Got My Igg Elisa Food Intolerance Results...not Too Happy :-(

[arened]

I got my results from an IgG Elisa food intolerance test I did recently. I wrote on another forum topic that I received the test from Optimum Health Laboratories, and who knows how valid they are.

Basically, it says that in addition to gluten, my "high" reaction items are whey, milk, almonds, and kidney beans. My "moderate" reaction food is eggs.

How on earth can I possibly live without dairy, eggs, and gluten??? Does anyone know if these are temporary reactions that are occurring until my GI system heals? Has anyone had reactions to dairy in particular and been able to reintroduce them with no problem down the road? How long until you could reintroduce them without a problem?

Can anyone recommend any good dairy substitutes? I am praying that I can eat dairy and it actually isn't causing my symptoms!

Thanks!

[Jestgar]

Those tests are very inaccurate. Try cutting out everything on the list and adding them back one at a time to see if you react to any.

[gifree]

I got my results from an IgG Elisa food intolerance test I did recently. I wrote on another forum topic that I received the test from Optimum Health Laboratories, and who knows how valid they are.

Basically, it says that in addition to gluten, my "high" reaction items are whey, milk, almonds, and kidney beans. My "moderate" reaction food is eggs.

How on earth can I possibly live without dairy, eggs, and gluten??? Does anyone know if these are temporary reactions that are occurring until my GI system heals? Has anyone had reactions to dairy in particular and been able to reintroduce them with no problem down the road? How long until you could reintroduce them without a problem?

Can anyone recommend any good dairy substitutes? I am praying that I can eat dairy and it actually isn't causing my symptoms!

Thanks!

With all due respect, I wish I had your profile, try: in addition to wheat, rye, oats, barley, I have a class 3 reaction to cow's milk and cheese, and a class 1 reaction to apple, asparagus, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, celery, corn (ugh, this is a real, real challenge, cause I believe most gluten free products use corn as a binding agent, as well as in my supplements and meds), cucumber, eggplant, garlic, grapes, grapefruit, lemon, lettuce, green pepper, white potato, tomato, watermelon, baker's yeast and yogurt. So, I'm at a REAL LOSS for what I can eat and still carry on a balanced diet. Most of the supplements I need, I cannot take, because of the corn binding agent. This is gonna be real tough.

[cassP]

are you gluten free?? or were u waiting for these tests first??

my personal opinion and personal experience is that while i was still consuming gluten-> i had reactions to many many many foods... or intolerances.

since going gluten free, AND ALSO eating healthy and adding digestive enzymes, etc-> i can handle more and more foods.

it's possible - IMHO, that after healing, you can add many foods back in... but maybe not all. ie: i still have issues with corn, fructose, excess lactose, excess legumes... BUT, i can handle eggs and fat again... and a little bit of dairy.

ps- i hope that you're relying on your doctor and blood tests to show gluten problems rather than these Elisa tests... and of course also what your body is telling you.

[burdee]

I got my results from an IgG Elisa food intolerance test I did recently. I wrote on another forum topic that I received the test from Optimum Health Laboratories, and who knows how valid they are.

Basically, it says that in addition to gluten, my "high" reaction items are whey, milk, almonds, and kidney beans. My "moderate" reaction food is eggs.

How on earth can I possibly live without dairy, eggs, and gluten??? Does anyone know if these are temporary reactions that are occurring until my GI system heals? Has anyone had reactions to dairy in particular and been able to reintroduce them with no problem down the road? How long until you could reintroduce them without a problem?

Can anyone recommend any good dairy substitutes? I am praying that I can eat dairy and it actually isn't causing my symptoms!

Thanks!

First of all, I want to ask: Why did you take those tests? Did you hope that you would have no reactions or allergy restrictions? Did you plan to follow the suggested dietary restrictions?

I took 3 different ELISA panels to determine why I had ongoing symptoms. I had already been diagnosed with gluten, casein and soy intolerance by Enterolab stool tests. Because I knew I had obvious reactions to all those foods, I abstained from gluten, dairy and soy after receiving my test results. However, I still had symptoms (cramping abdominal pain, bloating, gas, tachycardia and nausea) within a few hours after meals.

So I did the ELISA tests to determine whether I had other food intolerances/allergies. The first 100 food panel showed high and moderate reactions to cane sugar and egg whites. Whenever I eat even tiny amounts of cane sugar I get 48 hours of tachycardia and nausea. I feel really ill (cramping pain and nausea) whenever I get flu shots (which are cultured in egg white). I get constipation and bloating when I eat eggs.

However I still had cramping pain and bloating symptoms. So I did the ELISA vegan panel and herb and spice panel. Those revealed high reactions to nutmeg and vanilla. So I now abstain from gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, cane sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Because the ELISA tests shows immune IgG mediated antibody reactions, I don't think I will ever stop reacting to those foods. My body will always produce antibodies to those delayed reaction food allergies, just like my body will never forget how to react to gluten.

My dairy reactions were sinus congestion and infections, cramping pain, bloating, gas and constipation. My soy and gluten reactions are similar, but without the sinus symptoms. Both vanilla and nutmeg also cause excruciating gut pain, bloating and constipaton.

I found tasty substitutes for all my diagnosed allergens. Instead of dairy, I use hazelnut milk, Daiya cheese, Truly Decadent coconut based ice cream, Earth Balance dairy/soy free margarine. I can't use any rice yogurts, because those all contain cane sugar. However, all my food allergy restrictions forced me to explore new cuisines and different ethnic foods. I still enjoy all meats, vegies, fruits, nuts and legumes. However, I also discovered vegan protein combinations (like legumes with grains or nuts or seeds). I enjoy creating new recipes from my garden fresh produce and allergy free foods.

Rather than feel victimized by my food allergy diagnoses, I felt grateful to learn how to prevent those painful reactions and challenged to try new foods. 7 food restrictions were a breeze compared to 4 years of fighting 8 different intestinal infections (2 parasites, 5 bacteria and candida). However, I received my first 'clean' stool test report today ... NO opportunistic or pathogenic bacteria, no yeasts, no new parasites!!! YAAAAYYY! There is light at the end of the recovery tunnel!

[arened]

Thank you all for your responses. You have definitely put things in perspective. I have been gluten-free for only a couple of months now (I have Celiac as does my father). I took the test because one of my symptoms is significant swelling of my fingers/face/eyelids in the morning, which I can't stand. That is the only symptom that has not gone away completely and I wanted to see if I had any other intolerances that could be causing that issue. I think I will go ahead and try to give dairy and eggs up also for awhile. I am still new at simply giving up gluten and, honestly, its been tough. So, it does seem overwhelming to have to give other primary food groups up, but it sounds like it gets easier over time! Thanks again for your responses.

[burdee]

Thank you all for your responses. You have definitely put things in perspective. I have been gluten-free for only a couple of months now (I have Celiac as does my father). I took the test because one of my symptoms is significant swelling of my fingers/face/eyelids in the morning, which I can't stand. That is the only symptom that has not gone away completely and I wanted to see if I had any other intolerances that could be causing that issue. I think I will go ahead and try to give dairy and eggs up also for awhile. I am still new at simply giving up gluten and, honestly, its been tough. So, it does seem overwhelming to have to give other primary food groups up, but it sounds like it gets easier over time! Thanks again for your responses.

Good choices! I suspect I would have had more difficulty adjusting to 7 food restrictions, if I would have received all those diagnoses within a few months. I was diagnosed with dairy (casein) intolerance when I received my gluten intolerance diagnosis. I figured out soy from my symptoms and later took a stool test which confirmed my soy suspicions. However, I didn't get my cane sugar and egg allergy diagnoses for another 2 years. The following year I got my nutmeg and vanilla diagnoses. So I adjusted gradually to those restrictions.

What helped me more than anything else with my initial gluten and casein diagnoses was having a close friend/neighbor whose husband was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. I called her at least once a day for a month asking about which foods and products were safe. She recommended I order a CSA product shopping guide (a huge binder with great info), which told me whether commonly available food products were gluten free. Later I discoverd the gluten-free/CF Diet website which sold a smaller gluten/casein free shopping guide.

I also joined a local celiac support group and attended meetings regularly until the leader retired. After a few months I decided I needed that group and volunteered to lead. As leader I received sooooo many free samples of gluten (and allergy) free foods to share with my group. I also received lots of support and info from GIG and gluten-free product companies. I organized local celiac awareness walks and gluten free food fairs for 2006 and 2007. I received lots of leftover (from the walk) gluten-free foods as well as more great info from all those companies which participated in our food fair. Above all, I posted regularly on this board and communicated regularly with my naturopath, who suggested ELISA tests for other allergies.

You don't have to struggle alone. Reach out to anyone and everyone who can give you info and support. Don't just rely on this board. Look for local support and/or friends who also are gluten intolerant and/or have other food allergies.

[GFinDC]

I got my results from an IgG Elisa food intolerance test I did recently. I wrote on another forum topic that I received the test from Optimum Health Laboratories, and who knows how valid they are.

Basically, it says that in addition to gluten, my "high" reaction items are whey, milk, almonds, and kidney beans. My "moderate" reaction food is eggs.

How on earth can I possibly live without dairy, eggs, and gluten??? Does anyone know if these are temporary reactions that are occurring until my GI system heals? Has anyone had reactions to dairy in particular and been able to reintroduce them with no problem down the road? How long until you could reintroduce them without a problem?

Can anyone recommend any good dairy substitutes? I am praying that I can eat dairy and it actually isn't causing my symptoms!

Thanks!

Some people are able to eat dairy again after their villi heal. If you have lactose intolerance it can cause bloating and gas and D. There is another dairy problem called casein intolerance, and that is not as likely to go away. There are soy milk substitutes in many stores, although they are a poor choice IMHO. There are also hemp milk and almond milks you can get. Some people make their own almond milk and faux cheese at home, there are threads on this site about it. Some people here have been able to resume dairy, while others cannot. It's an variable thing. I can tell you it is very possible to live without cow boob juice, as I started doing that 14 years ago. It's not a big deal at all once you get used to it. There are coconut ice creams available also. And gelato etc for hot weather. A better question than how can you live without it, is how can you live with it? If it makes you sick, then it is not something you will want to keep consuming. I can live without it just fine, and much better than if I kept eating it and getting sick and not being able to sleep.

This is a big change for sure, but you can learn to adjust your thinking and find many healthy foods to eat besides the things you miss now. A whole foods diet with little processed food is a good way to start. Cooking your own meals from scratch helps you learn what is bothering you, as you know what you put in the food. You can avoid all kinds of preservatives and food colorings etc by using whole food ingredients.

I do use some processed foods myself though, Like Mission brand corn tortillas, and Enjoy Life brown rice wraps. Cocoa powder for making candy too. Candy is good. You might like browsing through the recipe section here for ideas on things you might be able to eat. Lots of ideas in there.

[cassP]

, Earth Balance dairy/soy free margarine. I can't use any rice yogurts, because those all contain cane sugar.

i think the Goat Milk Yogurt i get is only sweetened with some honey, have u tried that? it tastes better than the rice yogurt too

[sb2178]

Ditto the not particularly accurate. They are useful for a starting point. Eliminate and add back to see what is actually associated with symptoms. My doc said two+ weeks without before adding.

I've found that my "1" reactions cause no clear symptoms that I can find. I haven't tried all my "3" reactions yet, but dairy really doesn't seem to do much evil to me despite a clear reaction on the IgG testing. I felt better after eliminating it, but haven't noticed any problems since adding it back in. Peanut butter and yeast, on the other hand, might be an issue...

[burdee]

i think the Goat Milk Yogurt i get is only sweetened with some honey, have u tried that? it tastes better than the rice yogurt too

Goat milk still contains casein, although not as much as cow's milk. I don't miss yogurt enough to risk a reaction. For me yogurt was more a dessert than a meal staple. After I discovered Truly Decadent coconut based ice cream, I went through a period where I ate that ice cream almost every day. Then last spring I finished my last pint and haven't replenished my supply. I now eat fruit, when I want something sweet, especially dates, dried apricots or grapes from our grape vines. Oddly enough I lost interest in chocolate after there were no longer any gluten/dairy/soy/cane sugar/vanilla free sources of chocolate available. Of course I also 'lost interest' in every one of my diagnosed allergens, when I learned they caused my painful symptoms. I've learned there's soooo many different foods that substitution isn't much of a challenge to me anymore.

[gifree]

Goat milk still contains casein, although not as much as cow's milk. I don't miss yogurt enough to risk a reaction. For me yogurt was more a dessert than a meal staple. After I discovered Truly Decadent coconut based ice cream, I went through a period where I ate that ice cream almost every day. Then last spring I finished my last pint and haven't replenished my supply. I now eat fruit, when I want something sweet, especially dates, dried apricots or grapes from our grape vines. Oddly enough I lost interest in chocolate after there were no longer any gluten/dairy/soy/cane sugar/vanilla free sources of chocolate available. Of course I also 'lost interest' in every one of my diagnosed allergens, when I learned they caused my painful symptoms. I've learned there's soooo many different foods that substitution isn't much of a challenge to me anymore.

I'm curious...having recently conducted a food allergy panel myself, will the '1' designated food sensitivities, if ingested, either damage or delay the villi from healing? I don't obviously want to make life more miserable, but if there's no noticeable reaction to a '1' and the '1s' do not cause additional damage, is there a reason not to occasionally eat 'em?

[burdee]

I'm curious...having recently conducted a food allergy panel myself, will the '1' designated food sensitivities, if ingested, either damage or delay the villi from healing? I don't obviously want to make life more miserable, but if there's no noticeable reaction to a '1' and the '1s' do not cause additional damage, is there a reason not to occasionally eat 'em?

My ELISA test results were sorted into 'no reaction, low, moderate and high'. My doc told me to consider the overall pattern of my results. For example, if I had reactions to many different foods, I should only consider the highest results, because some people react to lots of foods, but only have symptomatic reactions to a few. On each of my tests I reacted to only a few foods.

On the first 96 food panel I reacted moderate and high to egg whites and cane sugar, but reacted just barely 'low' to asparagus. Because I've never noticed a physical symptomatic reaction to asparagus, I disregarded that result. However, I also don't eat asparagus every day. On another test (vegetarian panel) I only had very low reaction to bean sprouts. Since I rarely eat those, never experienced physical reactions and the test is based on foods we commonly eat, I disregarded that result. However, I still rarely eat bean sprouts. On the herb/spice panel I had the highest reactions of all of my test results. I reacted very highly to vanilla and nutmeg. Whenever I accidentally consumed those after that test, I noticed very strong physical reactions (bloating and cramping pain which continued for over a week).

So if you have no physical reactions to your +1 foods, while you do have physical reactions to foods which scored +3 or 4 (or however high your test rated reactions), I suspect you can disregard the +1 foods. However, if all your test reactions were in the +1 range, then you need to consider how your body actually reacts to eating those foods. I hope that makes sense ...

SUE

[Juliebove]

Daughter was allergic to dairy and eggs. I was allergic to dairy. We outgrew those things. Now we can eat them, but we were told to have them no more than twice a week and not on subsequent days.

Eating without eggs, dairy and gluten isn't all that hard. Most rice and corn pasta is egg free. I have seen some with eggs in it, but most does not have that. When making a pasta dish, just leave out the dairy. If you want a cheesy flavor you can use a sprinkle of nutritional yeast on it. Just be sure the kind you buy has no dairy in it. I know of one brand that does.

You can buy cheese substitutes. They will be made of rice and other things like peas and lentils. Alas daughter is now allergic to peas and lentils so she can't have those things. There is soy cheese which tastes good but we can't do soy either. For different reasons. You can buy nut based cheeses. Or you can make your own. There are plenty of recipes online on various raw vegan or vegan sites.

To get a condensed type of cream of mushroom soup for tuna casserole, I make my own. I start with some fresh mushrooms and also some dried ones. I get the dried ones in a big jar from Coscto. The fresh ones are chopped. I powder up the dried ones in my Magic Bullet. To make the soup I start with a little olive oil and sweet rice flour. Cook it through for a minute or two until thick. Then thin with a little rice milk. You could use soy milk if that works for you. Add your fresh mushrooms and also a small amount of chopped dried or fresh onion for flavor. Cook through for a minute or two. Add more milk as needed. Then add your dried mushrooms. These will help thicken it as well. I also add a pinch of salt, some black pepper and parsley for flavor.

Nucoa margarine is dairy free. So is Benecol. Daughter loves instant mashed potatoes. I make these with water only, plenty of Nucoa and a little extra salt.

If I am making mashed potatoes from scratch, I will drain off most of the water. If I am serving them with meat, I might add some concentrated broth such as chicken or beef and olive oil. Or I might just make them as above.

For popcorn, I pop in coconut oil that has some artifical butter flavor added.

Ian's makes a frozen Mac and No Cheese. It's really quite good. There is also Road's End Organics and Namaste brand faux mac and cheese. The Road's End contains peas or lentils. Can't remember which. The Namaste might contain those, can't remember. It does contain hemp.

You can make pizza with a cheese substitute, or just add sauce and meat and/or vegetables. If you get gluten-free pizza in a restaurant, beware of eggs! Garlic Jim's gluten-free pizza is egg free, but Boston's is not.

Dining out can be tough. Often the gluten-free options are loaded with dairy. The Old Spaghetti Factory and Olive garden both have gluten-free pastas. Be sure to remind them not to put croutons on the salad. And tell them no cheese. Hamburger patties are usually safe. Steaks might not be. It is a common practice to put butter on steaks. Plain baked potatoes would seem safe but some places put margarine on the outside (Outback) and the margarine most likely has milk in it. If you're going to get a salad, even just a green salad, always ask what they put on it! Some places put cheese and/or egg. Assume that the dressing is not safe. We just get slices of lemon. But you could ask for oil and vinegar. The Italian dressing at Olive Garden is safe. Fruit is a safe option be it fresh, canned or jarred such as applesauce, peaches or pears. Of course if it is fresh, cross contamination could be an issue. Some breakfast items can be made without the eggs. I dined at a place here that offered red potato cubes with onions and peppers with eggs mixed in. I ordered it without the eggs. Bacon should be safe. Sausage may or may not be. Some has milk in it. Chicken may or may not be safe. Some does contain milk or gluten, particularly in fast food and chain restaurants. Ham should be safe. Sorry, I'm not a big meat eater or a fish eater so don't know of other options but they might be there.

It does get easier with time. We prefer to eat at the same few places time and time again. They are familiar with our allergies and make food special for us.

[Juliebove]

I'm curious...having recently conducted a food allergy panel myself, will the '1' designated food sensitivities, if ingested, either damage or delay the villi from healing? I don't obviously want to make life more miserable, but if there's no noticeable reaction to a '1' and the '1s' do not cause additional damage, is there a reason not to occasionally eat 'em?

I am no expert and my allergies are the IGg type. I also do not need to be gluten-free, so no villi damage. However, I do know the type of reactions I get from the allergens. Eggs would rival on the surface the same sort of symptoms a celiac would get from eating gluten. So I would never risk eating them.

Dairy used to give me ear and sinus infections. I had to keep boxes of Kleenex in my car and in every room of my house. Also at least a couple of small packets in my purse. I had a constantly runny/stuffy nose. I spent my whole life like this so to me it was normal. But then when I stopped the dairy, this all went away. After remaining dairy free for about three years, I outgrew the dairy allergy. I was told by the Dr. not to eat it again. But... Daughter outgrew hers and was told she could have it twice a week but not on consecutive days. So I had a bite. No issues. I tried some more. No problems. Now I eat dairy. Not every day although I have been bad and keep eating bites of cottage cheese when I shouldn't. However if I notice symptoms coming back, you'd better believe I will give it up again in a heartbeat. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[JoeMiller88]

I got my results from an IgG Elisa food intolerance test I did recently. I wrote on another forum topic that I received the test from Optimum Health Laboratories, and who knows how valid they are.

Basically, it says that in addition to gluten, my "high" reaction items are whey, milk, almonds, and kidney beans. My "moderate" reaction food is eggs.

How on earth can I possibly live without dairy, eggs, and gluten??? Does anyone know if these are temporary reactions that are occurring until my GI system heals? Has anyone had reactions to dairy in particular and been able to reintroduce them with no problem down the road? How long until you could reintroduce them without a problem?

Can anyone recommend any good dairy substitutes? I am praying that I can eat dairy and it actually isn't causing my symptoms!

Thanks!

Optimum Health Laboratories is an out and out scam. Type the company name in Google and add the word "scam" to the end. I believe they are currently being investigated by the Florida States Attorney

[Syl]

I would have to agree that you should not base your new eating habits on the IGG results alone. I tested via Alletess and my results showed Soy, all forms of dairy, peanuts, walnuts, citrus, and a few others. I stopped eating these foods because of it until I saw a very good allergist who performed a skin prick test and found that I have no allergy to any of these. I began a trial and error on each thing one at a time last week only to find the results were correct and I can in fact eat them without any issues. So like someone else said be sure to try each food individually to see how you react before believing the IGG results. Most doctors I've seen so far argue that the IGG tests prove absolutely nothing. Best of luck!