How Long Did It Take To Get Off Of Everything?

[revenant]

I'm having a real hard time getting off of every food intolerance I have. Right now I'm so stuck on nightshades, have been for 5 months, and I feel irritable and sick every day. In general I'm afraid to be food-intolerance-free because there will be nothing to hide behind anymore.

I'm wondering how long it took you to go 100% free from all of the food intolerances you are aware of. Did you get 'stuck' on giving up the last one?

[eatmeat4good]

Gluten is definitely out...since I get immediately and violently ill.

The other intolerances I have had a hard time accepting and getting rid of.

Whenever I do get off of all the top 8 allergens, plus nightshades, fructose and all grains, I feel great!

But sustaining that diet is extremely hard and I inevitably give in to "testing" dairy or soy or whatever it seems I want to eat at the moment of weakness.

It is a process.

I think it is probably due to the years of malabsorption, like the experts here say, and hopefully some of those intolerances will disappear the longer we are gluten free.

I understand your struggle because I am there too.

Hopefully it will get easier and the days of feeling really good will make it worth giving up the foods that are bad for us. Then you won't have to hide behind anything but your smile, because you will feel good again.

[srall]

I"m in the same boat as EM4G. If something makes me violently ill, like gluten, corn, bananas, I won't touch it. But I know I have inflammation and allergy symptoms with cashews, dairy, caffeine, wine and soy...but I don't really feel like death warmed over when I ingest them so I feel like I'm feeling worse than I should be because I'm weak-willed. It would be easier if these other foods made me bed-ridden like gluten. So...every morning I begin with a fresh round of resolve. If I really stay off these foods, I feel much better. But it takes a long time to figure everything out.

[Februaryrich]

I"m in the same boat as EM4G. If something makes me violently ill, like gluten, corn, bananas, I won't touch it. But I know I have inflammation and allergy symptoms with cashews, dairy, caffeine, wine and soy...but I don't really feel like death warmed over when I ingest them so I feel like I'm feeling worse than I should be because I'm weak-willed. It would be easier if these other foods made me bed-ridden like gluten. So...every morning I begin with a fresh round of resolve. If I really stay off these foods, I feel much better. But it takes a long time to figure everything out.

How do you figure everything out? I've been gluten-free for a little while now. I'm definitely better but I know I can be even better.

[mushroom]

For me it took about 2-1/2 years to get it all sorted. It really depends on what your individual intolerances are, whether they are lone foods or specific families (as in lectins, e.g., nightshades, legumes). A food and symptom diary helps lots because often the reactions are delayed. You may find that 2-3 days after eating x you always get y. So you stop eating x and y goes away (hopefully).