What Else Can I Eliminate? I Still Don't Feel Better.

[B R I A N A]

So I don't mean to be like a downer and I mean this as just not a bad way.

But like the oxalate diet I was looking into it and soy is a high oxalate and I eat a lot of soy, not because I think it's healthier but because I'm a vegan. Peanuts also they were saying is a high oxalate food, and I eat them for protein.

I don't mean to sound complicating or anything, I really appreciate the feed back. I just... don't know what I'll eat for the time I am watching my oxalate intake. You know?

I don't know why, but like when I stopped eating gluten, I didnt mind, it was easy same with dairy and not eating meat. Just... I'm not sure.

The constant urination, is definately annoying. If anything I'd like to fix that.

[B R I A N A]

So I don't mean to be like a downer and I mean this as just not a bad way.

But like the oxalate diet I was looking into it and soy is a high oxalate and I eat a lot of soy, not because I think it's healthier but because I'm a vegan. Peanuts also they were saying is a high oxalate food, and I eat them for protein.

I don't mean to sound complicating or anything, I really appreciate the feed back. I just... don't know what I'll eat for the time I am watching my oxalate intake. You know?

I don't know why, but like when I stopped eating gluten, I didnt mind, it was easy same with dairy and not eating meat. Just... I'm not sure.

The constant urination, is definately annoying. If anything I'd like to fix that.

[Zachnap]

^Well, I am very certain that your problem is with oxalates - almost 100% from what you have said. In fact, I think that many of the people here who are claiming problems from corn and soy are actually problems with oxalates. I though the same for a while until I figured it out.

You say you are a vegan - that is fine, I don't want to tell you that there is something wrong with that. But, you don't have to be a vegan. You can continue to eat foods which are causing chronic problems for your body at the moment like soy and the others or I'll post some stuff that you should be able to eat. Maybe you can just eat some meat here and there for now - I don't know your reasons for being a vegan but...

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So, I guess dairy is out too right? Can you get by with going just vegetarian for now or do they not eat dairy either? I mean not all animals are raised on factory farms - there are organic farms and such. Just imagine if plants, animals and people all had the same rights - we could only eat rocks. Sucks to think about that. Just having fun, forget that, I know you are serious about not eating animal stuff.

But essentially there are some vegetables(some lettuce (romaine, iceberg I think), cauliflower, broccoli, I've been okay with small amounts of orange/yellow tomatoes), herbs and a couple nuts and beans (black-eyed peas, split peas and mung beans). Now, once you get your daily oxalate content down, you can get away with small amounts of Medium Oxalate foods but it might be possible for you to eat Low and Medium now - it just depends on you. I seem to be very sensitive to oxalates at the moment but those symptoms we talked about are gone 75% of the day now only occurring when I eat to much of something with medium content. Again, you might only be unable to eat foods high in oxalate, find some stuff of low to medium content and swap them out for soy. See if that helps. Eat Black-eyed peas and split peas instead of peanuts for Protein and Flax seed for folate. You'll need some B12 and Vit D since you aren't eating meat and dairy. See what happens. Just try it for a couple weeks.

They are working on a probiotic containing Oxalobacter Formigenes (think I spelled that right) which is a natural bacteria that breaks down oxalates and present in the digestive tracts of most people. Things like Celiac can destroy the bacteria cultures in the intestine which could be one of the reasons why you and I have problems with these foods. This probiotic will help re-culture the intestine.

Ultimately, what you do is your decision. Eat some stuff that you may not want to at the moment(such as meats/dairy) and eliminate soy/peanuts, continue taking anti-inflammatory meds which may cause severe problems down the road or just deal with the pain. Did you say you were taking calcium supplements? Continue to take that as it locks up oxalic acid (oxalates) into calcium oxalate before it can enter the blood-stream. Just drink lots of water to flush that out.

[shirleyujest]

Have you been tested for bladder infection and/or kidney infection? Just an idea. I would definitely drink more water, 8 glasses/day and don't forget extra salt cuz the water w/o salt is not good either. Someone here correct me but think we need 1/3 tsp. salt daily and when you cut out all processed food you don't get enough unless you add it.

In my case I have very low blood pressure and get light-headed w/o making a point of adding salt to food or eating salted nuts.

There's a ton of nuts and nut butters out there so you don't have to eat peanuts for protein. I eat a alot of almonds and almond butter, plus chopped walnuts, sprinkle them on my gluten-free waffles.

Also I'm inclined toward one of the other posters who suggested adding a little meat or at least eggs to your diet. Healthy people can get sufficient protein being vegan but you have enough health problems and are so limited in foods it may be that you are one who needs small amounts of meat. If you're concerned about how animals are treated you can buy free-range eggs pretty much everywhere now; organic meats are also widely available. I don't want to disrespect your choice though, if you have a strong conviction about eating vegan then I'm sure you'll find your way.

[yttap]

I am shocked! If Rice Dream contains gluten for sure then that is where I have been glutoned from 2 weeks ago! I have wracked my brain trying to figure out where. For sure gluten ? Why?

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why do you use rice milk if you re concerned about the gluten?? I use almond and goat milk. I use the Pacific brand of almond milk (from Trader Joes) but I think Whole Foods has it too. It doesn't have all the crap in it like the other brands. Just because you are watching the gluten/wheat-- doesn't mean you can't be sensative or allergic to other stuff like MSG or regular table salt. I use only sea salt.

[knittygirl1014]

Everyone has made a lot of good suggestions, but I just wanted to add some products that I like that are safe.

I am currently off eggs, dairy, soy and gluten, so I can relate to your troubles. I do eat meat though. When I was still eating all these things I used to get those stabbing pains in my chest too. My doctor freaked out and made me get an EKG, but it was normal. When I cut out all those things, the pains stopped. If you were drinking Rice Dream and getting glutened before, that could be the problem. You might want to check all your condiments and stuff for hidden gluten.

If you are concerned about getting enough protein, health food stores sell those big jars of protein that you stir into a shake. I got some that is made from rice protein and it's processed without chemicals. I can't remember the name but it comes in a white plastic jar with a brown lid (it's chocolate flavor). I mix this with Westsoy rice milk in the morning and have a piece of fruit with it.n Also keep in mind that most Americans eat twice as much protein as is really necessary. I started logging my food in a program that tracks the nutrients, and it's not really that hard to get enough protein to satisfy your body's requirements. Just keep in mind it should be complete protein, i.e. a good balance of amino acids.

I don't use margarine because it usually has soy. Instead I got Spectrum shortening which is just palm oil, and it has no trans fat. Coconut oil was a good suggestion too, but I don't like the texture as much. Avocadoes are also a great way to add some texture and fat to vegetables or a meal. Olive oil also.

As for potatoes, the taro suggestion was good, but if you just need something carby and delicious, consider plantains as well. They are like a banana, but more starchy. I'm not sure if you'd be able to get them fresh all the time, but there are plantain chips available.

If you cook at all, making bread with bean flours can be helpful, although the taste is stronger than other gluten free flours. If you look in Indian food stores, they usually have a variety of flours you can use, like millet, rice and bean flours. It might be worthwhile to learn an easy recipe for flatbread. Usually it's just flour, oil and water and a little salt. I know it's hard to be able to just grab something and go when you have so many dietary restrictions, so I always keep something like that around.

OK just another random tip... I discovered a lot of great websites about the raw food diet. Although I'm not anywhere near that extreme, it helped me discover a lot of interesting and delicous foods that I could add to my diet so I wouldn't feel deprived while cutting out all those other things.

I hope you feel better soon!

[Sprite]

Have you been tested for vitamin, mineral and essential fatty acid deficiencies? With your limited food categories that could be a real problem for you. Taking multivitamins isn't enough if you're already deficient and some vitamins depend on other vitamins for good absorption (i.e. a vitamin D deficiency hinders calcium absorption and vitamin D deficiency is a very common problem). Maybe that's why you're peeing out calcium?

Either way, it's worth discussing with your doctor if you haven't been tested for deficiencies yet.

Signs of Fatty Acid Imbalance (from the book "Smart Fats")

Dry skin

Dandruff

Frequent urination

Irritability

Attention deficit

Soft nails

Alligator skin

Allergies

Lowered immunity

Weakness

Fatigue

Dry, unmanageable hair

Excessive thirst

Brittle, easily frayed nails

Hyperactivity

"Chicken skin" on backs of arms

Dry eyes

Learning problems

Poor wound healing

Frequent infections

Patches of pale skin on cheeks

Cracked skin on heels or fingertips

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[OptimisticMom42]

Wow, lots of great advise! Did anyone suggest adding coconut milk to your diet? It's pretty safe and easy. I use it in place of butter in recipes or half it with water to use as milk. Much healthier than soy. It also has a good protein level and is easy to find in the ethnic foods section of any grocery store for about $2.00 a can.

Also read up on corn. It sounds like some of your problem foods contain a lot of corn.

The elimination diet is really easy and the safest way to figure this all out.

best wishes

[Looking for answers]

May I make a few suggestions? I went through all of this as well.

I think you need to focus on repairing your intensitnal track, and the first place to start with this is to eliminate ALL processed foods for a while. If you have blood sugar problems and don't eat meat (I used to be a vegan too and didn't eat meat), you really need to be sure you're getting a lot of protein with each meal, and not processed protein like soy products. For the dirty dozen vegetables/friuits (google to find this list) eat these organic, it will really help boost your immune system.

Next, I can't stress how much this helped me. Get on a GOOD probiotic and digestive enzymes and get away from the antiacids. I went through the same thing and it only gets worse unless you address the underlying issues, which probiotics and enzymes will help greatly with. I suggest checking our Dr. Brends Watson's line . . . she has many wonderful products to help replenish intestinal tracks and her probiotics are awesome, albeit a bit pricey.

May I also suggest taking a whole food supplement and not snthethic ones. You will be able to absorb them better and you can take them on an empty stomach because they're just food...no more stomach upset, ever! I take the New Chapter brand (more reasonable on vitacost.com). I agree with the others, take Omega 3 supplements and take lots of vitamin d (i take 5,000 IUs a day)...it helps with inflammation.

I really hope this helps. It breaks my heart to hear your pain...I've been there before but now I'm super healthy and strong!

[Korwyn]

Hi Brianna,

Given what I've read so far, I'd really suggest you take a look at the GAPS (Gut And Psychology Syndrome) diet. Its specific focus is on rebuilding the correct healthy flora balance in your gut. Once that is done, as some people have pointed out already, a number of other issues may resolve themselves.

As a vegan though it may create a problem for you as it is heavy on the meat and protein, but I have resolved that by getting locally raised grass-fed organic eggs, chicken, pork, and beef from local farmers. On the positive side once you move past the first couple of months you could look at reducing the meat intake as long as you continue to get sufficient non-processed animal fat into your diet.