I just thought I would open a thread on food sensitivities. I have them apparently, and it doesn't seem that they are just a group of foods that my body doesn't tolerate for some reason. I develop a sensitivity to foods I eat often. For example, in 2002 I stopped eating wheat and felt intermittently wonderful, until other sensitivities kicked in. Most recently, I did a two week elemental diet to address intestinal dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria) and while that was pretty successful, I still have the food sensitivity problem.......I actually became sensitive to AbsorbPlus at the end of the two week period. The symptoms I have are brain fog and fatigue in the afternoons, and loose stool. I stopped eating brown rice for a week, and then challenged myself with an entire day of it and it clearly brought on symptoms. Q: what is going on in my body that makes it mount a reaction to food? I suspect an autoimmune malfunction. Comments welcome.

Hi, karoe.

I actually know from earlier discussions that you have done food rotation.

My own experience was that over time, most of my food sensitivities disappeared. But I had to be very respectful of them for a long time. At this point, I find that I can even eat foods that I wouldn't have dreamed of eating two years ago on occasion with no negative consequences. (As an example, my parents recently wanted to take me out to breakfast. You know you're not going to get health-promoting foods at a diner - at least no diners that I know of. I had French toast [white bread, non-organic eggs, probably not real butter, probably not real maple syrup]. The reason I'd only eat like that rarely is because I know more about diet now and a meal like that is like a withdrawal from the bank...a few are okay, too many and you have the equivalent of an overdraft. Back when I was already "in the red" health-wise, I simply couldn't have "afforded" to eat a meal of that ilk. But at this point, I'm not going to reject all social eating or make other people jump through all kinds of hoops because I'm determined to be a dietary purist.)

Anyway, my point is that if your experience turns out to be anything like mine, it's worth staying away from any food that causes or increases symptoms for a period of time. (I know you're super good about that, anyway.) At the same time, keep addressing foundational issues - particularly gut flora and stress. I know EFT didn't really produce results for you - it's worth it to keep searching for something that does help - even if what stresses you is concern about how health may/does have an impact on your career or your overall quality of life. As you keep researching, look for that "click"...something that resonates with you. Periodically re-test "problem" foods.

You mentioned kombucha tea in another thread. Are you making it yourself? If so, what's your experience with it? Will you share what you bought, how you set things up, etc.? Making my own kombucha tea is on my to-do list and I'd love to hear how someone else has made out with it...

When you make rice, do you let it soak ahead of time with some whey or lemon juice? I'm not encouraging you to have it now, but if you try rice again in the future and don't already use that preparation method, I do encourage you to give it a try then. I still pre-soak my grains (I "start" tomorrow's grain tonight after I wash up the supper dishes) although symptomatically, I probably don't have to. Back in the day, though, I found that soaking made a dramatic difference in how well I responded to grain. I usually have one serving of grains a day and one fruit a day; like you, I put an emphasis on protein and veggies.

Take care,
Nicole

Thanks for your post, darkangel. Yes, in 2002 through early 2004 I worked with Signet Diagnostics and did first an elimination diet, and then a rotation diet. I was never able to "stabilze" in other words, find the foods that bothered my because it appears that anything I eat I eventually react to. The company was very cooperative; they even re-tested me and we found that the original sensitivities had changed. Great, huh? I am talking about going beyond just avoiding certain foods or only eating them once every three, four or seven days. I am interested to know if anyone has information on reactions like this to food being evidence of an autoimmune condition. I have looked on the IBS board and found references to drugs that address the mast cell reactions, degranulation etc., and some discussion of it being treated by a supplement called IBSACOL and short chain fatty acids.