Literally Out of Ideas of What I CAN Eat! :(

tiddles_yeah

So, in a nutshell i have a tonne of allergies and food intolerances that ive been plagued with my entire life, feeling sick or in constant pain most of the time, and now found out theres a bunch more foods i cannot eat. I had gotten pretty used to my limited diet but now with the extra restrictions i am literally at a loss of what i can eat and feel like the majority of my food is just protein shakes at the moment

Does anyone have any food suggestions that do not include the following as they are foods i cannot eat - due to allergies, intolerances that are medically diagnosed (just want to emphasise that since its not a choice here, i literally cannot or risk getting violently ill or dying)

- Gluten
- Dairy
- Meat
- Eggs
- Yeast
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Goji berries
- Cherries
- Pomegranates
- Mushrooms
- FODMAP foods (even a slight bit as my GIT is very sensitive) - this is a big list so you may need to google them if you dont know what it includes (here a good link http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/ )
- Honey
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Cocoa
- Corn
- Most nuts
- Gelatine

Thats all i can remember off the top of my head, but as you can see its quite a big list (especially considering the FODMAPS is a big list on its own)
Also note that most "gluten free" things contain rice, potato, or corn - hence my problem

Any ideas are welcome as this is a 'for life' thing for me, so its seeming quite daunting at the moment

cbhubbybubble

I'd ask my doctor to refer me to a nutritionist or dietitian. That's a pretty comprehensive list

LINIA

I have a very similar list of what i can not eat , very similar. Can you have other salad greens, you mention lettuce but can you eat Collards, Kale, Spring Mix greens?
Can you tolerate FISH? I can not but you don't have that listed, so is that a safe food for you?

Maryam2014mfp

My son has a similar list and I've been able to make variety for him but again it is still limited due to the restriction on the protein and carb choices available. I would suggest you consult with a nutritionist to get a better idea of what you possibly can eat, and ensure your diet is balanced. You may also need to take supplements (my son and I do) as your body may not break some things down properly, even if you have them in your diet. Take care

tryclyn

http://abbottnutrition.com/brands/products/elecare
A friend of the family's daughter is 7 and still in the process of finding what she is "sensitive" to. She lives on this stuff and potatoes for now.

Maryam2014mfp

tryclyn wrote: »

http://abbottnutrition.com/brands/products/elecare
A friend of the family's daughter is 7 and still in the process of finding what she is "sensitive" to. She lives on this stuff and potatoes for now.

Nice. This is similar to what my son used. Of course that was almost 19 years ago .

_Terrapin_

OP(tiddles_yeah) this is you: It would help people if you also write out that you are a Vegan. As for your options, a registered dietician and/or physician would be ideal. I find it puzzling with all these health issues that you do not already know what you can and cannot consume. Your choice of being a Vegan may also contribute to your restriction of diet and acceptable foods. Best of luck.

terri_mom

I agree with seeing a Nutritionist. 3 things I didn't see on your list that are 'regulars' in my diet are cantalope, kale, and old-fashioned Oatmeal. Best of luck!

teresamwhite

That's quite a list...I noticed that others responded to your post, stating you are vegan...Are you? Are eggs, dairy and honey true sensitivities then, or a choice you make as a vegan? A sensitivity to rice is really, really rare...I don't think I've heard that one before...normally rice is considered to be an easy-to-digest food, and we give it to patients with long allergy and sensitivity lists.

Quinoa is a pretty good source of protein...

I do second (and third) the other responses, you need a dietitian or nutritionist to help you navigate your food choices.

EDITED: I originally suggested tofu, but its on the FODMAP list.

50sFit

cbhubbybubble wrote: »

I'd ask my doctor to refer me to a nutritionist or dietitian. That's a pretty comprehensive list

^^^^^Yep...THIS!
Your situation is grave and way outside the scope of casual advice in a MFP forum.
Get a list of medically approved foods and just eat those and nothing else.
Such is life....

habit365

The thing about intolerances is that there is an underlying cause, and if you do not treat the underlying cause you are likely to end up with a bigger and bigger list of foods you cannot eat as you eat too often from a smaller and smaller set of "safe" foods and your body begins to react to the previously safe foods.

If you have been told that it is a lifelong thing with intolerances, I would look for another doctor who has a lot of experience in this type of issue. I have family members who deal with this and have to drive several hours to see a specialist. Some of it was an imbalance of gut flora, there were some nutritional deficiencies (that couldn't be explained by poor diet) that needed to be fixed, etc. I think thyroid might also have been involved. Whatever the underlying problems are, you need to find them. When you do, you will be able to eventually get foods back.

Usually with intolerances there is a scale and if you have some things lower on the scale you can eat a small amount of them on a rotating basis. It is tempting to just cut everything out but with the risk of developing additional intolerances due to over-relying on a small food set you want to eat as varied as you possibly can.

For your immediate concern, I would google rotation diets and find one with a comprehensive food list on a 4 day rotation and cross out what you can't eat from there and see if you can make something work. But please PLEASE get someone to help you treat the underlying problems, it will make your life so much better in the long run. You CAN get foods back!

(Sorry if you already know this and are working on finding/fixing the underlying causes and just didn't mention it)

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Need2Exerc1se

cbhubbybubble wrote: »

I'd ask my doctor to refer me to a nutritionist or dietitian. That's a pretty comprehensive list

I agree with this. With that many allergies I'm shocked that you aren't already working with a nutritionist, but surely there is an allergist/immunologist that diagnosed these allergies. I would ask them about diet and also about food supplements.

tiddles_yeah

I do actually have a dietician, although i am grateful for the recommendation. Even they were at a bit of a loss though as to how much of a variety i can truly have.
Yes, i am vegan, but since then i have found i cannot actually eat meat/dairy/eggs anyway so i thought it was easier to write them like that than just have people tell me to stop being vegan, which for me is not an option. I greatly respect everyone's choice to eat how they choose, i just cannot imagine life (for me) not being vegan. Sorry if that upsets anyone

In response to an earlier post - i cannot eat oatmeal, salmon, tuna, avocado, watermelon, cabbage, beetroot, snow peas
I can eat tofu, but only if it does not contain soy cause which is in a lot more varieties of tofu than you would expect

Long story short - i had chemo several times over my life and its altered a lot of my GIT which was already sensitive. So ive spent a lot of time with drs and things about all this but no way to "cure" it as of yet. The rice/potatoes is because my body does not produce the enzyme necessary to sufficiently break the high amounts of starch in them.

I am going to see my gastroenterologist soon, i was just hoping that maybe someone had suggestions or something to see me through until then as its not for a few more weeks, given that im currently doing medical exams (as in im studying medicine and our exam period is pretty full on right now)

(altered for spelling)

klkarlen

Just found this via Google" "Wholesome Kitchen produces a millet-based couscous in three flavors: Plain, Garden Vegetable and Fruit & Nut. " Might be an option for you?

AsaThorsWoman

Can you have coconut? A suprising lot can be done with just coconut flour and coconut oil.

chivalryder

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/product/9781620876992-item.html?s_campaign=goo-PLATest&gclid=CPqwtNOzr8ECFQaCMgodYT0AgQ



Many of the recipes in this book do not include any of the foods you listed.

AsaThorsWoman

Can you have sweet potatoes?

Laoch_Cailin

Maybe a better idea might be to write a list of things you can eat. Then try and plan out different meals that way.

hkristine1

The thing that pops out as a good solution for some meals might be fruit/veggie smoothies using coconut milk and whatever fruit you CAN have + kale. I put chia seeds in smoothies for extra protein (we are 90% vegetarian, so I supplement our protein intake wherever I can).

You mentioned you can't do the starchiness of rice/potatoes... what about processed rice products, like rice noodles? I am wondering if pre-rinsing + cooking + post-cooking rinse would get rid of enough of the starch to make them digestible for you? If you could eat those, you could make a lot of different kinds of pasta with veg. sauces or a non-soy containing tofu... or maybe there's a supplement you could take to help you create the enzyme necessary?

Have you been to a naturopath at all? I am a firm believer in using EVERY resource available, so I have both an MD and an ND and when I was facing a fairly complicated, undiagnosed illness where I was having a lot of weird symptoms but my MD (and a gastroenterologist specialist) couldn't figure it out, I went to my ND, she prescribed me some nasty tasting crap, but I took it regularly for 6 weeks, and a problem I'd been trying to solve through "traditional" medicine for MONTHS AND MONTHS resolved.

On the other hand, when I had an infection, I wanted to go with an antibiotic rather than some herbs/plants to get rid of it

I mention naturopath because there may be some natural plant/remedy out there that might kickstart your body into producing more of the enzymes/hormones, etc. that you need to be able to expand your diet a bit.

klkarlen

Found this too: http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreegrains/a/Five-Interesting-Gluten-Free-Grains.htm

EngineerPrincess

Yes I second that, write a list of what you can eat, and we can help you figure out some variety to meals! My mom has a similar list and loves making hummus with just chick peas, salt, olive oil and lemon juice (plus garlic.) It's really good. Also I didn't see many fruits on your list, there's so many good fruit salads. You hopefully can eat beans though so you can get protein somehow without nuts or meat or dairy?

jodiedeakin93

I'd look into paleo meals. A lot of them have dairy free, gluten free alternatives.

WalkingAlong

Well, tofu is made from soy so scratch that.

The good news is people with very repetitive, limited diets tend to have no weight problems, for obvious reasons. I guess in your shoes I would find the few palatable, safe foods I could eat and just eat those and scratch eating off the list of entertaining pastimes. In a way it'd be a relief.

gmallan

I was going to suggest soylent, could be worth a shot

libbydoodle11

tiddles_yeah wrote: »

So, in a nutshell i have a tonne of allergies and food intolerances that ive been plagued with my entire life, feeling sick or in constant pain most of the time, and now found out theres a bunch more foods i cannot eat. I had gotten pretty used to my limited diet but now with the extra restrictions i am literally at a loss of what i can eat and feel like the majority of my food is just protein shakes at the moment

Does anyone have any food suggestions that do not include the following as they are foods i cannot eat - due to allergies, intolerances that are medically diagnosed (just want to emphasise that since its not a choice here, i literally cannot or risk getting violently ill or dying)

- Gluten
- Dairy
- Meat
- Eggs
- Yeast
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Goji berries
- Cherries
- Pomegranates
- Mushrooms
- FODMAP foods (even a slight bit as my GIT is very sensitive) - this is a big list so you may need to google them if you dont know what it includes (here a good link http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/ )
- Honey
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Cocoa
- Corn
- Most nuts
- Gelatine

Thats all i can remember off the top of my head, but as you can see its quite a big list (especially considering the FODMAPS is a big list on its own)
Also note that most "gluten free" things contain rice, potato, or corn - hence my problem

Any ideas are welcome as this is a 'for life' thing for me, so its seeming quite daunting at the moment

Mache
Spinach
Sprouts
Quinoa
Amaranth
Millet
Yams
Asparagus
Chamomile Tea

maraq

Look into the GAPS diet by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. http://www.gapsdiet.com/Home_Page.html

It's very restrictive (though you are already going through that) but many people have success healing their digestive problems and reducing food allergies through it.

tameko2

So, did you determine these sensitivities through testing or did you do an elimination diet?

Because a) testing will often show you intolerant to groups of foods when in reality its only one or two of the group, but because they are so similar and the test isn't that sensitive, it picks up intolerances to the family of foods.

and b) I'm familiar with the fodmap elimination diet - but again, in general most people have CERTAIN fodmaps that they find they need to avoid entirely, others that they find they need to limit but can have in very moderate amounts, and others that are totally fine.

....well, and c) someone already said it but ...how did they diagnose the rice intolerance? Rice is a considered a "safe" food for everyone.

mangogirl272727

Coconut, quinoa, yams, bananas, blueberries, seeds and seed butter (sunflower seed butter is very good), maple syrup, gluten free oats, hemp-milk, fish, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, zucchini, grapes and grape juice, oranges, strawberries, buckwheat, olive oil, blueberry or strawberry jam, butter is actually ok for most people with milk allergies

Dragonwolf

You might want to look into the Autoimmune Protocol. Your list is more extensive, but it might help give you some ideas. Against All Grain is a good place to start. You might want to also check out Whole New Mom. Her son had severe food allergies and intolerances, too, and so she has had similar struggles to you and might have some ideas.

That said, I recently read this article, which explains the issue of zinc-copper imbalances (I apologize that the author is pretty blatantly anti-veg*n, but please try to see the point it's making about a zinc-copper imbalance, which can be, unfortunately), which includes what seems like an acquired intolerance to animal-based foods.

Your situation reminds me of that, which is why I mentioned it. Also, it brought two questions to mind:

1. Have you had your zinc and copper levels checked recently?
2. Do you happen to know if you were intolerant to meat, eggs, and gelatin before you went vegan?

Another question I have is - how severe is your allergy/intolerance of gluten and soy? I ask this, because some people are so sensitive to it that they actually react to the gluten and soy that transfers into meat and eggs, because of the animal's diet. It may actually be that you're reacting to that and not the meat/gelatin or eggs themselves (though the eggs may be an allergen in and of themselves).

Also, have you had a stool analysis done? There's a growing body of evidence that gut flora can affect food tolerances/intolerances. If you can tolerate other kinds of probiotics (sauerkraut, kombucha, probiotic supplements, etc), you might want to look into that and try including them, too. If nothing else, it might help allow you to tolerate better some of the foods that you're only mildly reactive to.

By all means, talk to your doctor/nutritionist. I also second the suggestion for a naturopath, or also look into an integrative physician, and if either your doctor or your nutritionist just says "they're lifelong, deal with it and good luck," find a new one. Doctors are human, too, and medicine is a huge, huge field, and no one doctor knows everything.

jofjltncb6

If it's just the enzyme for certain foods that you lack, couldn't you take a digestive enzyme supplement with the food?