Attention Lex

[SusieG]

Hi Lex,

I have reading the posts on this website for several months and have decided to post. I have question on diet for you. The food that I eat doesn't agree with me. I think I have a sensitivity to wheat and dairy. I eat too many processed foods and consume to much caffeine and lately it is wreaking havoc on my digestive system. I don't feel good and I am breaking out. Ia m in great shape, but still have problems breathing.


Sorry for babbling, but I really think that what I am putting in my body is affecting how I feel. I do believe that everything in moderation, but I think I am sensitive to certain foods. You seem very knowledgable on the subject and I wonder how you came to experiment with your diet.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Lex411]

Well, I started trying to clean my body out and get on track a little over a year ago. I started seeing this chiro (who is NOT a total scheister like so many who tarnish the profession) who also practices holistic healing, Chinese medicine, etc. I told her about all my own ailments, which you might already know about if you read some of my other posts.

She gave me The Body Ecology book to read, told me to read it once, put it away for a few days, then read it again. Reason being, it's a lot to absorb and can be overwhelming if you try to take it all in at once. So I did. Then I made a grocery list and dove into that program. It was very difficult, required a lot of food planning, shopping and preparing food. But within a few months I was a new woman, completely.

Now, from what you are describing you could either have a Candida imbalance causing a sensitivity to these foods, or you could have just developed food reactions to the things you eat the most of the most often. There's a FABULOUS book by a man I adore, Dr. Elson Haas, called The False Fat Diet. A terrible title for a wonderful book that guides you through why people end up allergic or reactive to certain foods, how that works inside your body and how to give your body a rest while determining exactly who the culprits are for you. He even has plans at 4 different levels, depending on how disciplined you know you can be. It has recipes, too, that look great. I did it for a while when soy, of all things, was bothering me and now I know why, thanks to that book. And after staying away from it for a while, I can eat it again. But there's so much more wonderful info in that book. I highly recommend that one. It's easier to find than the Body Ecology book and takes a different, more user friendly approach to investigating food reactions. I found it at Borders books, it's probably at most stores. He's a medical doctor who also believe wholeheartedly in holisitic healing through nutrition, which I think is terrific. I wish more doctors did. They're too quick to whip out the prescription pads, you know?

I hope that at least begins to answer your question. I hate to sound like a book-seller, but there's so much to know about this stuff I could hardly get into it all on here. And it's better to get the info firsthand anyway. The BED book is for someone who knows or suspects they have a Candida imbalance. You can even check out the website at "www.bodyecologydiet.com" and take a little test they have to see if you think you might. I do know most Whole Foods grocers or health food stores that carry books have this in stock, but ordering online or looking at regular stores is usually a bust.

The False Fat Diet is specifically about how eating the same foods too often for too long can lead to allergies and reactions. It's a temporary program that's much easier to do that's really great for knowing your body and learning what you can and can't eat. But don't fret if you find your favorites are the culprits. After giving your body time off and eating new things, you might and probably will be able to go back to them. Variety is the key.

Feel free to email me too if you'd like. I'll keep checking here too.

Take care!

 

[kristina]

Food allergies

Susie, I know you didn't ask for my input but I did want to supplement Lex. Hope you don't mind.
I have been under successful treatment for severe food allergies and a Candida imbalance like Lex for 6 years now. Of all the books she suggested, I think the False Fat diet is the best because it is explanatory as well as giving a VARIETY of ideas for tackling the problem.
In a nutshell, though, if you don't get the book, detox diets consist of cutting out all the foods you eat ALOT and limiting yourself to just a few staples (fresh meat & poultry, vegies, fruit). In your case, you would also completely cut out the wheat and dairy.
You have to be totally committed the first 2-3 weeks. Then you start rotating back in foods one at time and log your reactions in a diary. Watch for: elevated heart rate, bloating, bowel reactions, headache, lethargy, and obvious skin reactions.
It is very hard to do and it will take total committment, but it is SO worth it I can't even tell you. You will feel worse before you feel better so don't be discourage. If your insurance plan covers it, getting testing for foods by an allergist is EXTREMELY helpful.
Just remember that anything you eat all the time is probably going to be one of your problems. Eventually you may be able to rotate some of your favorites back in, but you have to avoid stacking up problem foods day after day. I have some good cook book refereces for the Candida thing if you need them. Good luck!

 

[SusieG]

RE: Food allergies

I just wanted to let you guys know that I picked up the False Fat Diet at the library & have a a few question about giving up wheat. He mentions in the book that oats and rye have gluten. If you are sensitive to wheat, does mean that you are wheat sensitive or gluten sensitive? Wheat is in everything and I thought I would be safe and have oatmeal instead of cereal.

Can anyone recommend a good fortified cereal that is wheat free?

 

[Lex411]

RE: Food allergies

some people are only allergic to the gluten in wheat, others are allergic to the grain in general. I fall into the latter catefory, but you don't have to give up cereal. I buy oat bran flakes that are wheat free and really yummy, topped with rice milk of course, and amaranth flakes taste just like Wheaties but very few people seem to react to amaranth. you can also find pastas made from things like amaranth, millet and quinoa, at places like Whole Foods.

Keep in mind that if your problem stems from a Candida imbalance, not simply food reactions and food allergies, eating any sugars, including fruit, will just keep you sick. For a Candida imbalance, for which food allergies are a symptom rather than the culprit themselves, you need to be really aggressive and starve off the bad parasites by denying them what they eat...sugars. Meaning you have to food combine and eat only good, nonstarchy veggies and high-quality proteins. The False Fat ideas are wonderful and a terrific start. But if you find you aren't getting the end results you'd hoped for after you do the program, do check out the Body Ecology Diet, or even just their website (www.bodyecologydiet.com)

Just keep an open mind, a strong will and you'll do well. The False Fat book was written by a man I respect tremendously. He also wrote a MAMMOTH book called Staying Healthy With Nutrition, which has become my bible. He offers you several different tiers or levels for doing his program so you can pick what you know you can realistically stick to, but don't sell yourself short, either. Don't take the easiest plan just to be lazy. If you know you can stick with one of the harder more thorough plans, by all means suck it up and do it. I promise it will be worth it. Even if you find at the end that your problem is Candida, your body will still be way closer to recovery after his plan. But food reactions and allergies do seem to be a bit more common than Candida, so it might be just the trick for you.

If I can offer another book, a cheap paperback that I carry with me in my purse wherever I go, pick up a copy of Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. The principles of food combining and knowing how and when to eat things like fruit can really completely change your digestion and energy levels. I am living proof! I plan to give this book as a stocking stuffer or extra bday gift to everyone I care about.