Food Intolerance Diets / Food Restriction Diets

thehappybutterfly

Hi folks

I hope I can post this here as I'm not looking for medical advice just wondering about these types of diets.

I visited the UK Allergy website out of curiosity. I was just looking to see what the symptoms of wheat intolerance are and came across a Histamine Intolerance link. I take anti-histamines on a daily basis all year round. It used to be the summer months only then autumn crept in (fungus spores apparently) then it was spring and last year, winter came in to it. God knows what I can possibly be allergic to in the dead of winter. Then I saw this Histamine Intolerance information. Maybe that's the problem. The foods on there are foods I eat all the time - chicken, fish, tomatoes esp. canned and tom puree, chocolate, pineapple, strawbs and spinach. Could this possibly be the root of the problem? I live on chicken and tinned toms. They're 2 of the staples in any WW or SW diet!

I've decided to cut these foods out of my diet for the recommended 2-4 weeks and see if there are any improvements to my allergy symptoms. The usual itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose and wheezing. And bizarrely, an itchy neck

Has anyone else tried one of these exclusion diets? I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding them by nutritionists etc. but what's the reality? Has anyone noticed an improvement by cutting out dairy for instance? Or bread and other wheat products?

System

Have you thought that the intolerance is something in your house? For example, house dust mites can be found in the majority of houses all year round thanks to central heating and I have known people who had an allergy to them. The only time that their sysmptoms abated was when they stayed with their grandparents who still relied on a coal fire for heating the whole house.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

A lot of the time, as the previous poster has said, it's the environment that's the problem.


Dustmite droppings.

Mould spores.


Dander from pets.



Both of these are worse in winter, as the windows are shut and there's lower levels of sunlight.



So being vigilant about cleaning can reduce symptoms; boil washing linens, open windows, airing bed every day, vacuuming daily, damp dusting, that kind of thing.




Regarding the elimination diets, they can be dangerous. Another advocate of them could insist that it's dairy products, or wheat, or corn, rapeseed, meat, nightshade vegetables (think everything you eat normally, tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines, that kind of thing), stuff not befitting your blood group, apples, citrus fruit, anything with yeast (including grapes and plums).....

Before you know it, you're starving, feel awful and someone is telling you that you should exclude something else from your diet, go completely raw food/fruitarian, that your symptoms are just evidence of detoxifying................



Having said that, a properly supervised diet based in scientific fact can be helpful. For example, through Rheumatology, I've been told that an RA flare can be halted in an emergency (ie, when no access to treatment) by adopting a strict vegan diet for a fortnight. But that isn't as easy the first time round as it is the tenth.


It won't hurt to try, but you have to know what you are going to eat instead - it's not easy to do on the spur of the moment.

~Chameleon~

I don't have much time for these exclusion diets and food intolerance tests either. Just to prove a point (as part of my nutritional research) I underwent a couple of these tests with different companies and they both contradicted each other giving me a huge long lists of foods I'm apparently allergic or have an intolerance to. Utter nonsense!!

The only thing I ever have a reaction to is lactose and even then it's only mild. Cutting out processed & junk food and learning about the beneficial properties of natural foodstuff is the way to go and will contribute to a much healthier lifestyle, often reducing the need to take medications for certain health conditions e.g. type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol etc

j.e.j.

I honestly wouldn't know where to start when it comes to exclusion diets. A lot of foods don't seem to 'agree' with me, and that does seem to include foods which are high in histamine, like the OP. Marmite, tomato puree, cheddar cheese.. Milk sets my skin off, as does butter. And on it goes. Dermatologists have been dismissive, and short of going on a macrobiotic diet for a month (which doesn't appeal much, I must say..) to see if it makes a difference, I don't really know what to do, so I just plod on!

As some posters have said, limiting foods could become an ever decreasing circle.

It's easier if it's a food allergy, because that can be tested for, but intolerances can be tricky to ascertain, and you also have to beware of quack treatments/diagnoses/remedies!

Edwardia

I would suggest trying organic versions of the foods then if you still get the probs you likely have an allergy. If you don't you could have a prob with the pesticides or additives.

grey_lady

If you think you have an allergy then your GP can refer you to your nearest allergy clinic for tests. But it might not be any one food that your allergic to, it might just be that your highly sensitive to histimines. A specialist allergy doctor could tell you more and prescribe you a slightly stronger anti-histimine.

There is also a clinic (NHS) in london that specialises in desensitizing to allergies.

S-I_am

Happy butterfly - I've just completed the first day of the anti-histamine diet as laid out on the uk allergy website. It has been prescribed by my dermatologists at the hospital. So they obviously believe in its validity.
My problems started off in reaction to a drug reaction, but the burning skin etc has never calmed down, despite being prescribed 4x the normal dose of two different antihistamines. Obviously its too early to tell if the diet is working, but I'm really hoping it does.
Whilst I agree with the other posters that elimination diets are by their v essence restrictive, I don't think 4 wks, in the scheme of things is a hugely long time. In saying that, since most veg is allowed, and most meats I dont think the diet is unhealthy per se. However, it's still taken me ages to get to grips with possible menu ideas, cos everything I thought of contained either soy sauce, tomatoes or cheese :mad: I've eventually come up with 14 main meals, which I shall then repeat.

It's the end of day 1 and I'm already missing the chocolate

All the best, I really hope you find something that works for you.

As with all these things it's always safer to check with your gp.
Sx

Fire_Fox

Exclusion diets are standard practice in dietetics, and are safe providing they are short term and supervised by appropriately qualified medical professionals. The controversy comes with restrictive commercial diets when practiced by amateurs over the longer term, often combined with personal tastes which make the diets even more restrictive.

Many milder allergies - not anaphylaxis - intolerances or sensitivities can be improved with an anti-inflammatory low glycaemic index diet. Asthma, atopic eczema, contact dermatitits, hayfever and IBS can all respond well for example.

Blether

Have some full blown food allergies and also some intolerances. Have been reading a lot about it recently to try and feel better long term. While it is easy to test for allergies such as dust and animal fur it is difficult to check for foodstuffs. Hospital consultant told me by the time you react to the food it has been through the digestive system so is radically altered so any skin tests cannot be accurate. As Fire Fox stated low GI is probably the best for dealing with many problems as it removes many additives from your diet. It encourages the use of home cooked food. It will do you no harm to cut out dairy and gluten for a few weeks to see if you settle down. Many cultures do not eat dairy after weaning and there is a strong link with asthma and excema. Have lost quite a bit a weight by cutting dairy, gluten and sugar out of my diet.

Have been prescribed anti histamines in the past and would rather suffer the symptoms than the side effects. Read Patrick Holford Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs (try your library) and it will open your eyes to the problelms that many drugs cause.

thehappybutterfly

Blether wrote: »

Have some full blown food allergies and also some intolerances. Have been reading a lot about it recently to try and feel better long term. While it is easy to test for allergies such as dust and animal fur it is difficult to check for foodstuffs. Hospital consultant told me by the time you react to the food it has been through the digestive system so is radically altered so any skin tests cannot be accurate. As Fire Fox stated low GI is probably the best for dealing with many problems as it removes many additives from your diet. It encourages the use of home cooked food. It will do you no harm to cut out dairy and gluten for a few weeks to see if you settle down. Many cultures do not eat dairy after weaning and there is a strong link with asthma and excema. Have lost quite a bit a weight by cutting dairy, gluten and sugar out of my diet.

Have been prescribed anti histamines in the past and would rather suffer the symptoms than the side effects. Read Patrick Holford Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs (try your library) and it will open your eyes to the problelms that many drugs cause.

Interesting. What side effects are you referring to?