For radical dietary changes, especially to help digest fats, Michael Moore advises using Iris versicolor or Iris missouriensis (5-20 drops of tincture, 3 times a day, use with caution). His herbal manuals (quite technical) are available on his website, www.swsbm.com.

I would like to add a vote for the South Beach Diet. I've lost 14 lbs and hubby has lost much more. (of course) This must be an unsettling time for you, I'm sorry your pain. Now you have this major adjustment, not fun at all. The good news is, this board is visited by many helpful and friendly people. I don't post often, but I thought I could help. This blog, www.kalynskitchen.com, is a great resource for low glycemic (won't mess with your blood sugar) recipes! One of my favorites: White Bean and Artichoke Dip with Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips (Makes about 2 cups of dip, recipe from Cooking New American.) 6-8 whole wheat flour tortillas (can also use pita bread) olive oil for brushing on tortillas (I used a mister) salt for sprinkling on tortillas (I used Vege-Sal) 1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts (I used artichoke bottoms which have hearts only, no leaves) 1 small clove garlic, chopped (about one tsp. chopped garlic) 2 T fresh lemon juice 2 T extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on top 3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary (I used frozen rosemary, if you only have dried rosemary be sure it's completely crushed) salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste sweet paprika, for garnish Preheat broiler and get out a large cookie sheet for toasting tortilla chips. Brush or spray each flour tortilla with olive oil, then cut into triangles. Arrange in single layer on cookie sheet and toast under the broiler, about 3-4 minutes per side. Watch them carefully, because they get too dark rather quickly. Chips will seem soft when you take them out of the oven, but they harden and crisp as they cool. Drain beans into colander and rinse well, until no foam remains. Let drain at least 5 minutes. Drain artichokes. In food processor, combine beans, artichokes, garlic, and lemon juice and blend until fairly smooth. Keep food processor motor running and add the olive oil in a stream. Add parmesan, and finely chopped fresh rosemary and pulse about 10 times to blend. Season dip to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place dip in a serving bowl, sprinkle with a small amount of paprika and drizzle over a small amount of olive. Arrange tortilla chips around bowl and serve. This printable recipe from KalynsKitchen.com. Another favorite website is skinnytaste.com. Chicken Piccata Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 2 (16 oz total) chicken cutlet halves, all fat trimmed freshly ground black pepper 2 large egg whites 2/3 cup seasoned whole wheat dry bread crumbs olive oil spray (about 1 tbsp worth) 1 tbs light butter juice of 1 lemon, lemon halves reserved 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup fat free chicken broth 1 tbsp capers Sliced lemon, for serving Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving Cut chicken into 4 cutlets, then place cutlets between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In a shallow plate, beat the egg whites and 1 teaspoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs in another plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the egg, then bread crumbs. Heat a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Spray a generous amount of olive oil spray on one side of the chicken, and lay it in the pan, oil side down. Spray the top of the chicken generously to coat and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Set aside until you make the sauce. For the sauce, clean the saute pan. Over medium heat, melt butter, add the lemon juice, wine, chicken broth and the reserved lemon halves, salt, and pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Discard the lemon halves, add the capers and serve one chicken cutlet on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. I truly hope you are able to turn this around and get your heart healthy. Sissy

Meat can be made into meatloaf or pate, or cooked as a braise or stew, which require little chewing. Salads require a lot of chewing. Try soups, terrines, hummus, smoothies, etc. Remember that you need to chew some to stimulate the saliva interaction that's an important part of digestion. Just use the softer stuff when you're really in pain. Quinoa needs to be "fluffy" to be nice to eat. The Kitchn has instructions which emphasize the fluffy. I haven't cooked through this one, but it looks right. The rubbing and rinsing step is important. What are you doing for the TMJ? If it hurts that much to chew, you might try an anti-inflammatory, and since you're talking about changing your diet, you could go towards an anti-inflammatory diet as well. Do you have a "wet" heating pad? (Not literally wet, but draws moisture from the air as it heats.) It's excellent for loosening up the muscles. Do you get any kind of physical therapy? Your insurance should pay for it. Besides traditional PT, chiropractors and Feldenkreis therapists have strategies for helping TMJ. If you're feeling tight, this really helps: Sit up or stand. Holding your head still, look up by moving your eyes to look up. Look down the same way while slowly dropping your jaw. Look up again while slowly raising your jaw closed. Repeat a few times. Now look up while slowly lowering your jaw, and look down while raising it. Repeat a few times. Now do the same side to side: Look to the right while moving your jaw to the right, then look left while moving your jaw to the left. Repeat several times. Reverse: Look to the right while moving your jaw to the left, then look left while moving your jaw to the right. Repeat. This sends the muscles into WTF mode and they get confused about how to overtighten and give up for awhile. Take care of yourself. Work the problem, not the symptoms.

I have been transitioning my dogs to a raw prey model diet for the last couple of weeks, but since I still had most of a large bag of dry kibble that I couldn't afford to toss out, I've been feeding both on alternate days - raw one day and kibble the next. To my surprise, there has been absolutely no digestive upset at all - no vomiting, no diarrhea, no inappetance. I have read, though, that digestive upset is more likely to occur if you mix raw and kibble together in the same meal. The only negative affect of raw meat that I have noticed is that the dogs tend to follow me around on the kibble days demanding their MEAT! Oh, and they can get a bit constipated if there is too high a proportion of bone in their meals. One of my dogs is also a gulper, so I had to teach him to slow down and chew his bones by holding the meat and forcing him to pull small pieces out of my hands. I don't intend to add any supplements to the raw diet. It should have everything the dogs need nutritionally as long as I vary the meats as recommended. With cooked meats, however, supplementation will be required since you are cooking out some of the nutrients and you are not able to feed cooked bones. I was frankly surprised at how easily my dogs took to raw food. None of my dogs have a history of sensitive stomach, though. Still, you might want to give it a try and see if your dogs can tolerate raw meat without digestive upset. Laurie