Elimination Diet - Making Me Sick?!?

[lucia]

I am at the beginning stages of an elimination diet. I'm only eating 8 foods total, yet I'm still getting sick - stomach cramps, nausea, joint pain, etc. The foods are:

sweet potato

quinoa

banana

kale

sunflower seeds

organic tuna

olive oil

sea salt

Does anyone have any suggestions? Any likely suspects for making me sick on this list? I'd appreciate any advice. This is really rough.

[burdee]

I am at the beginning stages of an elimination diet. I'm only eating 8 foods total, yet I'm still getting sick - stomach cramps, nausea, joint pain, etc. The foods are:

sweet potato

quinoa

banana

kale

sunflower seeds

organic tuna

olive oil

sea salt

Does anyone have any suggestions? Any likely suspects for making me sick on this list? I'd appreciate any advice. This is really rough.

The problem with elimination diets is that you could be allergic to ANY food. There are no 'safe' foods. The best way to learn your allergies is through an IgG (delayed reaction) food allergy blood test like the ELISA panel for 96 commonly eaten foods.

On the other hand you could still be reacting to a food which you ate before you started this 'elimination diet'. My gluten reactions last for almost 2 weeks. My dairy reaction last about 10 days. My soy reactions last about a week. Unless I knew exactly what caused my reaction, I could suspect any foods.

Finally you could have an intestinal infection from a bacteria, parasite or even a yeast, which causes your symptoms. Many people on this board suspect food intolerance or allergies, when they have gastro symptoms. However, you don't need to travel to a foreign country to get a parasitic infection and you don't need to take go to a hospital to pick up a pathogenic bacterial infection. I've had 8 different gut infections during the past 4 years.

[mushroom]

I would ditch the quinoa - no way I tolerate that:( Kale is also hard to digest unless you cook it to mush - try swiss chard instead.

[lucia]

The problem with elimination diets is that you could be allergic to ANY food. There are no 'safe' foods. The best way to learn your allergies is through an IgG (delayed reaction) food allergy blood test like the ELISA panel for 96 commonly eaten foods.

My understanding though is that "food intolerances" and "allergies" are not the same thing. People can be intolerant to certain foods, but these won't show up on the ELISA test.

[Skylark]

ELISA can help guide an elimination diet, that is you don't want to start with foods you react to by ELISA. A reaction on ELISA is not a guarantee of allergy or sensitivity, particularly with IgG. I also had the same understanding that intolerance can really only be found reliably by elimination.

You absolutely eliminate the big 8 as they account for a lot of allergies. Cow dairy, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. You should really find something instead of the tuna. As well as it being a common allergen, there is too much mercury in tuna to make it safe to eat more than a couple times a week.

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The classic starter list for an elimination diet is lamb, rice, and pears. Rice sensitivities are relatively rare in Americans, and lamb is both not eaten commonly and not very allergenic. Sometimes turkey is substituted, or a game meat like venison or buffalo if you don't normally eat it. People also don't tend to be allergic to pears. Lettuce is another you can use, as lettuce allergy is rare.

Is there a reason you chose quinoa instead of rice? It has some oxalate in it, which can make it hard on sensitive systems if you eat a lot. I also don't consider seeds, nuts or fish as something that should be eaten on elimination. Banana intolerances are not that uncommon either.

Hope this helps a little and I also agree that it might take a week or so for things to calm down.

[T.H.]

Oh man...yeah, could be any of 'em!

I'd say, though, first glance?

The quinoa could be an issue, as some celiac folk have trouble with that. Maybe amaranth or buckwheat would be better, if you're trying to avoid the grass family?

The fish could be a problem too, since it's one of the top 8 allergens. Bison is a meat that is supposed to be very hypo-allergenic (the only one I can eat, currently!). Or maybe something you almost never eat, like venison or ostrich, so you KNOW it hasn't caused you any issues before, yeah?

And I'd say... the olive oil and sunflower seeds might be problematic, too. Many oils and seeds have a lot of cross-contamination risks during processing, with tree nuts and peanuts, especially. I noticed you didn't have any nuts or peanuts, so I figured you might be avoiding those? However, there is a substance called 'sunbutter' that is made in a peanut free/tree nut free facility, so that might give you the same nutrition, but without the nut risk associated with it?

Then, I'd say...check that the sea salt doesn't have an anti-caking agent added.

That's all I can think of at the moment!

[lucia]

Thanks everyone. I choose quinoa, because I seemed to be reacting to rice, at least brown rice. I'm pescetarian so I choose to eat tuna. I'll need to rethink this, and cut back.

[dilettantesteph]

I can only eat quinoa if I triple wash it with soap. Maybe try wild Alaska salmon instead of the tuna. We do well with Driscoll's organic berries. Could the sunflower seeds be cross contaminated? I think that they can be grown on rotation with wheat. We do nuts that we shell ourselves.

Could you be missing something else? Kissing a gluten eater? Cross contamination in the house? Toothpaste or lotion?

My son is in the middle of an elimination diet too. It can be pretty miserable. Best wishes.

We had trouble with our olive oil, but were fine when we switched to an organic variety.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I agree with everyone else about the Quinoa. I had a bad reaction to Quinoa, almost worse than gluten. Kale is a another suspect food to me just because it's one of the dirty dozen--unless you are buying organic kale it's grown with a high number of pesticides that are difficult to wash off. And if fish is your only option for meat, maybe you need to go vegetarian for a while. You can try getting your protein from chickpeas (garbanzos) instead. My stomach still can't handle most beans, but chickpeas seem to be an exception.

Along with all of this, however, are you taking any vitamins or supplements? Or have you had your vitamin levels tested recently? There are so many vitamin deficiencies that can make you really, really tired.

[lucia]

Along with all of this, however, are you taking any vitamins or supplements? Or have you had your vitamin levels tested recently? There are so many vitamin deficiencies that can make you really, really tired.

I'm not taking any vitamins or supplements right now. I had my levels tested, and they're in range. I'll start with supplements again at some point. RIght now, I just need the GI pain to stop.

[GFinDC]

I agree on removing the quinoa and kale and sunflower seeds.

Is the tuna canned in soy or water? Most tuna is canned in soy which is another possible problem.

You could remove the tuna and eat avocados instead. They have some good protein.

[cassP]

if i eat a banana ALONE- i will most likely end up on the verge of throwing up- seriously- i always have to eat it with something (ie: a nut butter, a gluten-free cereal, etc). sometimes i cant handle sweet potatoes- dont know if its the fructose or mannitol.

tuna was bloating me up too- but i think i figured out it was the kind that was canned in broth (a SOY broth)

i hope u figure it out

[lucia]

This is kind of a nightmare. How long is this going to last? It seems like some people on the board don't go through this kind of thing. Does this mean that I have a lot of damage?

[Skylark]

This is kind of a nightmare. How long is this going to last? It seems like some people on the board don't go through this kind of thing. Does this mean that I have a lot of damage?

(((hug))) Sorry, but that's all I can offer.

Well, maybe one idea. Have you looked at any info on fructose malabsorption? I think bananas make my mom sick from fructose. The only other idea that comes to mind is to go back to your GI and talk to him. Maybe this is medical and not a food intolerance.

[mushroom]

No, it doesn't necessarily mean you have a lot of damage, but it might mean that you have several other food intolerances. It took me a long while to figure out what mine were. Quinoa was one of them. You could be a lectin reactor (I sure hope note) but if you google lectins you will get some idea of what to avoid. Good luck on tracking this all down. I basically did it all by myself, but it takes a while that way, If you could find a good nutritional educator it might help. Good luck

[India]

Lucia, you pooe thing. I'm afraid all I can offer is my sympathy because I'm going through the same thing and feeling equally lost. I'm almost two weeks in to an elimination diet, feeling even worse and starting to doubt my own sanity.

Can anyone offer advice on identifying safe and problem foods when any food seems to cause problems? Short of cutting down to only a single food, I'm completely stuck.

[lucia]

Lucia, you pooe thing. I'm afraid all I can offer is my sympathy because I'm going through the same thing and feeling equally lost. I'm almost two weeks in to an elimination diet, feeling even worse and starting to doubt my own sanity.

Can anyone offer advice on identifying safe and problem foods when any food seems to cause problems? Short of cutting down to only a single food, I'm completely stuck.

Thanks everyone.

India, I've decided to go down to just white rice, mung beans, and broth made from beef. I've been vegetarian now for well over a decade, but my acupuncturist insisted on the beef broth because she says I'm so weak. It's hard to heal when you're not getting enough nutrients (sigh).

[India]

Thanks everyone.

India, I've decided to go down to just white rice, mung beans, and broth made from beef. I've been vegetarian now for well over a decade, but my acupuncturist insisted on the beef broth because she says I'm so weak. It's hard to heal when you're not getting enough nutrients (sigh).

Wow. This really doesn't sound enough to keep you going when you're so weak already. Please be really careful, ok? I can understand why you need the broth

[cassP]

Thanks everyone.

India, I've decided to go down to just white rice, mung beans, and broth made from beef. I've been vegetarian now for well over a decade, but my acupuncturist insisted on the beef broth because she says I'm so weak. It's hard to heal when you're not getting enough nutrients (sigh).

just make sure your beef doesnt have wheat or corn starch & MSG, etc....

and what about trying some things that the Raw Foodies do.. like blending raw stuff in a Vitamix & reaping the enzymes???? idk...

also could u handle some Spirulina mixed with water or a juice u can do?? i just learned that Spirulina has B12..

?? hope u feel better soon

[Sweetfudge]

This sounds a lot like what I'm going through. Eliminating just about everything, and still getting sick. It sucks!

I would suggest looking into the IBS diet guidelines. I am not so sure I believe in 'IBS' but I do pretty well when I follow the diet (as was recommended by my doctor, when celiac dx/dairy free wasn't enough). It's helped, and though I'm not feeling 100% it may be something to look into, at least. There's a great website - google "Help For IBS" and you'll find it. I also suggest a couple of the supplemental items recommended on the site - I drink fennel tea at least 1-2 times a day, and take the acacia fiber supplement before each meal. Both have been tremendous help for alleviating my symptoms.

The best thing to do is to listen to your body, and try and figure out what trends happen when you eat certain foods. I hope you're able to get on top of all this and start feeling better soon.