Restrictive Diet/Food Intolerance

klynn2021

Over the past several years I have had on and off problems with my stomach when I ate. This ranged from getting sick and throwing up after eating, to being bloated, having indigestion and being gassy, to many others. After getting fed up with not being able to pinpoint what was causing the problem I had some testing done and just recently found out I have high sensitivities to wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, and corn. This is definitely a big change, and though I am still currently trying to cut out different foods with these ingredients I am finding it rather difficult. Does anyone have any advice about dealing with this or what others have found to work?

Helloitsdan

Did you have some type of sickness that required antibiotics?
Have you looked at ways to reintroduce the helpful gut microflora into your system?
Do you have excessive H-Pylori?
Do you get gassy after eating avocado or onions or pepper? (FODMAPS)
Were you a C-section baby?
Have you tried using digestive enzymes after eating?
Have you tried VSL#3?

Sure cutting food out is important when trying to figure out what triggers issues, but building gut health is more important so you wouldn't have such limited choices.

doubleduofa

I don't eat gluten (and therefore wheat), dairy,and have just cut out eggs. I don't eat a lot of soy or corn either - I have been trying to cut them out for a long time.

My advice is to focus on what you CAN eat and not what you can't. Everyone is always worried about me, especially when we go to restaurants, but I know there are so many things I CAN eat! And if all else fails, I can find a salad with vinaigrette and a protein most everywhere I go.

You will have to start looking at ingredients labels, choosing foods that are in their "whole" form, and preparing/cooking your own meals a lot more. Paleo recipes are a good place to start since they are gluten and dairy free. You can usually find substitutions for things like eggs (gelatin eggs, chia eggs) on vegan websites. I've found mayo without eggs (just mayo - got it at Costco). I use honeyville almond flours to make some baked goods. I use avocado in place of cheese sometimes because it gives me that same creamy/fatty factor.

For example, this week, I made chicken salad from a Costco rotisserie chicken, with eggless mayo (avocado works in a pinch too), apple cider vinegar, lemon, apple, celery, onion, pecans, and some herbs from my garden. I just eat it with a spoon (because sandwich fillings really are the best part of the sandwich, right?), or you could buy some butter lettuce, or you could get some gluten free tortillas (I've had the brown rice ones from trader joes and they work great - just keep them in the fridge and then microwave them for 30 seconds before eating). I also made fajitas with steak, onions, peppers, and lime juice - again, I just eat with a fork.

If I want something sweet, I take a frozen banana, some almond milk (I make my own - easy!), ice cubes, and some cacao powder and blend. Its like a milkshake consistency. You can add some sweetener too (like honey or maple syrup) and I have also added some 85% dark chocolate or enjoy life chips to it.

Point is - make this about all the wonderful things you can eat! There are a lot! You'll get there.

doubleduofa

Did you have some type of sickness that required antibiotics?
Have you looked at ways to reintroduce the helpful gut microflora into your system?
Do you have excessive H-Pylori?
Do you get gassy after eating avocado or onions or pepper? (FODMAPS)
Were you a C-section baby?
Have you tried using digestive enzymes after eating?
Have you tried VSL#3?

Sure cutting food out is important when trying to figure out what triggers issues, but building gut health is more important so you wouldn't have such limited choices.

Good point. I also work to restore my gut health by taking l glutamine, slippery elm, oregano oil, and probiotics everyday. Very important!

klynn2021

Did you have some type of sickness that required antibiotics?
Have you looked at ways to reintroduce the helpful gut microflora into your system?
Do you have excessive H-Pylori?
Do you get gassy after eating avocado or onions or pepper? (FODMAPS)
Were you a C-section baby?
Have you tried using digestive enzymes after eating?
Have you tried VSL#3?

Sure cutting food out is important when trying to figure out what triggers issues, but building gut health is more important so you wouldn't have such limited choices.

I am new to some of this information so I haven't looked into some of it, yet!
I was frequently on antibiotics when I was a kid due to having strep throat a lot (and also had my tonsils and adenoids removed).
I am a very picky eater though and do not particularly like onions or peppers (rarely do I eat them) and I haven't really eaten avocado. Though I do know that I get gassy/indigestion after eating gluten.
No, I was not a C-Section baby.
I have not tried digestive enzymes, I never really thought about it.

Thanks for the ideas!