Squash - Butternut, Pumpkin, Etc., -- I Have Gluten-Like Reaction - Anyone Else?

[PeachBlossoms]

For the last month, I've been eating squash. Butternut squash and pumpkin to be exact. Organic. I've also been dealing with mood swings and have FINALLY pinpointed that when I eat an entire squash in one day (4 cups), I have a gluten-esque reaction. I become easily upset, grouchy and angry. I'll also swell up with emotions and begin to cry in the middle of the conversation. This was my reaction on gluten and corn.

The squash is definitely not contaminated. For a month I've strictly eaten only whole foods (leeks, sweet potatoes, spinach) and EVERY time I've eaten squash I react like this 5 hours later. Also, the reaction does not last as long as gluten --- the emotional reaction only lasts about 5 hours ---- not 4 days like true gluten. Also, I can eat a mere cup of it without a reaction but if I eat 4 cups -- WHAM! I begin to cry.

Has anyone noticed a reaction to squash??

It is hard to believe that I cannot eat this vegetable.

[Britgirl]

I was curious about this so I went and looked up a sensitivity to pumpkin for you. Apparently it's quite rich in salicylates, so if you are sensitive to that it may trigger you to get a reaction.

[frieze]

perhaps it is also what you are NOT eating in its place?? 4 cups of ONE vegetable wouldn't seem balanced to me.

[PeachBlossoms]

I was curious about this so I went and looked up a sensitivity to pumpkin for you. Apparently it's quite rich in salicylates, so if you are sensitive to that it may trigger you to get a reaction.

I keep hearing about salicylate sensitivity and wish I could find more information about it. Do you have it? Do you happen to know what are the common reactive symptoms from it? Or are there too many to name (like gluten )? I have not found a good website about it yet.

[Strawberry-Jam]

looking into food chemical sensitivities--salicylates especially--might not be a bad idea.

[Britgirl]

Actually I came across a forum like this one all about salicylate sensitivity. Here is the link:

Open Original Shared Link

Hope it helps some! I am doing some research on it myself as I've never heard of it before

[dilettantesteph]

Is the squash coated with an edible coating to prolong shelf life? I have problems with that, but I am very sensitive.

[IrishHeart]

For the last month, I've been eating squash. Butternut squash and pumpkin to be exact. Organic. I've also been dealing with mood swings and have FINALLY pinpointed that when I eat an entire squash in one day (4 cups), I have a gluten-esque reaction. I become easily upset, grouchy and angry. I'll also swell up with emotions and begin to cry in the middle of the conversation. This was my reaction on gluten and corn.

The squash is definitely not contaminated. For a month I've strictly eaten only whole foods (leeks, sweet potatoes, spinach) and EVERY time I've eaten squash I react like this 5 hours later. Also, the reaction does not last as long as gluten --- the emotional reaction only lasts about 5 hours ---- not 4 days like true gluten. Also, I can eat a mere cup of it without a reaction but if I eat 4 cups -- WHAM! I begin to cry.

Has anyone noticed a reaction to squash??

It is hard to believe that I cannot eat this vegetable.

From your sig line, it appears you are severely limited in what you can eat.

Have you had further testing to find out WHY this is happening to you?

I have to wonder--and humbly suggest--that you may be lacking sufficient protein if all you eat are these vegetables. A carb dense veggie may provoke this mood swing , without sufficient protein to balance you.

If your blood sugar is unstable, you can have a serious dip in moods and feel shaky and awful. I notice this myself if I do not get enough protein and have a heavy carb meal. I have felt the tears well up and wonder---what the heck am I so upset about?? Just suggesting this to you.

A salicylate sensitivity is also a possibility, but before you start worrying about all those foods too-- Do you react to OTHER foods that are high in SA? aspirin?

Have you consulted a nutritionist to see how you can better balance your dietary intake?

Best wishes.

[T.H.]

Don't know if this helps, but considering that your reaction is emotional, it might.

I know that one way we can get an emotional reaction from food is related to tryptophan. It's used to create melatonin (regulates sleep) and seratonin (one thing it does is regulate emotions, as I understand it). If we are low in tryptophan, that leads to low seratonin and emotional problems.

If there is inflammation, blunted villi, or...I think it's excess fructose, that inhibits our ability to absorb tryptophan. The inflammation may subside faster, the excess fructose often results from poor fructose absorption, and the blunted villi take longer to heal and I believe that's one reason the reaction can last longer with them. Although I'm still trying to learn more about it, it seems that our bodies use tryptohpan in dealing with inflammation, so if your guts are inflammed, what tryptophan you have is being used up dealing with it. Which makes the seratonin even lower.

So IF this happened to be what causes your mood problems, a sensitivity might cause the inflammation (to pesticides, to salicylates, and so on). Gluten, obviously. A mild allergy can cause inflammation to the gut. If you have a leaky gut and if you are eating a LOT of one food, it often slowly becomes and allergy and starts causing inflammation that way.

There might also be something like - and this is REALLY reaching for me, as I'm not very knowledgeable about this - the food you eat is feeding something that thrives on it, but leaves you miserable. Yeast, fungus, SIBO, or parasites might fall into this category. But I don't know a lot about what diets do better and worse for these. However, I understand they can cause a lot of inflammation as well.

[Skylark]

Winter squash is generally allowed on SIBO and yeast diets.

Squash does have enough carbs to cause blood sugar swings if you eat large amounts of it, much like corn and wheat. I notice you also have issues with bananas and sweet potatoes, which are fairly high carb foods. I feel much better limiting carbs, having protein with every meal, and having something rich like avocado or drizzling olive oil on a small portion of carb-rich food. The fats smooth blood sugar swings, which can make me moody.

[IrishHeart]

Winter squash is generally allowed on SIBO and yeast diets.

Squash does have enough carbs to cause blood sugar swings if you eat large amounts of it, much like corn and wheat. I notice you also have issues with bananas and sweet potatoes, which are fairly high carb foods. I feel much better limiting carbs, having protein with every meal, and having something rich like avocado or drizzling olive oil on a small portion of carb-rich food. The fats smooth blood sugar swings, which can make me moody.

yes, exactly! I am not alone on this, I see. If I do not have protein with the carb, I feel out of sorts. The fats help. (It is not unlike my sister who has diabetes and finds she needs a proper ratio to feel well).