“I could never eat like you do.”
Those fateful words have come back to haunt me time and time again. That is what I said to my sister when she was diagnosed with her food allergies/sensitivities fourteen years ago.
——————
In my mind my food allergies symptoms began about fourteen years ago but my mother reminded me last weekend that, at eight, I cried coming out of the allergist’s office because I could no longer have blue cheese. Have I mentioned my love for moldy cheese? After the awful, painful, excruciating skin prick test at eight, I was found to be allergic to molds … and dust … and camel hair. Yes, camel hair. Apparently, they made coats out it at the time. That was in 1974 and in those days my immune system’s reaction of choice was hives.
A few years and hundreds of allergy shots later my hives went away for good. I haven’t had a state-sized hive since then but I learned that sensitivities change over time and they are directly related to gut health.
Around that same time, we began seeing a chiropractor who steered us away from conventional medicine, yet I ate a typical American diet all through high school and into my twenties. I was pretty much okay all the way until 34 when I began having symptoms like little nervous ticks, invisible to others but felt by me. Also, it seemed like I just couldn’t get my digestive track to calm down. I had headaches, I had vertigo, I had mouth sores, I had these annoying zits I called abscesses that would never come to a head and last for months. After a while I started having trouble breathing. My chest would be tight and I would struggle for a single deep, satisfying breath. Eventually, I was unable to sleep on my stomach because I would feel like I was suffocating. I was diagnosed with asthma so as a belly sleeper, this was unacceptable.
Since my sister had been diagnosed with food sensitivities around the same time I started with weird symptoms, I knew after a few months that it was probably food related. The key for me was being able to breath deeply and normally most mornings on an empty stomach yet by dinnertime my breathing was tight and nearly impossible to draw in. If I fasted for a day my breathing remained easy.
I elected to do the same blood test my sister had done. It’s called the ELISA IgG food sensitivity assay. As difficult as it was to implement the changes, it calmed all my symptoms and allowed me to breath normally again. I cut out all twelve foods that showed a reaction for about 18 months.
These were the foods I was sensitive to the first time around. The +1 – +4 is how they rate severity. Note that brewer’s yeast was a +4. By that time I had already given up any kind of alcoholic drink because it doubled me over in pain so this test made perfect sense to me.
The most important four (wheat, diary, eggs and baker’s yeast) made up the majority of my diet every single day and there is no way to get around black pepper if you’re going out to eat.
On January 19th, twelve years later almost to the day, I sat in my nutritionist’s office waiting to hear the verdict.
When I’m feeling good I wonder what made me have a sensitivity test done again.
When I’m feeling bad I just want to feel better and I’ll do anything (short of medication!) to make it happen. My symptoms this time are less cut and dry – more subtle and random. They include depression, anxiety, low motivation, lack of focus, digestive distress (again) and a few more minor ones. Each one can be explained away on their own but added together they signal that something just isn’t right, especially since I eat a relatively clean, gluten-free ancestral diet.
Subtly feeling bad doesn’t work for me. I’m not that good at ignoring the negative.
As I sat with the nutritionist, Emily, I’d heard a lot of what she said before. She explained that this test was more comprehensive than my last test and measured inflammatory reaction in my blood. There’s a link below if you want to read about the MRT test. As Emily told me there were 29 foods and chemicals that I reacted to, in my head I only wanted to know about eggs. Eggs are magic. They make gluten-free items rise, they make things stick together and give them substance. They are my go to meal when time is short or I’m lazy. Words can’t even describe my respect for eggs (and my girls) and how sad I would be if I was AGAIN sensitive to them.
I learned quickly that I am not sensitive to eggs! They are my least reactive protein. I am, however, sensitive to lecithin.
In eggs.
In egg yolks. You know, the delicious nutritious center surrounded by the not so delicious whites. I’m not a whites only fan. Eggs are off the table for the first 2-3 weeks. Darnit.
Food is complicated and mysterious. I am not sensitive to berries, however, benzoic acid, often used to preserve berries or enhance berry flavored products, is an inflammatory ingredient for me and is also naturally occurring in berries. So, no berries for a while.
If you ever have this test done, you should be committed. This is not a half way kind of thing. Either you want to get better or you don’t. If you don’t, then take the medication to cover your symptoms. I’m just not that kind of person. I want to address the problems that lie beneath. I want to face it head on.
Even if it’s painful.
Which it is.
Twelve years ago I had to do this on my own. My doctor did the test then sent me home. No follow up, no help. This time I have a team to help me through it. They assure me that “leaky gut syndrome,” the underlying problem, can be healed. Through the elimination diet combined with healing herbal remedies, leaky gut should heal to the point that all my sensitivities are erased. All of them. That means potentially even wheat, which I have avoided strictly for many years.
I have my doubts. Serious doubts. But, I am committed to following through with everything they ask of me. I’m hanging onto THEIR hope. I was close to complete healing before. This time I pray I accomplish it. I can’t even imagine having all the real, natural foods available to me with no repercussions to deal with afterwards. Can’t. Even. Imagine.
I won’t list the 29 foods here. The great part is that I’m NOT reactive to rice, eggs (they can be added back in soon), spelt, white potatoes, cow’s milk, or lemon. I am most sad about being reactive to beef, sweet potatoes, vanilla, apples and coffee. Here’s what the results of the test look like.
The MRT test includes an eating program based each tested ingredient’s inflammatory levels in your blood. Ingredients are scheduled to be eaten beginning with a group of your least inflammatory foods then working up to, one at a time, your borderline inflammatory foods. Eventually, the 29 sensitive foods are added in, also one at a time, to test for reaction.
I’m not sure how I will gauge my reaction since they are a combination reaction and probably worsen over time so that’s yet to be determined. For now, it’s one day at time. I’m creating weird, yet not horrible meals with the foods I’m allowed to eat this week.
Day eight I get to add in butter! Then my world starts to return to its axis.
Part 2 to follow.
* While I do not have a true food allergy at this point, I do tend to use the terms sensitivity and allergy interchangeably. Because people with sensitivities can develop true food allergies which may be life threatening, my medical doctor has prescribed an Epi pen. So, in my mind, the two terms remain interchangeable.
Some terms to understand:
Leaky Gut Syndrome: an altered or damaged gut that allows substances such as toxins, microbes, undigested food, or waste to leak through. This prompts the body to initiate an immune reaction leading to potentially severe health conditions.
Food sensitivity (or intolerance): a detrimental reaction, often delayed, to a food, beverage, food additive, or compound found in foods that produces symptoms in one or more body organs and systems. It it is not a true food allergy, however, if left unaddressed, can turn into one.
Food allergy: an exaggerated immune response triggered by a food, beverage, food additive or ingested compound. Can be life threatening.
Digestive issues: this refers to any uncomfortable abdominal condition including gas, bloating, gurgly stomach, diarrhea or constipation.
ELISA IgG Food Sensitivity Assay: follow the link to an official explanation.
MRT Food Sensitivity Test: follow the link to an official explanation.
Elimination diet: a diet where sensitive or allergenic foods are completely eliminated from the diet including any skin care products as well as any food or beverage that is ingested. It is usually prescribed for a set period of time.
Rotation diet: a diet where non-allergenic or non-sensitive foods are eaten only one day at a time with a rotation of 3-5 days. For instance, broccoli could be eaten on Monday but then not again until Friday. This ensures a diet of varying nutrition and a gut that is not taxed by any one food or substance, such as wheat, which is prolific in American diets.