Wierd Results From Not Eating Veg/fruit

[CR5442]

I don't know if anyone else has tried eliminating all grains, all fruit and most veggies from their diet? Having been gluten free for now nearly 9 months I was getting very frustrated with the continued bloating, liver pain and congestion and general malaise that was just not going away. The other day I got so fed up I decided that I would try a high fat, normal protein and very low carb diet - particularly fibrous veggies - I now have two garlic cloves a little of green beans and perhaps some mushrooms for dinner and am fine with that. Three days in, my stomach is flat, my liver doesn't hurt and I feel much lighter/brighter. Still passing stool as normal and infact more efficiently emptying my bowel than before. Still on my herb mix so I know for sure that it wasn't that.

What is in these fruits/veggies that has made me so poorly for so long? It can't be salicylates as they are high in herbs (which I am taking in tincture form). There is another compound that people here find they are sensitive to... can't remember what it is. I can eat chocolate (it's easter after all and I have two little children - have to help them out!) and there is no bloating with that. Could it be that my system can't break down the fibre, or struggles with it? Help and advise would be greatly received!

[Metoo]

It could be pesticides...my sister had a severe reaction to an apple, and they narrowed it down to the pesticides.

If you do add fruit or veggies back in, just add one back in and buy organic, wash it well...maybe try bananas for just one week. Something with a skin you peel off, and still make sure its organic!

[squirmingitch]

It could be that you're unable yet at this point to break down the cellulose in fresh fruits & veggies until your gut heals more. One way to remedy that is to take fresh fruits & veggies & freeze them. Freezing breaks down the cellulose & you may then be able to digest them.

[CR5442]

It could be that you're unable yet at this point to break down the cellulose in fresh fruits & veggies until your gut heals more. One way to remedy that is to take fresh fruits & veggies & freeze them. Freezing breaks down the cellulose & you may then be able to digest them.

Thanks for the idea/advise. I'm so not keen on veggie sludge though! I was having the same issues with juicing (even though that was fresh) so had to stop. The big plus is that the generalised itching has stopped so I'm wondering if it is something to do with histamine.

[Ninja]

Do you have any environmental allergies? It could be that you are cross-reacting to the pollen that is invariably left on the fruits and veggies. Most people say that if the fruits and veggies are cooked they don't have a problem, but when pollen is at its peak, I still get symptoms. It's formally known as Oral Allergy Syndrome. I know OAS can cause all kinds of different symptoms

[CR5442]

Do you have any environmental allergies? It could be that you are cross-reacting to the pollen that is invariably left on the fruits and veggies. Most people say that if the fruits and veggies are cooked they don't have a problem, but when pollen is at its peak, I still get symptoms. It's formally known as Oral Allergy Syndrome. I know OAS can cause all kinds of different symptoms

[Ninja]

Well, it also depends on where your veggies/fruit are coming from.

I can't eat zucchini at any point during the year without problems... same with honeydew and cantaloupe. Birch is a big one to be allergic to!

[Skylark]

I wouldn't be so fast to rule out salicylate. You may have gotten under your sensitivity threshold by going off the fruits/veggies and only taking your herbs.

[CR5442]

I wouldn't be so fast to rule out salicylate. You may have gotten under your sensitivity threshold by going off the fruits/veggies and only taking your herbs.

You know what Skylark, Yolo (Bea) keeps saying this and I'm beginning to think you both might be right. Very very annoying if that is the case. So the itching is probably an allergic type reaction to the build up in Salicylates/acids? How much would you say is safe to eat in a day? Can you excrete the build up and start eating veg again?

[Victoria6102]

I have oral allergy syndrome and am allergic to mostly all fruits all year round. Cooking the fruit doesn't make a difference for me. I also have a friend who has oral allergy syndrome and she can't have fruits or vegetables. My guess is that you have that! No real way to test for it except a skin prick to see if you are allergic to trees. Which you said you are allergic to birch trees. So that's my opinion. Could be that plus salicylates causing you all that bloating.

[Skylark]

The amount per day is different for everyone. For starters, you might add low-sal fruits and veggies. Iceburg lettuce, green beans, rutabagas, brussels sprouts, cabbage, mung bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and peeled pears are on the Failsafe elimination because they're low enough in salicylate that most folks tolerate them. You can season with green onions, parsley, cilantro, and garlic. If you can't tolerate those foods something else is going on.

If you can tolerate low-sals fruits and veggies you would want to challenge by eating generous servings of high-salicylate fruits and veggies. Here's some info on how to challenge.

Open Original Shared Link

You can excrete a buildup but once you start eating fruits and veggies again the salicylate will build up again and you'll get back to the symptoms if it builds up over your personal tolerance. You might find you can tolerate medium salicylate veggies like carrots and squash but not high-salicylate like cucumber or tomato.

[YoloGx]

Another possibility is oxalates. It is all so complicated. Some are helped too by the specific carbohydrate diet--absolutely the wrong diet if you have a salicylate problem. However it might work for you I wonder since you do so well with meat.

But the fact you react to both fruits and vegetables (though I hope not all!!) does indicate some kind of possible natural chemical sensitivity, or a multiple case of them. There are those after all that are fructose intolerant who also have other allergies too.

I however thought I was allergic to all fruit, but by going on a low salicylate diet was actually able to add in two fruits--peeled pears and peeled golden delicious apples. So for me despite its difficulties, that was a real blessing. It took me a year however before I could tolerate them...but now I eat them daily. The organic kinds being the best of course.

Someone suggested I might have a histamine sensitivity in addition to the salicylates and amines. I think I am OK however with the oxylates, though I have no intention of pushing that extreme to find out.

Eating all that high amine home made sauerkraut pushed me over the edge so I no longer tolerate even yogurt or anything cooked and not immediately frozen that is over two or three days old!

What might help you figure out all this would be to go on the Failsafe Diet promoted by the RPAH (Royal Prince Albert Hospital) out of Australia and Sue Dengate.

Meanwhile I am exploring using food grade bentonite mixed in with psyllium husks in water to help my body detox more. I am thinking more and more all my reactivity is made worse by a large toxic load...And so far its helping my psoriatic areas cool down and stop itching and flaming with attendant hives. It also seems to be helping me sleep a little better too.

So all I can say Caroline is to keep looking and keep your detective sense going. It seems you just got some good clues there!! It might not make sense to the normal person, but who really is that normal anyway?? Be prepared to have an open mind and follow the path your body leads you to.

[CR5442]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Now i have a completely different problem because of the lack of grains/veggies/fruit. I am highly constipated! Aloe vera does not work with me and taking extra magnesium makes me feel quite dehydrated and ill (though I drink a lot of fluids during the day). I have resorted to castor oil caps on the advise of the Health food shop guy. Have taken two and waiting for some sort of movement. Have drunk plenty. Had a little bit of a feeling like i wanted to go after the first one but just not strong enough to actually go. Has anyone ever used Castor oil for this purpose internally? Any other remedies which don't involve magnesium or fruit/veg/fibre in form of flaxseed/psylium as I react to that too!

[AVR1962]

I don't know if anyone else has tried eliminating all grains, all fruit and most veggies from their diet? Having been gluten free for now nearly 9 months I was getting very frustrated with the continued bloating, liver pain and congestion and general malaise that was just not going away. The other day I got so fed up I decided that I would try a high fat, normal protein and very low carb diet - particularly fibrous veggies - I now have two garlic cloves a little of green beans and perhaps some mushrooms for dinner and am fine with that. Three days in, my stomach is flat, my liver doesn't hurt and I feel much lighter/brighter. Still passing stool as normal and infact more efficiently emptying my bowel than before. Still on my herb mix so I know for sure that it wasn't that.

What is in these fruits/veggies that has made me so poorly for so long? It can't be salicylates as they are high in herbs (which I am taking in tincture form). There is another compound that people here find they are sensitive to... can't remember what it is. I can eat chocolate (it's easter after all and I have two little children - have to help them out!) and there is no bloating with that. Could it be that my system can't break down the fibre, or struggles with it? Help and advise would be greatly received!

Caroline, I don't know if this helps you at all, I am still rather baffled myself and not sure I have the answer. I took all grains, refined sugar and all fruit out of my diet. I did this to give my pancreas some relief. I did a hair strand test and while these are not always accurate it indicated I had an intolerence to rice and corn. The next week I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Read this book about blood sugar, may not be your situation, which suggested taking all grains out of the diet along with no sugar for 6 weeks. I am 2 1/2 weeks into this diet and have not felt better. I have been on a gluten-free diet for over a year and my body felt like it was continually being attacked by something, it was like my body was on fire.....if it wasn't my kidneys it was itching or something else. I am not sure how this all mixes together and how it applies but for me no grains was definately the answer. I don't seem to have issues with veggies but I was having trouble with fruit. I will add brown rice in after the 6 weeks and see how my body reacts, and will do the same with the fruit.

[Skylark]

Chia seeds are supposed to be good for constipation.

[CR5442]

Chia seeds are supposed to be good for constipation.

Thanks Skylark, for some reason I don't seem to be able to tolerate any seeds or nuts! Castor oil doesn't seem to have created a reaction yet... it has worked a bit, waiting for the full effect and drinking lots! How much of it do you think one should take with serious constipation?

[Skylark]

Dunno. It's not been a problem of mine. I go the other direction.

[YoloGx]

You got me there too Caroline. I am glad the castor oil seems to be helping you. I thought it best to use externally in an oil pack rather than internally... But it seems I must be wrong there??

Lately I have been using bentonite to absorb toxins safely and get them out of my system without recirculating them. It also helps for some people with their movements but can cause constipation if used just by itself for very long.

For Graeme given his sensitive gut right now I am having him use apple pectin with the bentonite. If you try this, go with small amounts first and lots and lots of water and see if it works for you. You have to float the bentonite sprinkled on top of the water for 4 to 6 hours for it to disperse properly and avoid hard lumps of claly. So far it is working well for both of us. I am using psyllium husks along with the bentonite since they are low in salicylates. Too bad you can't use the husks!! Just a note there, I though for years I couldn't tolerate them but now can.

Alternatively you could just use the apple pectin?? But then of course its made from apples... but possibly it might be pure enough not to be a problem?? Mix in with a very small amount of water.

I used to put the pectin dry into my dry flax seeds and then turn on the coffee grinder to grind them up, that way the pectin didn't clump when mixed in water with the flax. But of course that too is out for you...am I right??

Bea

[YoloGx]

Was just reading that you should only take castor oil for 3 days at a time max. One teaspoon a day should do it. Some folks are allergic to it. Thankfully you aren't!

Fish oil I wonder might help too somehow? Just to keep things lubricated perhaps.

Triphala might help too?? Assuming you can handle it of course... I believe it is made from some kind of fruit.