You are hereTough as Nails but Sensitive to Gluten?
Tough as Nails but Sensitive to Gluten?
Think you know which foods are big no-nos? Full-blown allergies are discovered early on and will most likely get you a trip to the ER but what about foods that don't stop you in your tracks? Mild food allergies and sensitivities are easily masked or often have delayed responses that don't surface for hours to even days later. Food allergies that go unnoticed can trigger chronic inflammatory responses in the body.
Signs to watch out for:
Abdominal bloating or cramps, headaches, gas, diarrhea or constipation, chronic fatigue, unexplained weight loss, congestion, and runny nose are all common reactions to provocative foods. Remember, symptoms will vary tremendously so don't overlook subtle signs.
Common problem foods:
The most common substances to which people are most sensitive are wheat and other gluten-containing grains (oats, barley, rye, spelt, kamut), eggs, corn, citrus, dairy products, shellfish, tomatoes and other nightshades (peppers, potatoes, eggplant), peanuts, yeast and soy.
How to check for allergies and sensitivities:
Make a list of foods that you think you may be allergic to, or reacting to. Remove all of these foods from your diet for at least 2 weeks. Be sure to read labels so you don't ingest any hidden sources of the eliminated foods.
On day 15, eat one of the eliminated foods first thing in the morning, alone without anything else. For the next few hours pay close attention to how you feel. Did you become bloated, get a headache, or experience other symptoms that you didn't have the previous 2 weeks? Record your responses. If no symptoms ensue, then you're probably good to go. For the next few weeks, alternate between suspected foods and safe foods (introduce a new food every 5-7 days). If you felt better when not eating the eliminated food and had symptoms when you reintroduced the eliminated food then you can presume that you have a mild food allergy.
Share experiences of identifying and eliminating problem foods to comments.
I'm skeptical that an at-home diagnosis tool for food allergies is a good way to go. Many of the "signs to watch out for" could be due to countless other issues. I'd hate to have people walking around with self-diagnosed food allergies if none exist! Is there any other way to determine if one has a food allergy?
I agree with Nicole, and think it warrants attention, especially when I think of the trend of food intolerance in dieting circles.
Sure, there are other tests. There are both skin and blood tests that you can get from you health care provider. However, the elimination diet as it is called, is the cheapest, least invasive, and in my opinion, most reliable of these tests.
CASHEWS!!!! Never, ever again!
I'm having a hard time understanding how data that is so subjective can be deemed reliable! In my opinion, any of the symptoms listed above could be due to any number of things--psycho-social,hormonal, environmental, the list goes on...
I would advocate, for anyone interested in knowing if they have food allergies, to determine the difference between psycho-somatic allergies and immunological allergies. The immunological allergy may actually be related to the bodies reaction to chemicals and substances. The psycho-somatic allergy is likely related to thoughts and feelings. The plan for dealing with either of these possibilites would be very different.
Food, to me is one of the joys of life, so I would like to know without a shadow of a doubt if a particular category of food is ACTUALLY responsible for how I feel before I eliminate it from my diet.
Sorry to beat a dead horse Connie, I have particular sensitivity to the demonizing of food in any form.
Signed,
Nicole-please don't take it away from me-Okumu
Any second now TomC is going to post something about causality vs correlation.
Using this "see if you get sick method" has correlated swollen face, sever rash, vomitting, and not being able to breath with eating cashews for Candace. However, it can be argued that the real cause of this sickness was Lydia poisoning Candace. More data must be collected.
Still trying to figure out what "gluten" is, and why so many people are averse to consuming it.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and a few other grains. I believe it has a role in making wheat dough more elastic when you knead it, but don't quote me on that. Some folks are allergic to gluten and there are some conditions such as Celiac Disease that result in a rather nasty immune response to it. Robb Wolf, erstwhile CrossFit nutrition expert who I believe suffers from Celiac, is not a fan of gluten and feels that many, if not all, people would do best to avoid it. I, however, like to isolate gluten and inject it directly into my veins or inhale lines of it. Actually, I don't do either of those.
I think that it is important to remember that if you focus hard enough on how you feel, you may notice that something is bothering you. You may have some aches or pains, or feel tired, etc... Focusing on food as the culprit in these issues may or may not be the answer. Do you sleep enough? Do you eat enough? Did you get drunk while on a trip in Mexico and then feel weird (not mentioning any names)? Are Cheetos a significant source of your calories? Is your back squat strong enough yet? I would try and solve the big things first before turning my attention to particular foods. With that said, food allergies can be awfully nasty in certain cases.
Lastly, I have been favorably impressed by the latest Slayer album.
http://games2010.crossfit.com/affiliatecup/affiliate-cup-registration-is...
It's time
I don't think Connie is demonizing food, necessarily. Some people do have allergic reactions to things. For example, I just discovered that I am allergic to sleeves. I'll be going 100% tank-top from now on.
I digress. Wait, I will digress again. I have personally seen TomC mainline gluten.
What's the big deal about abstaining from certain foods to see if it makes you feel better? How much simpler can it get than that?
Don't we tell people new to crossfit; "try it for one month and see how you feel?"
JP, we spend one magical weekend together and you start telling everyone that my gluten habit isn't just a farce. For shame.
> What's the big deal about abstaining from certain foods to see if it makes you feel better?
A good point.
My drinking binge in Cancun was a perfectly legitimate scientific experiment
I think I became sensitive to sleeves since coming to CFO; they get in the way, make me sweaty, and I don't believe in deodorant. Nope. Tanks year-round.
ok this is long, I guess b/c any writing is better than the assigned writing im supposed to be doing...
While i totally agree with Nicole- that food is so super fabulous and self diagnosis can be deeply influenced by psycho-social & etc. , I had an experience where the elimination diet helped me. It was a bit different from what Connie outlines here however, perhaps critically, in that I did not go into the experiment with a jaded suspicion of any particular food. Or really much food knowledge at all.
When I first moved to SF I worked the breakfast shift at a café. My shift meal was eggs and all the lattes I could drink. As I liked to spend all my money on booze at the time, I did my best to fill up on food before leaving for the day. This meant a lot of milk, eggs and hot sauce. I also seemed to have a perennial low grade illness, sniffles & cough, and general lower than usual energy. At first I figured that the viruses on the west coast were just different from the east coast (including the one that made people smell like patchouli and think wearing dirty clothes was cool). But after a while I was sick of being sick. I did not have health insurance, so on the advice of a friend who worked for an acupuncturist I tried the elimination diet. 3 days of fasting, with just maple syrup & water to drink, and then 2 weeks of only plain white rice, salt, steamed broccoli (which may just have been the only veg I knew about at the time) and of course beer – because at some times in life you just can’t give up beer.
After two weeks I started reintroducing foods. My results: eggs-almost immediate vomit. Burritos- fine, bourbon-same results as with past use, Milk- ugg, not pretty. So I steered clear of eggs and milk for a while, and, keeping all other things relatively constant, I did get healthier. Currently I don’t worry about eggs in the cookies and cakes I eat, but I pass on omelets and forgo lattes for the occasional cap. Allergic to eggs and milk- no, not really. But sensitive- yes.
You might argue my “sensitivity” was simply a result of excessive consumption, but I definitely feel I learned something from this version of this experiment. Fact is as a child i always hated eggs and milk- perhaps that was a youthful way of realizing a food sensitivity.
I don’t think this type of thing has to be about demonizing food, or even allowing food to control you, as long as you head into it with the right mind frame. If you can afford it, this type of project would probably best be done with the assistance of a nutritionist or a naturopath who can help you discern the differences between bona fide food reactions and other environmental factors.
ummm cookies...
//s
Sometimes you just gotta remember how lucky we are to be so particular about what and when we eat. people often ask me "what do you do? do you zone? paleo?" well, the truth is, i eat when im hungry,which is often, and i dont eat junk. i stay away from wheat because it feels like it makes me sleepy and makes a big lump in my stomach. dont know if im allergic or not. the closest i ever got to any type of 'diet' (im not one for measuring my food and regualting my eating) is the 'blood type diet' (http://www.dadamo.com/) which is kind of like paleo, but more specific based on your particular blood type. If you want to try to see what foods you have an intolerance for,and what foods are beneficial to you, find out your blood type, and read the book 'Eat Right 4 Your Type' by Dr. Peter J. A'Damo. Go on the diet for your type - -strict for 3 weeks. If you are type O, which most people are, you need to eat lots of read meat, avoid grains, especially wheat, and get lots of strenuos physical excercise. Crossfit is good for us type O's.
I just discovered I am NOT allergic to cheeseburgers!
Yippee!
Back when I was in college I listened to a lot of Type O Negative. After giving blood, they sent me a little card with my blood type listed on it. Upon discovering that I was not O-, I was quite disappointed.
I suffer from wicked allergies, always congested, always blowing snot off the CFO ramp. Pretty nasty. Different prescriptions for it help. Plus I often have gas.
Since 1st of Dec I've only had 4 beers. I know, hard to believe. And my allergies haven't been as bad. I think I might be allergic to beer!!! But I still have gas.
Not sure what to do.
Stacy might be my new favorite person.
God damn right.
JP, I read it and my head exploded.
brad- try it instead of beer.