I mentioned on Friday that I’ve recently had to change up my diet. For the past 4 years, I’ve struggled with tummy troubles which made me feel really nauseous, especially at night. A few times I’ve found myself doubled over in pain and thought Eric was going to have to take me to the hospital. I was never able to pinpoint a particular food that was making me sick. I thought I had issues with dairy, but I now see that it’s what I was eating with the dairy that was making me sick…
I had food sensitivity testing done which showed that I was reactive to lots of foods that I would eat often. Most notably canola oil, gluten grains, and yeast. In fact it’s quite possible that I ate these three foods multiple times a day.
The results showed that I’m reactive to other foods, but the one’s listed below are the foods that I am focusing on because I would include them in my diet frequently. I’ve eliminated the severe and moderate foods from my diet. The mild intolerance foods, should be avoided if eaten frequently or put them on a rotation diet, I’m focusing on not eating them every day, but allowing myself to have most of them every so often.
SEVERE (avoid for 6 months)
- Canola Oil
- Cinnamon
- Lemon
- Romaine Lettuce
MODERATE (avoid for 3 months)
- Baker’s Yeast
- Barley
- Black Beans
- Broccoli
- Quinoa
- Red and Green Leaf Lettuce
- Shrimp
- Spelt
- Strawberry
- Sweet Potato
MILD (avoid if eaten frequently)
- Gluten/Gliadin (Wheat, Malt, Rye)
- Corn
- Egg Yolk
- Mango
- Orange
- Pineapple
- Soybean
- Tomato
- White Potato
It hasn’t been easy to remove canola oil. It’s at every restaurant and in most foods… good luck finding a dressing without canola! Aside from the fact that most ‘processed’ food contains barley/malt, avoiding gluten hasn’t been too hard for me because there are so many gluten-free products on the market. But finding foods that are yeast-free is a challenge. I’m such a fan of yeast-y foods especially pizza, breads, bagels, and doughnuts… but right now I have to switch things up to allow my gut to heal. There is a local bakery, “Deland Bakery”, that has some AWESOME bread that is gluten-free and yeast-free!
Honestly, I was not surprised that broccoli and black beans were on my reactive list. I always feel icky after eating those foods, which is sad because I like them!
After getting the testing, I was overwhelmed with the results and trying to figure out how to make it work. But after the initial shock, I’ve been able to sort through it all. Since I’ve begun this new way of eating, I can really tell how my body is responding to food. If I eat something that I’m reactive to I have symptoms almost immediately and it leaves me feeling bloated for a day or two. For the most part I stick to my plan, but there has been times where I forget about a particular food or have a bite or two of something.
The rashes on the back of my arms (KP) have gone down, with less bumps and less redness. I’m hoping this goes away completely after following the plan for a few months.
Thanks for all your comments and support when I announced I had to make changes to the way I was eating! I appreciate you!!
As for the blog, I’m going to be experimenting with new grains, and it’s likely that you won’t be seeing the ingredients listed above in future recipes. I hope you can understand. If you have any questions about the testing, or interested in getting tested email me at loveandzest@gmail.com.
Do you know if you have any food sensitivities?
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
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I don’t know how I stumbled upon this post, but my hubby and I just had food allergy and sensitivity testing done this year. It has been life-changing. My hubby suffers from Lyme’s Disease and Celiacs, so we don’t do gluten in our home. I was eating it out though and come to find out reacting to it quite poorly. My major allergies besides gluten are to Beef, Lamb, and Dairy (cow, sheep, goat). I miss dairy, especially greek yogurt and a glass of milk when cookies are baked. But avoiding my allergens has made my tummy happy, not to mention cleared up the migraines I would get quite frequently.
I did notice my GI discomfort increased when I began long distance training for marathon events. I’ve done a bit of research on GI troubles/IBS and running, and think there could be a correlation there for me. I would be so curious to do a study on endurance athletes and see if/what GI issues may be exacerbated by intense, prolonged training and events.. Or if the stress of training on the gut makes it more susceptible to IBS/leaky gut/food sensitivities and allergies?
Anyhow, since this is a year old post.. how has you gut responded to changing the diet around? I am curious if after time away from an allergen, it could be re-introduced? Any thoughts?
Hey Caitlin, the food sensitivity test was life changing to me as well. Difficult to adjust to the diet at first but eventually got the hang of it. I continue limit my exposure to my severe allergens especially the ones that I ate on a daily basis when I took this test (i.e. gluten) I have introduced most foods back but continue to limit my exposure to gluten. I do need to get retested to see if I have any additional sensitivities but overall I’m feeling MUCH better than I did last year.
Athletes might be more susceptible to food sensitivities because of inflammation from training.. the inverse is definitely beneficial– eliminate food sensitivities to reduce overall inflammation and prevent injury! I agree, digestion can be a problem if training is too close to meal time and a cause of tummy troubles.
Kristina, that is a lot of information to have to take in all at once. I hope that the adjustment is going well for you.
There are a lot of food allergies and food sensitivities out there. Congratulations for recognizing yours and doing something about them.
I know of a couple of people who dealt with stomach issues as well as being tired and other symptoms that went on for years before discovering their food sensitivities. It seemed like they were tested for everything under the sun before their diet was looked at.
Hopefully this makes a big difference for you. Good luck!
Thank you for your thoughtfulness Elle!
I have KP! I've had it my whole life that I can remember… I guess I never really considered it could be food related??
I started to get KP in college, and now looking back it was in line with when my IBS begun… I'm amazed at how much it has diminished and my smoother skin! (only on one arm now!)
I'm sorry to know that , you are facing a hard challenge! Also, curious where did you do these tests?
I went to a local lab with a test kit (we have these in our office) and they drew the blood and shipped it to the testing laboratory. Results in a couple weeks.
So interesting! I would love to know where/how you got the testing done, it has always been something I've considered doing. I haven't had TERRIBLE pain, but definitely discomfort and I can never narrow it down.
We actually do the testing in our office and can ship a test kit to you! With food sensitivities it can take up to 72 hours for symptoms to appear so it can be really tough to determine what's going on.
Bless your heart! Most of the stuff on those lists are staples in my diet. I wouldn't know where to begin. Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to seeing your new recipes in future posts.
Hearing “bless your heart” makes my heart smile! I miss the South! Thanks Annette!