Help With Elimination Diet!

[Alexolua]

I've decide to do one of those awful.. err wonderful elimination diets. Figure after 12 weeks of being gluten-free/CF without much improvement, be best to check. Looking for advice, help, etc! Gonna try to be fairly strict. And I have been trying to search yahoo.. it's hard, and so many people here are smart! Sorry. =)

I would be cutting out: Soy, Corn, Tomatoes, Yeast, Nuts, and Eggs.

Is there anything else I should get rid of? Figure all processed foods are out the window too.

I would be eating meats. Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Hamburger, and fish.. well I dun like fish.

Fruits and Veggies would be in. Any other I should avoid besides listed above?

I was thinking Rhubarb and Strawberries dipped in sugar could make a good snack. Pineapple, and other sweet fruits too.

For adding flavor to foods, was gonna go with salt, garlic, and olive oil. Should those be fine?

Drink wise. Well gonna go with Orange Juice, that has added calcuim. Umm.. maybe fruit punch too. Plus water..

Four years ago, I did get tested for food allergies.. and I was found moderately allergic to Seasame Seed, Sunflower, Peas, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Crab. So guess I should avoid those.. plus mild to String beans, Cabbage, Eggplant, Lettuce, and Onion.. so guess those should go too? Though it says I don't need to avoid the mild.. but maybe they'd be worse now? I dunno. Hadn't notice a problem to any of those (mild or moderate).. but guess diet could test it for sure!

That was done with MetaMetrix, if anyone heard of them. Tested IgG 1&4 anitbodies. Though they say I could eventually re-introduce those things using a rotating diet.

I figure, I'll stick to it maybe for a week.. then try adding in one item at a time. Keeping notes of everything!

So that's the plan. Sound good, or should I eliminate even more things? Thanks a ton!!

[tarnalberry]

It depends on how strict you want to do this. There isn't a right or wrong answer.

If you're being strict, strawberries are out - they can cause allergies, as are a number of other fruits and vegetables. You would probably not want to have too much added sugar, because you need to pack as much nutrition into the calories you have. And you probably wouldn't want the orange juice with added calcium, because those are additives that you don't have control over (it's technically a processed food). You'd want to eliminate ANYTHING you KNOW you have some sort of reaction to, so as not to confuse the results, and if you can't have onions, you might want to throw out garlic as well.

If you're not going very strict, the list you've got to avoid is fairly good, since you're already wheat/milk free, but also you'd want to avoid shellfish and regular fish (both on the eight most common allergen list).

Please take the time to plan what you're going to eat. You're not going to eat anything that comes in a sealed box/bag/carton/container while you're on this (aside from the salt and olive oil), and it is psychologically rough at times. You might also find that olive oil doesn't agree with you - either due to the pressing, or for some other reason, so consider having another type of oil on hand if that's the case. (I used rice bran oil, myself...)

[astyanax]

i hate to say this cos i'm sure every single thing can be an allergy but both my mom and my neighbor have severe reactions to garlic, even a small amount, so maybe you should cut that too?

[jendenise]

Well, I don't know what else to tell you, but I do want to wish you good luck and let you know that I'll be thinking of you while you're dealing with this tough time. Let us know what happens!

[ryebaby0]

Ahh, we did this....started with (I kid you not) a diet entirely of rice, chicken, olive oil, and a enteral feeding solution. After three weeks, once a week we added a new food -- potatos, spinach, carrots, beef, watermelon, and then peanuts (he'd been RAST tested so we knew those were okay). Next were a bunch more veggies, and finally soy to replace the Peptamen. It took months to get to a "normal" gluten-free diet and still my DS is not "allowed" dairy or fish. If you have a damaged and leaky gut, most anything can make you react. It was sometimes hard to go slow, but on the other hand, it was nice to know we were sure about the food. A food reaction can take 48 hours to show up, so you can't go very quickly with the add-ins. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN! If you react, and can't absolutely know what was new, it defeats the whole purpose. Good luck!

[Alexolua]

It depends on how strict you want to do this. There isn't a right or wrong answer.

That explains why websites were telling me different things! Confused me. =)

You'd want to eliminate ANYTHING you KNOW you have some sort of reaction to, so as not to confuse the results, and if you can't have onions, you might want to throw out garlic as well.

Well.. that's the problem.. I think since I'm so symptomatic still.. it's hard to tell what bothers me and doesn't, unless it is a major reaction. I am eyeing Soy and Nuts as bad things though. I figure, if I'm gonna do it.. try to cover everything!

Oninions.. never noticed a problem, but maybe I wasn't paying attention. I'll nix the garlic to be safe too.

I can nix the fish too. I wasn't planning on eating any, anyway, hehehe.

How would I get calcuim then? Or this hopefully shouldn't last too long that my bones all go bad? LOL

Thanks Tiffany, know it's hard, and this is the start of my planning process.

astyanax.. thankies!

jendenise.. thanks as well!

ryebaby0 -> Yeah, I tried a test with Soy.. wasn't entirely sure though, so.. decided might as well try to test a lot. And who knows, maybe my symptons will go poof if I cut a lot of things out, lol. Though the idea of this taking months, yikes!

Ohhhh.. anyone know, a website said if you leave something out for too long, you may be able to tolerant it for awhile, and that'd mess up the results. Know if that's true?

I wish enterolab had a full food panel!! =D

[Judithg]

I had pretty good luck with an elimination diet that worked as follows:

Cut out all of the common allergens (wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, peanuts, shellfish, chocolate). I'd probably cut out strawberries and tomatoes as well, because they're fairly common.

Cut out any food that you normally eat more than twice a week. This usually means finding new foods to eat.

Stick with this diet for at least 2 weeks to make sure you get any allergens completely out of your system. (I found that I felt really good when I was in this phase--none of my usual symptoms.)

The particular diet I followed also recommended only eating cooked vegetables and fruits.

Then add in foods one at a time, eat a lot of the new food for 2 days, and see what happens. Make sure you test foods individually. If you have a reaction to something, you have to wait 4-7 days before you add in another food (to clear the allergen out of your system).

This takes some time, but I was able to identify my main problem foods within about 3 months.

I've also read about a book that seems like it would be helpful in identifying food allergies. I haven't read it yet, but it might be worth a look-see: "The Food Allergy Survival Guide" at this website: Open Original Shared Link

Hope this is helpful

[Alexolua]

Yes, very helpful. Thanks!

Though makes this sound like even more work! =P

Hmm.. I'd have no clue what to eat though, if I got rid of everything I ate twice a week, lol.

[tarnalberry]

sweet potatoes? good nutrient source, low allergen potential.

[debmidge]

When a person gets leaky gut, can they get better? Will leaky gut heal on gluten-free diet? What if person is sensitive/intolerant to corn, yeast, egg and soy, but still eats them, but remains gluten-free?

[Alexolua]

I don't know debmidge. Maybe that's a no? Well, yes to healing, no if you don't avoid things that bother it.

tarnalberry -> I can go with sweet potatoes. Anything else good for like calcuim, iron, etc.. all that needed stuff?

I am gonna try to find a website or something hopefully that can explain that stuff. Planning I might get this started next weekend. I see I do need to plan ahead, lol.

Question.. would I need to get new pots/pans again.. since some of the things cut, have been cooked in them?

[tarnalberry]

I just planned on four weeks where I wasn't going to be getting quite all the calcium, or other vitamins (though iron is covered by the meat) I needed. There's not a lot around that, but if you are getting plenty of weight bearing exercise, it's not as bad as it could be.

The planning ahead idea is definitely the way to go. You will be thanking yourself by day 2. :-)

[Alexolua]

Yeah, when I went gluten-free/CF.. I didn't plan at all. Just did it! That was annoying. Didn't even really get out to the store, to get foods.. till a week after that! LOL

Umm.. I get like no weight bearing excerise. Eeep! Guess I should, well.. stop putting getting back into excerising off. =)

[tarnalberry]

There are studies that show the benefits of weight bearing exercise exceed the benefits of getting RDA levels of calcium, in terms of bone density. There's just no substitute. :-) (I know, it kinda sucks... and with my knees, some of my exercise is swimming... But yoga also can offer a decent weight bearing exercise where, over the years, you also use the upper body for weight bearing. Of course, strength training is good for that too.)

[Alexolua]

Oh, I think my body should beable to handle it.. use to be very active. Just when my tummy/intestines seem to always been feeling bad, kinda kills the motivation to work out, LOL.

[kabowman]

You may want to re-think the turkey if you are lactose intollerant. Almost all turkeys are coated with lactose to help them brown. I have not even been able to eat any turkey products for years. Even lunch meat which I thought would be safe made me sick. Good luck

-Kate

[Alexolua]

Oh, you sure? I make sure to check the labels and haven't come across any that have lactose on them. Hmm.. I'll be sure to doubly check them in the future. Thanks! =)

[ryeanddiet]

Alexhoula,

Something that helped me and may help you. I saw a naturopath and orginally she thought I had a 'toxicity' problem. She suggested the 7 day brown rice diet.

It's a good diet to not only completely detox and get the digestion running right again, but you add back in foods after the 7days 1 week at a time in the order they are most problematic so you can narrow down any food issues.

It's a tough diet (very, very strict - no sugar, no salt) but it does clean you out so you can see a closer relationship to problematic foods when you add them back in.

Brown rice is one of the best sources of fibre and easiest things to digest so it will reset your organs to zero!

Open Original Shared Link

good luck.

jen

[Alexolua]

Argh.. that rice diet, scarey!

Makes sense though, about not drinking with food, least I think so.

But no orange juice? *cries* That'd be the only thing I'd be drinking, besides water.. LOL.

Hmmm.. I tried looking for white rice, seems to have added stuff. Blecky. Few different brands did. So got some brown rice instead.

Don't like the idea of cutting out salt though.. would like to keep sugar and brown sugar too. Experimenting now with baking apples. Think that could make an elimination diet more fun. Yeah, haven't quite started it yet.

Umm.. question to anyone who knows. Are there apple allergies? Apples, depending on the kind.. would always leave my stomach, like unsettled.. like too acidic, maybe? And eating crackers, cookies, bread, etc.. afterwards would make it feel fine. So I doubt it would be an allergy? Of course, those things have to be gluten-free now.

And Banana's should be bad. They are an allergen? Cuz that would cut out my normal breakfast then, a banana, lol.

[tarnalberry]

yep, some people have problems with bananas, and I believe I've heard of it with apples as well, but both of them are very rare. the apples could have too much fructose for you, hence leaving your stomach unsettled. that's one of the reasons for next to no fruit on an elimination diet. cutting out the sugar is important as well, to minimize any possible reaction from a potential sugar intolerance. orange juice is definitely out on an elimination diet, as citrus can be a source of allergies.

(this is why I was _literally_ eating from only 12 foods. it's not fun.)

[Alexolua]

Sugar intolerance?!?!

Can you please push me off a cliff now? =D

[burdee]

Hey Alex:

Apples are a natural source of sorbitol ... which is why some people get diarrhea from drinking too much apple juice and the old 'apple a day' advice helps prevent constipation. If you have problems with artificially sweetened gums and candies which contain sorbitol, that might explain your 'apple problems'. However, if you're into sour apples (like Granny Smiths), you may just be sensitive to 'sour', as I am right now. I'm limiting tomaotes, strawberries, citrus, vinegars, etc. which give me slight symptoms. I don't know if I have a citrus 'allergy', but I'm just obeying my body cues which say 'OUCH' when I have acidic stuff.

I know elimination diets are more exact for discerning problems, but I prefer to really listen to my body when I try anything I haven't eaten in a while. I know the usual foods which feel good in my body, so I can track symptoms to the new stuff. Not too exact, but at least I don't feel sooooo deprived.

BURDEE

[Alexolua]

Well the thing with apples, maybe I didn't explain it well? Some kinds of apples I'm perfectly fine after eating, others it's just maybe like a too acidid or unsettled feeling, that's asking for more food in it.. and once I do that, it goes away.. so that wouldn't be an allergy or anything, since eating something else makes it go away, would it be?

burdee -> Eh.. wish my body was as helpful as yours was, lol.. so think I'll need to go this route.

tarnalberry -> What 12 foods were you using? Maybe I could steal your plan. =D

Ummm.. do I need to worry about tooth paste and mouthwash? My mouthwash does have citrus in it?

Thanks. =D

[ryeanddiet]

Hey Again Alexoula.

I know a really strict elimination diet is no fun but like in your last comment, I couldn't tie my reaction directly after eating the food.

In fact, even after the elimination diet I couldn't tell bread/gluten was the problem. I'm one of those 'undiagnosed celiacs' who have constipation (more than the diarrhea) and (awful to say), it wasn't until I was 'entirely cleaned out' (colonics) that I could link the food to the reaction.

I'm not suggesting you go that far but be aware that sometimes things remain in your system for a long time so it's hard to link the cause and effect. If you do choose to do elimination...try to be as strict as you can for at least one week to better your chances of seeing the connection or your effort may be all for naught.

jen

[Merika]

I think it helps to think of an elim diet not as cutting things out, but by slowly adding things in - starting with just basics (like chicken, rice and pears for 3 weeks) and then adding stuff in.

Or, just do a food ELISA test. (NOT those horrid RAST things which I'm convinced don't show anything but pollen allergies, lol!)

And just to chime in on the other posts *I'm* allergic to bananas and rice.

Debmidge, I wonder the same thing....I currently eat many of my allergens....am hoping gluten-free-ness fixes a lot of this in time....

Merika