No wheat or Dairy

[OakLeaf]

Once again... what is the harm in just trying it for a few days or weeks and seeing if you feel better???

I'm not sure what Bron means about a "chemical factory." Actually, eliminating wheat and dairy usually forces you to eat MORE real food, because most processed foods include wheat. Never mind when you start eliminating corn and yeast (including any fungi and foods that are fermented intentionally or unintentionally). My main problem with adhering to my allergy diet is that it takes so much time because there is just NO processed food I can eat. No going out to eat... doing all my own baking... eating plain whole grains (rice, buckwheat, millet) rather than most baking at all... etc. When I'm being strict, about the most processing I can have someone else do for me is cutting and freezing veggies (not fruits, because they harbor mold), making rice noodles, or making tofu, and that's got to be very fresh which means none of that grocery store cr*p.

And... just because I can tolerate my food allergens without having a horribly severe reaction (provided the airborne allergens aren't too high), that doesn't mean it's good for me, or that I don't feel like cr*p when I'm off my diet. Most people with this type of food allergies have no idea, because it does take so long for them to clear out of our system. They think (as I did) that that's just how they always feel... because it is. It's hard on my heart, my lungs and of course my immune system when I cheat. I'm congested, infection-prone, fatigued, mentally fogged, achy, and prone to eczema and arthritis. And I was that way for literally decades, not knowing that it was something I had a choice about, until I finally saw an allergist for my inhalant allergies, and they explained food allergies to me and let me try a challenge diet.

You have nothing to lose by trying it, so I really don't get all the resistance. Yeah, it is a PITA, especially if you're also allergic to corn and yeast, but if you just give it a try and find out whether you're sensitive to wheat and dairy, then you can choose whether you're going to cheat or when you need your body to be really clean.

[KnottedYet]

Just a quick side note: if there is a suspicion someone has celiac, see a doc while still eating the normal wheat-y diet so they can do a simple blood test to check for antibodies. If you cut out wheat and it seems like *was* a wheat problem because you get better, you will have to do a gluten challenge later to get potential antibodies rolling again for testing.

It's quicker and easier and cheaper and less hard on your body to get the blood draw first, then change your diet as you like. The antibody tests can reveal quickly if you have celiac (with all its other associated issues that need to be monitored) or just dietary gluten intolerance. (there are debates about celiac vs. gluten intolerance, but that's neither here nor there)

[Dogmama]

Once again... what is the harm in just trying it for a few days or weeks and seeing if you feel better???

.

Nothing at all. Just remember that correlation does not equal causation. In other words, if you eliminate wheat & feel better, it could be due to many other different factors, i.e., hormone levels, airborne allergens, low grade infections clearing, etc. The body is extremely complicated.

I used to work with Andrew Weil. I buy organics, I don't buy boxed foods (read - hamburger helper, etc.) and I'm very careful to combine meals to insure maximum nutrition because my husband is a cancer survivor.

Having said that, I can tell you that lots of people grab onto fads & ride them forever. Food allergy seems to be the current fad. There will always be food substances that you don't assimilate as well as others, but does that mean you have an allergy? Doesn't allergy sound worse than "it just doesn't agree with me?" Of course it does. So, it sells books, supplements and weird breads (ever try kamut bread? Yuck!).

So, by all means, try it. Just remember that wheat and dairy contain very important nutrients that you will need to get elsewhere.

[CyclaSutra]

I'm on the second day of a candida control diet that my naturopath doc gave me ... no sugar, no alcohol, no dairy, no wheat, no soy sauce or anything else fermented, no Splenda, just zero to one serving of grain (oatmeal, quinoa) per day. The theory is that the candida is out of balance in my system and has grown little fingers out through my stomach and into my body, causing "leaky gut" syndrome, which makes my body think it's allergic to everything. Only way to kill yeast is to starve it, and it loooves alcohol and sugar, two of my favorite food groups.

Food sensitivity tests, off the chart on wheat and dairy. Candida test, it's definitely bigger and badder than it needs to be, but not quite "raging" yet, so just a month on this before I start to introduce food back in and see how it feels.

I was scared that it was going to be four months or longer... whew. But if I feel as good as they promise I will, I may not go back to my old ways. And I am not missing sugar that badly; cooking lots at home. Soup, curry, stir-fry, etc.

It takes a long time to make everything from a raw veggie, but I do feel pretty good. The main thing that's getting me through is hoping the scale will drop; I'm 20 pounds above average right now after an exercise hiatus.

I'm just glad that there's five feet of snow outside, 15 below zero and I can't bike anyway. Good timing.

Hang in there!

[Dogmama]

If your doctor suspects leaky gut, you'll need to avoid NSAIDs also. Be sure that you're getting good fish oils in your diet. L-glutamine is a supplement that protects the intestinal lining - you should have at least 2-3 grams/day. I hope you are also taking a good probiotic supplement.

[KnottedYet]

Celiackers also have leaky gut issues. It's a real bugger.

[CyclaSutra]

Yup, on several supplements: glutamine powder, probiotics, garlic caps, bio-gest, Candi-Bactin AR and BR. Apparently my results aren't bad enough to warrant a heavy drug like Diflucan, Nystatin or Nizoral. I hear those can really mess you up.

It's difficult to plan ahead for every single meal and snack, but working so far.

Next challenge: a baby shower to attend on Saturday.

[Dogmama]

...pass the strained peas...