My posting lately has been non-existent...I promise after the holidays when M is back at work I will make a real effort to update this normally. In the meantime, I am doing well. I am running three days a week, and also lifting weights three days a week and taking one day off--that day I pretty much eat what I want as long as it is low-oxalate--the rest of the time is pure Paleo using only low-oxalate foods. I haven't been great about cutting out dairy, but I am trying at least to cut it down to once a day or so. My LS is doing really well. I am not sure if it is the diet, or a combination of diet and steroid ointment...hard to say. I will keep track of it though. I have been eating low-oxalate now for about 40 days. Some days are more low-oxalate than others though...I have not had chocolate at all, although I may make an exception on Christmas and have some--I have been staying away from nuts except for small amounts of pistachios and macadamia nuts which are both in the medium category. I have been having raspberries regularly, but limiting them to about 1/2 cup per day, since they are counted as medium oxalate. I am also eating strawberries regularly--they are the only low-oxalate berry that I really like. Gooseberries and cranberries are in this category, but I am not wild about them--you have to add a lot of sugar to them to make them edible. I prefer raspberries and strawberries. I also love blackberries and blueberries, but they are very high oxalate unfortunately. I find that when I eat very simply--like fruit and meat or eggs for breakfast, salads with romaine and peeled cucumber and three or four cherry tomatoes, and topped with chicken and avocado for lunch, and just some sort of meat or seafood and a vegetable for dinner--it makes it easier. My salad dressings are made with about a tablespoon of sour cream, and sometimes bleu cheese mixed with Paleo Mayo, and I also sometimes have cheese for a snack, but mostly I have given up dairy entirely. I have cream handy in case I decide to make a coffee which I do rarely since I am only allowed one cup per day at the most--assuming all my other oxalate-containing foods are low that day. I only have coffee as a special treat now.

So far, this has been a very liveable diet. Many of my favorite things are low or medium oxalate including nuts, so I really don't have to worry too much about cutting them out forever. Dark chocolate is high-oxalate, but if I have some it would only be on very special occasions like Christmas or New Year's and maybe my birthday. And I wouldn't be eating chocolate in between at all since I don't like milk chocolate or white chocolate very much. The Paleo part of the diet makes it very easy to follow, since many Paleo foods are low-oxalate.

I will try to update this blog regularly and keep it updated. I know after the holidays it will be easier...