Testing For Intolerances?

[christianmom247]

Hi All, I've been gluten free for over two years after being diagnosed with celiac.  In the past few months I have started having increasing discomfort and bloating, which had initially stopped after going gluten free.  My doctor redid the celiac panel and confirmed that I have not been getting into gluten, but I don't know what my next step should be.  

 

I suspect possibly additional food intolerances, but there are so many different foods that I don't know where to begin.  Is there any test that would tell me what foods I might be intolerant to? I've heard of an elisa test but don't know if it's reliable.  

 

Or should I forget testing and remove almost all foods, then introduce things one at a time?  If so, what would be the best foods to keep since I have to eat SOMETHING. (I also have osteoporosis, so plenty of calcium is a necessity.)  Thanks so much for your wisdom!! :-)

[bartfull]

There really is no reliable testing for other food intolerances. An elimination diet (such as you describe) along with a food and symptom diary is the only way to really tell.

 

Unfortunately, dairy is one of the foods most likely to give us problems. You could always find a good gluten-free supplement for the calcium. It's a good idea to take a D-3 supplement along with it.

 

Just get your diet down to simple whole foods - meat, veggies, fruit, nuts. You may have problems with some of the veggies or nuts, or maybe even fruits. Find some that work for you and stick to them until you are feeling better. Then add one food at a time. Give it a few days because sometimes symptoms are delayed.

 

It is a pain in the neck and seems to take forever, but eventually you will come up with a core diet that you know is safe. As time goes on you will expand that diet and most importantly, you will feel better.

[Finally-45]

I found the Paleo diet to be a good starting point for the elimination diet. The most common culprits are already off of the Paleo diet.

[1desperateladysaved]

I had some testing for food intolerances that were very helpful for me.  Genova Lab Food intolerances tests. I have written about it several times on my blog.  At any rate I got skeptical about my results and went back to rotation of the foods I had antibodies too.  Eventually my health practitioner warned me that I should withdraw them, but since I didn't have my old fatigue symptoms I felt I would be okay.  However, my lymph system was going crazy and after deciding not to eat the foods I had shown antibodies to started reversing that.  I also began to lose weight.  My abdominal bloating also seems to be going down and for the first time in years, my belly is going flat and staying there.  Anyone could PM me or look up my blog if they are interested in hearing more of it.

[bartfull]

While this article may be two years old, it is still relevant: Open Original Shared Link

 

"Additionally, an expensive blood test which claims to measure "food sensitivities" by looking at antibodies in the blood called immunoglobulin G, or IgG, may be convincing more folks that they, too, have food intolerances. While the test seems to be growing in popularity, no mainstream medical bodies have endorsed its use for diagnostic purposes, and scant reliable scientific evidence exists to support its utility in pinpointing food intolerances." (Bold emphasis mine.)

 

Most of these "labs" that do so-called food intolerance testing don't take insurance either. It is up to you to pay and then try to get reimbursed by your insurance company. That in itself is a red flag.

[millerb68]

I would recommend trying the low FODMAPs diet, which works for many people with IBS. Here's a chart that gives some idea of what it is, but you can Google it for more info: 

Open Original Shared Link

 

And I will add that I did have the IgG testing last year and it helped to identify many foods to which I have sensitivities. Once I cut them out, I saw some improvement, but because of the then-undiagnosed celiac and leaky gut, I developed many more. 

[julissa]

I was searching through the forum as I had the same question, and saw this thread. I will read through. I was going to post my story here, but realized I might be hijacking, so I'll start a new thread with my question, 

 

thanks