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Advice on food intolerance...please help!

reach53
reach53 Posts: 46 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Sorry this is a long one:
I have had a food intolerance for some time now. I've avoided grains and quit milk and just accepted that if I slip I start feeling bad. (migraines, nausea, stomach ache, joint ache, etc.). Before Easter I felt quite ok, being in my own kitchen, eating only whole food kind of paleo/primal style as it is grain and dairy-free. Then we went for a long weekend to my in-laws. I did not want to cause too much trouble so I basically ate whatever was set before me - with the result that I became ill. On the drive back home we had dinner at a Burger K*** and within 2 hours I was really sick. Back home I went on my grain and dairy-free, whole food diet and I felt better but not great yet.
My sister (she's a RN) told me to be careful as eating gluten when intolerant can cause a bundle of other diseases. So I went to the doc and am on a elimination diet. Traditionally here one would start with rice but as I am of Asian origin I am to start with carrots and zucchini (50% Asians are intolerant to rice). So now I eating only those veg with a little ghee. After one of my MFP friends commented on my way too low calorie intake, I realized that no matter what I do I will never reach 1350 calories.
What should I do? I am also concerned that I am to live without protein for so long. The first thing I will add are eggs!

Then yesterday, I had a avocado (I know NOT part of my elimination diet but I hate to toss food) and so I made a paleo pudding with avocado and banana. I added some inulin prebiotics (without thinking anything as it says gluten free on the box) and some dates and a tsp of honey. Within 1 hour of eating I was sick as a dog again. Now the only processed item was the inulin (organic even demeter and gluten free)!

Any advice? Maybe I was all wrong and it is not gluten but fructose?

Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I think you should be guided by your doctor or a dietician on this one - no random stranger on the internet is going to know what is right for your body.
    Good luck with working it out.
  • margeauxhunt
    margeauxhunt Posts: 77
    I think you should be guided by your doctor or a dietician on this one - no random stranger on the internet is going to know what is right for your body.
    Good luck with working it out.

    I was just about to post the same thing! i wish people would speak to professionals instead of Dr Google off a forum. I know people like to think they know what they're talking about, but they don't.

    I would also talk to a dietitian about how many calories you eat and they will be able to tell you what you need to do.
  • reach53
    reach53 Posts: 46 Member
    I was just about to post the same thing! i wish people would speak to professionals instead of Dr Google off a forum. I know people like to think they know what they're talking about, but they don't.

    I would also talk to a dietitian about how many calories you eat and they will be able to tell you what you need to do.

    I am guided by my doc. I just would like to know how other people in a similar situation are handling this. I don't know anybody else with this kind of intolerance.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    If you are allergic to gluten then its possible that eating at your inlaws has upset your stomach lining etc and made you more susceptible to reactions to other things...personally i'd ask the Dr for a referral to see a specialist and have allergy testing instead of just guessing at what you might be allergic to. Elimination diets are not that accurate unless you are only introducing one food every few weeks and that should not be attempted without some pretty hefty guidance and supervision
  • reach53
    reach53 Posts: 46 Member
    I am with a doctor who has sent my blood to a lab. I need to wait another 2 weeks for the results. The doc told me to do the elimination diet and gave me precise instructions on it. After the blood results are back, depending on the results they will do further testing. Right now I am to eat only my veg.
    The doc I am with is really good and part of multi specialized team that have an allergy special it in-house. So I know I am in good hands.
  • PHLLLY
    PHLLLY Posts: 160 Member
    Do you have confirmed Celiacs? That's usually associated with lactose intolerance. But you may have food allergies which are much more severe. Have you ever had anaphylaxis? You don't need an epi pen do you? 1200 is the recommended minimum calorie intake. But everyone's right. Go to a Dietitian, NOT a nutritionist. Research and find a doctor that has experience with food allergies. Doctors only get a few classes in nutrition. Dietitians have to collaborate with MDs so it's good to find 2 people that work closely together.
  • reach53
    reach53 Posts: 46 Member
    Please, I am not being irresponsible or doing something without a proper doctor. I am merely looking for people who have had a similar experience. I am doing this elimination diet with my doctor and am starting with carrots and zucchini. Then I have a list of food items I am to add every few days of low-allergenic foods such a lamb, white fish, peach, sweet potato, pear etc.

    So far today I had only my veg and for the first time in 2 weeks I am feeling really good again. Even if the oatmeal cookies I baked this morning with my son are tempting...
  • reach53
    reach53 Posts: 46 Member
    Do you have confirmed Celiacs? That's usually associated with lactose intolerance. But you may have food allergies which are much more severe. Have you ever had anaphylaxis? You don't need an epi pen do you? 1200 is the recommended minimum calorie intake. But everyone's right. Go to a Dietitian, NOT a nutritionist. Research and find a doctor that has experience with food allergies. Doctors only get a few classes in nutrition. Dietitians have to collaborate with MDs so it's good to find 2 people that work closely together.

    Thanks for your kind answer. No, I am waiting for the result of the blood test which will be followed by a stomach biopsy. My doctor is in a office team of different specialists. I am in Switzerland so the system is a little different than in the US.
    I only recently developed this intolerance. I think is has been there for some time but only got so bad recently. So I am in the beginning of all tests and still got a lot to learn.
  • honeyb7
    honeyb7 Posts: 45
    Working with a Dr is always good advice. However, I was sick for 27 years, did several elimination Diets, 2 sets of allergy tests and still no help. I had chronic hives and ended up in the hospital emergency room each year for almost 27 years, it's your gall bladder, it's this, it's that, and no one said that perhaps food intolerance might be the culprit! Which by the way, most "intolerances" do NOT show up on allergy tests. Mine never did so the last Dr. said just don't eat wheat or soy for two weeks and see how you feel. It was like a miracle! So while Drs are a must and I do advocate for them wholeheartedly, it is important to be your own scientist and READ as much as you can on the topic and write down everything you consume. Reading led me to understand that having a wheat intolerance means that that BK burger you ate can cause problems for days afterwards. It's not as simple as eating it one day, feeling sick, going to the bathroom and it's all done and then something else makes you sick *(albeit that can happen too! That's why it's so complicated) Wheat can make you sick for much longer as it causes so many problems in so many parts of your body. That's why people feel sick all over. It mimics so many things, it's hard to grasp what is really going on which is why drs have difficulities pin pointing the problem. Find a dr that specializes and won't give up on you (I went to two specialists who just said "here take drugs") and will persist until they find the culprits that are making you ill.

    All the best to you!
  • reach53
    reach53 Posts: 46 Member
    Working with a Dr is always good advice. However, I was sick for 27 years, did several elimination Diets, 2 sets of allergy tests and still no help. I had chronic hives and ended up in the hospital emergency room each year for almost 27 years, it's your gall bladder, it's this, it's that, and no one said that perhaps food intolerance might be the culprit! Which by the way, most "intolerances" do NOT show up on allergy tests. Mine never did so the last Dr. said just don't eat wheat or soy for two weeks and see how you feel. It was like a miracle! So while Drs are a must and I do advocate for them wholeheartedly, it is important to be your own scientist and READ as much as you can on the topic and write down everything you consume. Reading led me to understand that having a wheat intolerance means that that BK burger you ate can cause problems for days afterwards. It's not as simple as eating it one day, feeling sick, going to the bathroom and it's all done and then something else makes you sick *(albeit that can happen too! That's why it's so complicated) Wheat can make you sick for much longer as it causes so many problems in so many parts of your body. That's why people feel sick all over. It mimics so many things, it's hard to grasp what is really going on which is why drs have difficulities pin pointing the problem. Find a dr that specializes and won't give up on you (I went to two specialists who just said "here take drugs") and will persist until they find the culprits that are making you ill.

    All the best to you!

    Dear honeyb7,
    thank you a million times for your post!
    What you are writing is exactly what my doc said about food intolerances. I am kind of scared that nothing will show up in the tests and I am stuck alone in this mess. I've been having those unspecific symptoms for more than a year now. Only in the past weeks it got so bad. So I was worried the doc might think I am just some frustrated housewife and give me prozac against the tiredness lol

    Thanks for the advice on the wheat and that it may take days. That was the kind of advice I was looking for! I expected it to be gone in may 24 hours :wink: because I have no personal experience.
  • honeyb7
    honeyb7 Posts: 45
    Working with a Dr is always good advice. However, I was sick for 27 years, did several elimination Diets, 2 sets of allergy tests and still no help. I had chronic hives and ended up in the hospital emergency room each year for almost 27 years, it's your gall bladder, it's this, it's that, and no one said that perhaps food intolerance might be the culprit! Which by the way, most "intolerances" do NOT show up on allergy tests. Mine never did so the last Dr. said just don't eat wheat or soy for two weeks and see how you feel. It was like a miracle! So while Drs are a must and I do advocate for them wholeheartedly, it is important to be your own scientist and READ as much as you can on the topic and write down everything you consume. Reading led me to understand that having a wheat intolerance means that that BK burger you ate can cause problems for days afterwards. It's not as simple as eating it one day, feeling sick, going to the bathroom and it's all done and then something else makes you sick *(albeit that can happen too! That's why it's so complicated) Wheat can make you sick for much longer as it causes so many problems in so many parts of your body. That's why people feel sick all over. It mimics so many things, it's hard to grasp what is really going on which is why drs have difficulities pin pointing the problem. Find a dr that specializes and won't give up on you (I went to two specialists who just said "here take drugs") and will persist until they find the culprits that are making you ill.

    All the best to you!

    Dear honeyb7,
    thank you a million times for your post!
    What you are writing is exactly what my doc said about food intolerances. I am kind of scared that nothing will show up in the tests and I am stuck alone in this mess. I've been having those unspecific symptoms for more than a year now. Only in the past weeks it got so bad. So I was worried the doc might think I am just some frustrated housewife and give me prozac against the tiredness lol

    Thanks for the advice on the wheat and that it may take days. That was the kind of advice I was looking for! I expected it to be gone in may 24 hours :wink: because I have no personal experience.


    I was wondering how you were doing now? I hope all is going much better! Friend me if you want to chat about what's going on.
    Best,
    HoneyB7
This discussion has been closed.

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