I’ve just finished training to work with food sensitivities. I thought it would be helpful to start with myself – so I’ve started an elimination diet for my own food sensitivities.
I’m actually on day four now. Two weeks ago I got my blood tested for 120 foods and 30 chemicals. I got my results a week later, last Friday. I’m sensitive to several foods that I eat on a regular basis, which is not surprising.
I’m not strongly reactive to anything, but have moderate sensitivity to rice, quinoa, eggs, cows milk, watermelon, green pepper, yellow squash, and several other foods. I have sensitivity to several chemicals too, including ibuprophen, potassium nitrates (found naturally in many greens) and sodium sulfites (found in wine and my beloved balsamic vinegar). I’m hoping I can eventually add back in most greens – but time will tell.
It is an odd cluster of foods and chemicals. I suspected I had food sensitivities because my gut bacteria have been out of balance since getting sick 10 years ago in the Himalayas, and even with a healthy diet and probiotics, I’ve not been able to heal my gut.
The way the program works, is that after taking the blood test, I got a printout of all the foods and chemicals tested with the level of reactivity for each one. The first step is “phase 1” of an elimination diet where I only eat 24 foods (the ones with the lowest sensitivity in each food category) for a week.
It has been sort of a fun challenge. I like making up different menus and recipes using the allowed ingredients. And I’ve liked the chance to try some different things that I don’t typically eat. It is hard when I get hungry for something and then remember I can’t have it.
One example of a new food is cream of buckwheat for breakfast. My three allowed grains are buckwheat, corn and rye. So the cream of buckwheat makes a nice cooked cereal. I’ve also been having some cornflakes for breakfast – something I would normally never do due to the low fiber content. But it is a safe food on a limited list, so I’m eating them!
Last night I cooked some rye berries and made a salad with my other allowed ingredients: peas, asparagus, onion, crushed pineapple, walnuts, avocado, mint and sesame seeds. Bill accused me of adding just about all my allowed foods – and he wasn’t far off. I made a dressing with sesame oil, white vinegar and orange juice. It was really good. The rye berries are a lot like wheat berries.
I felt better immediately when I started the diet, but I notice that I am relapsing with some of my symptoms for days 3 and 4. This is typical – people often feel worse before they feel better. The food sensitivities generate compounds that attack the foods as “foreigners” and it is those compounds that cause symptoms like bloating, diarrhea and migraines. Even once I stop eating the trigger foods, it takes awhile to clear them from my body.
I’ve lost 3 pounds already. This also is common. Bloating and inflammation increase fluid retention, so as that decreases I release the water. I’m told some people drop 10 – 11 pounds of water weight.
Most people feel really good about a week into the program – so I should be doing better in a couple of days.
At the end of the first week, I can start adding foods from “phase 2” – one new food per day. So it will take while before I’m back to a more normal type of diet. Going slow like this gives the gut a chance to heal. By starting with the least reactive foods, it gives me a chance to really tell how individual foods affect me.
This program is something that I’ve been trained and certified to offer. I’m getting the direct experience myself now, so I can really see how it works first hand.
My clients often tell me that something they eat is making them sick, and they don’t know what it is. So here is a way to tell. I’ll be writing more about my own experience and about the program itself. In the meantime, contact me if you’d like to know more: kathy@healthyhabitscoach.com
Note: this program is called LEAP, and does MRT or Mediator Release Testing
Find more nutrition information, my Mindful Eating CD, and my monthly newsletter on my website: http://healthyhabitscoach.com. Eat well!
