oils are examples. Nb Cod Liver Oil is not a good source of EFAs but is a rich source of Vitamin D, and also Vitamin A, which is harmful in excess, so the recommended dose must not be exceeded.

Despite some of the claims made on television, margarine type spreads are not without danger. Most contain traces of dairy products and saturated fats. There are some types, available from health food shops, which are combinations of oil and water, called emulsions, these often contain emulsifiers such as lecithin to keep them stable. If tolerated, they can be taken in moderation.
When hydogenation is used to produce margarine it gives rise to ttrans fatty acids; in this process a deodorised and purified oil is turned into a fat by pumping hydogen though it in the presence of a catalyst which is usually a compound of nickle or platinum. The oil is poured in to a huge vat and hydrogen is bubbled through it along with the catalyst and rapid hardening takes place. Colourings such as annato or beta carotene may be added to improve the appearance and vitamins and flavourings are often added to make them more appealing to the consumers. Manufacturers are now aware of the dangers of trans fatty acids and are altering their manufacturing methods.