Elimination Diet, Food Sensitivities, & Eating Disorders

cmacdonald8

Sorry for the long post!

Last year I was diagnosed with food sensitivity headaches after no cause for my headaches was found and every food sensitivity I was tested for came back positive (see below). It was recommended that I go on an elimination diet to see if I felt better. It seems like I have always suffered from chronic nausea, fatigue, depression, and feeling generally unwell. At the time I didn't think that the headaches were that severe and I had to enter a treatment center, so the elimination diet was not something that I could have implemented. I have gone off of gluten several times, and while I have felt better, it certainly hasn't been miraculous. Which makes me think that gluten probably is a sensitivity of mine as well as other components of my diet.

This past July I got a migraine which resulted in a 14 week cycle of chronic migraines/headaches, which was only relived after 10 days in the hospital. Once again it has been suggested that I try an elimination diet. I was told the biggest triggers for migraines are aspartame, nitrates/nitrites, sulfates/sulfites, tyramine (I'm also on a MAOI), and MSG, so obviously my doctors want me to nix those for the elimination diet and it only makes sense to also nix the foods I tested positive for on the food sensitivity screen. It was suggested that I eliminate everything except fruit (no citrus or tomatoes), veggies (no raw onion), organic chicken, fish, wild game, lamb, turkey, and rice for 2-3 weeks, and then start reintroducing foods 1 at a time with 3 days in between new foods.

A big part of the elimination diet is recording everything you eat and how you feel. I started nearly two weeks ago, and almost immediately my eating disorder, which hadn't been an issue in years, suddenly became a problem and I lost 12 pounds in the first 6 days (eating 1-2 bananas a day, 1/4c cashews or 1 Tbs cashew butter, 6 oz of either tuna steak or swordfish steak, and 1/2-1c of brown rice per day ~700 calories). I know I need the information that would be gleaned from the elimination diet, but I am seriously struggling to force myself to eat, during week 2 I ate even less; however the weight loss was less dramatic.

The problem I'm really struggling with is it has been nearly 2 weeks, and my symptoms haven't improved much, so it would be useless to begin reintroduction because I would not know if symptoms were due to the reintroduced food or not. I'm assuming you have to continue with the elimination phase of the plan until symptoms are gone or at least dramatically lessened. I fear reaching out to my doctor (who has been really helpful with the elimination diet, but is unaware of my eating disorder history) because my weight loss has been so dramatic it is likely to raise some red flags. I need to make it through the next four weeks, so I can enjoy a week long cruise with my family, then I will be engage in any necessary treatment. I don't want anything to happen between now and then that would prevent me from joining my family on the cruise.

Am I crazy to keep going with the elimination diet? Should I begin the reintroduction at week 3 regardless of symptoms and then avoid any foods that may be attributed to symptoms for a few months and try reintroducing again? Should I just cut out the foods I tested positive for and the 5 migraine food groups, so that I have a wider variety (not sure that would help, as the problem is getting any food in my mouth, knowing I'll have to track it)? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

I was told anything above 2.0 indicated a sensitivity
Component Your Value
Oat IgG 10.2
CASEIN/COW MILK IGG 11.2
EGG YOLK (F75) IGG 2.8
EGG WHITE GF1, IGG 4.9
WHEAT GF4, IGG 6.5
GLUTEN IGG 2.7

GaleHawkins

Donald I just got off of food with added sugar, milk , grains and the like and have not advice on your case other than to say my chronic congestion and squeezing (followed by a running nose in like 60 seconds) have cleared up for the most part after 40 years or so.

At 63 I just plan to never reintroduce them. If they do not like me then I will decide to not like them.

I think over time when my body might recovery from this load of stuff that I was doing to it it may be OK to reintroduce these things.

Another plus I have noticed is things like burnt popcorn or clorox cleaning products do not know me for a flip.

Good luck as you work through these things. Our daughter is in the middle of testing and getting shots.

cmacdonald8

Thank you for your reply. I wish you the best!

girlviernes

It worries me that it sounds like you are hiding things from your doctor and family. The hiding really can make you feel shameful and overwhelmed. I would really encourage you to pick at least your family or your doctor to disclose what is happening to. There might be other ways to approach this that don't require the tracking or elimination (whichever you find most triggering for the eating disorder).

angelexperiment

Also for the migraines it is best to avoid autolyzed yeast which is another form of msg. Dairy products when you feel it coming on. Also wheat based beers. Wheat as well has something to do with it. Caffeine as well canvtrigger it.

Isabelle_1929

I am sorry to be blunt, but why bother seeking a doctor at all, if you are to hide essential information from him? So now here you are, seeking medical advice on the Internet to anonymous strangers, in a weight-loss related site, of all places.

Beside, did the doctor recommend that you ate 700 cals per day? I bet he did not. A treatment is a coherent program. So if you are not to follow the treatment as recommended, you should not follow it at all.

Finally, now you can't even tell if your symptoms are releated to your migraine, or from the deprivation / quick weight loss.

My advice, for what it's worth: you may be harming yourself right now, so just forget the whole thing until the cruise is done, as it seems to be your priority right now.
For the future, I suggest not to see a physician or other health specialist of you do not trust her/him enough to talk about your health.

cmacdonald8

No apologies, you are right! I compartmentalize my treatment, so that the mental health providers deal with the mental health stuff and the medical providers just the medical stuff, even though they are obviously interconnected. My medical doctor doesn't know about my past eating disorder because I have only seen her for a year and the ED hasn't really been an issue in over 5. My mental health team knows what is going on and I am in a partial hospitalization program for that now. Because I am overweight the mental health team doesn't really care about the weight loss, they just see it as a symptom of my overall mental health. I am entering a residential treatment center the day after the cruise and I have been very upfront and honest with them.

The cruise means a lot to me because it is the celebration of my parent's 40th anniversary and my entire family will be there. I have given up so much due to my health and treatment, and missed so many family functions and holidays that I really need to just have a fun experience. It will be my son's 1st time on an airplane and a ship, so he is so excited and I want to be a part of that. It will be a good time for me to spend quality time with my family prior to leaving them for residential treatment, as I will miss Christmas and my son's 5th birthday while I am there.

Of course my doctor did not recommend 700 calories, I think naturally people eat fewer calories on an elimination diet because food choices are so limited and most of them are low calorie, but I should probably be getting at least 1,000 calories a day. When I get to the treatment center they are going to help me with the reintroduction phase, and they will of course ensure that I am getting the appropriate amount of nutrients.

RoseyDgirl

If you are still having reactions to the more widespread diet that was given to you, maybe there's still an allergen in one or more of those food groups and it might make sense to do a harder (less food option) type cleanse. (I say this because I know someone who has an allergy to poultry, another that has allergies to nuts)

Have you ever tried Kitchari? the yogi have this cleanse they do and you can read up on it online, there recipe for kitchari are a few spices, basmati rice and mung beans. You make a huge pot and eat that for a few weeks after which you can begin to add other foods in. the spices make the meal palatable. I tried the cleanse about 20 years ago and my experience of it was by the end of the first week I felt really good, a lot healthier, less toxic.

I hope you will feel better, and diagnose what's causing all the headaches. How horrible to have to stress over what will cause the next attack and to fear foods.

good luck.

-Rose

cmacdonald8

Thanks Rose. I think a lot of the symptoms were due to the fact that I was eating less than 400 calories a day for the last ten days, so for now I am going to focus on the elimination diet I was given while striving for a healthier calorie intake. The medications I am on dries my mouth and throat out so bad that it is hard to chew and swallow food, so today I went to my local health food store for some assistance. I got a hypoallergenic protein powder to add to smoothies, it is plant based and offers 22 grams of protein, I then add 1 Tbs of organic coconut oil, 2Tbs flaxseed meal, 1 Tbs Chia seeds, and some combination of water, fruit juice, coconut milk, or frozen fruit. Tonight's smoothie was pretty huge, so I was only able to drink half. Next time I am going to try to reduce the fluid and drink two a day. If I can it will get me 41g of fat, 41g carbs, 13g fiber, 30g sugar, and 51 protein. While my calorie intake will still be low (700 range); hopefully, I will be able to supplement with whole food here and there. I am trying to get into my doctor tomorrow and I have an appointment with a dietician on Monday. If my current plan does not work, I will definitely look into your suggestion. Thank you!