• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Food intolerance by a vet

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Marcia - thanks again, I just left a comment in the lounge. I have heard many say now that animal protein is important. I will probably continue with it as I am worried that it is vital for healing from infections and I have been feeling cold. Trial and error. Yes it took me a while to work out that I had to stop all grains although I could eat corn - I guess that won't last long and I will have an allergy to that too. At present I am enjoying my huge salads and not wanting much more but boredom will kick in soon I know. Did you hear that blended smoothies loose their anti-oxidants while they are blending?
 

Sunday

Senior Member
Messages
733
I find it fascinating that vets can talk about things people-doctors can't. I'm learning so much about where to find information by reading this site!

My take on raw food diets: for seven years I worked in a local health food store. Our area includes a lot of people who eat a raw diet. As I worked behind the counter, I did see some people who made the switch become glowingly healthy. I saw a lot more of them become pale and wan and pasty. I do think there is good reason behind raw diets; they include the vital enzymes so many processed foods lack. But I also believe that very few people do well on a totally raw diet indefinitely. Maybe they are mostly better for cleansing, or for the summer season? People have been cooking on fires for a long time, especially in cold climates.

Btw, some people make very nice confections out of nut butters (esp. sesame) with coconut, dried fruit, nuts, and other such things rolled in. I'm not sure if those things are on your approved list, but maybe it will give you an idea for something else. There are also sites online with good raw-food ideas, you might try googling "gluten free" or "raw food" and see what you get.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Thanks Sunday.

From what I can gather, there are a number of ways to do the raw diet and some of them not so healthy. It is easy to be taking in too many calories as fat - when you think of nuts and seeds and avocados, you can see that, so you have to be careful that you get the balance of things right. I agree with you that it is very good for cleansing but in the long term some folk start to look ill and far too thin. Not everyone does it for health. It is advised by some to have a nutritional status blood test done now and again and to think about B12.

I think that it is important not to get obssessive but to aim at around 85% raw in the transition period and to do a lot of reading and to listen to ones own body before the advice of others. I am experimenting with meat in case I need to continue with a small amout every other day monitoring my reaction. And also concentrating on probiotics in the form of food ie fermented which some say is much better than using supplements. I had a shock yesterday when the miso I have been using for this reason actually contains gluten - something I thought I had given up three months ago!

I read recently that some just cannot digest the high fibres properly so I suppoe that it is best for them which might include me to take it more slowly till the gut heals.

I think its all about experimenting and taking charge of this onself and not geting stuck in a rut following one guru when one's body might not fit into that way.
 

Sunday

Senior Member
Messages
733
Yes, I so agree, it's really important to listen first to what our bodies say, and not try to fit them into someone else's theory. I find that over time I take a piece of info from here and a little patch from there and kind of quilt myself a method. And as you say, it's good to keep experimenting. Things change.
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
Paleo diet, raw foods, etc

Xchocoholic and others have mentioned the Paleo diet and that it was recommended by one of the reputable physicians treating ME/CFS patients.

So.... I got the book from the library. God bless libraries by the way....

Yesterday started to read the book during my infusion and it was making so much sense to me. But let me give you a little background here...often that happens when I read these self-help books, I delve into the theories and get all excited, only to re-address the theories later and throw them out. But of course that is the author's goal, to lure the reader in.

But, I have already experienced that gluten is deadly for me, and now I am suspecting that other grains really wear me down...sometimes its lights out for 1/2 hour....

Also, I have noticed that if my breakfast contains protein, the day is off to a better start.

So, the Paleo diet might be right up my alley.

If I did not already know these things, if I had not had a horrendous time until the celiac disease was discovered.....and I started to read this book recommending eliminating all these grains, wow, the book would end up in my pond.

Spagetti is still a treat for me, made with rice noodles, I love that, it represents comfort food, and on the nights I am too tired to chew, the noodles with our home made sauce just simply slides down my throat and nourishes me. (Boy I would hate to think it really is doing me in.) And it is a fast and easy supper, we make a huge batch of sauce and freeze it in individual portions. So when neither one of us wants to cook, (and this is why we have it often), out comes the sauce, boil noodles, we are done.

June

Since the flood, getting places has been difficult, the library still so, but at least we can get there. When you cannot reach your haunts.... when you simply cannot get there, it is time for pause to reflect how lucky you are to have these things in the first place.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Hi June

God bless libraries indeed! It is something I have to do without at present but thank God for the internet!

I was dismayed to find that along with gluten I had to give up rice and corn. I do miss noodles but am looking for buckwheat ones. Its a good idea to have ready meals in the freezer. I used to cook a joint of meat, make gravy and then freeze portions so that all I had to do was make some veggies. But now I am allergic to potatoes as well :(. And of course I have raw! But I am much much better without grains.
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Spagetti squash is a great alternative for rice noodles ... I've been eating acorn squash lately too. I like it steamed with nothing on it ...

BTW. Raw and Paleo are different. I wouldn't say I followed Cordain's diet exactly. I eat fatty meats like beef and I used oils all the time ... I just feel better if I keep fats in my diet.

I would never have gotten into watching my diet like this if I hadn't figured out how foods, esp gluten, were affecting me. And then I figured out that I had chronic hypoglycemia and read that the Paleo / healthy meats, fruits and veggies was proven to help regulate blood glucose levels ... I like my food now that I've found a few recipes I liked ... BTW. Googling recipes paleo will give you some good recipes ...

tc ... marcia
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
Paleo eating, useful ideas

Spagetti squash is a great alternative for rice noodles ... I've been eating acorn squash lately too. I like it steamed with nothing on it ...

BTW. Raw and Paleo are different. I wouldn't say I followed Cordain's diet exactly. I eat fatty meats like beef and I used oils all the time ... I just feel better if I keep fats in my diet.


tc ... marcia

Marcia... I think I have tried spagetti squash before, maybe out... in our out-to-eat-days... But I don't know much about it? How do you choose a good squash?

Confusing I know when I put Paleo and raw together here.... I included the raw because another poster in this thread is eating raw and there were discussions about eating raw.

I am trying to put a title to all my posts and put words in the title so I can FIND a post easier. When I go into my profile, then posts, if I don't title my individual posts, all the posts have the same name as the thread. So my list will have 4, 5, 6 posts all with the same name. I am just starting this....

Now have I completely confused you???? I know what I am trying to say. :confused:

ADDENDUM: Well, I went to my post list and found my titles did not show up, just the original thread, so I guess the only person I confused was myself!!!

June
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
Brenda, Paleo, raw and corn

Hi June


I was dismayed to find that along with gluten I had to give up rice and corn. I do miss noodles but am looking for buckwheat ones. Its a good idea to have ready meals in the freezer. I used to cook a joint of meat, make gravy and then freeze portions so that all I had to do was make some veggies. But now I am allergic to potatoes as well :(. And of course I have raw! But I am much much better without grains.

Brenda my allergy testing 25? years ago showed I had allergies to yeast, wheat, corn, soy. So I did give up those foods. Gluten oddly enough did not show a reaction. With allergies, I was given permission to "cheat" if I wanted to pay the consequences. I agree, wheat and corn were hard, I love those foods, love corn on the cob. Then of course the hidden wheat and corn in so many products made eating/cooking/shopping time consuming. Occasionally I would cheat thinking the results were short-lived, a day or two.

Then the gluten symptoms raged, and I learned the gluten was damaging my intestines.

Thinking ahead and being prepared is the best approach.... hummmm thinking ahead, hummmm, just plain thinking..... hopefully, this process will improve with fewer grains in my diet.

June

Maybe it was 30 years ago now, at that time became an avid food label reader, my son had food allergies too, now he eats everything. My diet, though, seems to more restricted.
 

Sunday

Senior Member
Messages
733
Just a note about buckwheat noodles (soba): at least in the U.S., I've found that a lot of soba actually does have some wheat flour in it (probably to make it hold together better). Some of the kinds were imported from Japan, so it's not exclusively a US phenomenon. You might want to check the label.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
Yes I discovered yesterday that two brands of buckwheat noodles had wheat in. Hmmm. At least I found a pancake mix with chestnut and buckwheat flour to have a treat. It was yummy with maple syrup. Back to raw today.
 

IntuneJune

Senior Member
Messages
562
Location
NorthEastern USA
I am following the guidelines in the Paleo Diet and buckwheat is excluded from the approved foods. :Retro mad:

Well, I am slowly changing over to the Paleo Diet. :confused:

OK, I am trying to slowly change over. :ashamed:

June :eek:
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
More from Dogtorj aka John Symes ... This is a recording of an interview with Doc Osborne from http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/

This is a GREAT interview !!! Part 2 is available too ...

June 23, 2010
Should Your Pet Be on a Gluten Free Diet?
Do you or your pets have a neurological disease (seizure or epilepsy)?

Dr. Osborne interviews Dr. Symes (Dogtor J) on gluten, the GARD diet, pets, and people…Part 1 of 9

http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/should-your-pet-be-on-a-gluten-free-diet/

And I found this today too. Not sure if it's been posted here or not ...


Gluten vs. Glutamate vs…

http://dogtorj.com/?page_id=3631

Gluten vs. Glutamate (glutamic acid) vs. Glutamine
by DogtorJ
DogtorJ.com 2010

Hi Everyone,
I get this question regularly. It looks like Bernard and Robin have answered it but I thought I would throw in my 200 cents worth. :)

As Bernard posted, glutamic acid is an amino acid as is it neurologically inactive sibling, glutamine. Glutamic acid is found in most foods but very abundantly in gluten grains (wheat, barley, rye), soy/legumes/peanuts, dairy products, nuts, seeds, meats and the gluten-grain substitutes (quinoa, amaranth, tapioca as well as the non-gluten grains millet, flax and sorghum).

Glutamate is converted to glutamine by cells lining the intestinal tract, which in turn is used by the villi to maintain their health and integrity. This conversion is also made by the liver and kidneys, which is fortuitous because many of the foods rich in glutamic acid – namely gluten grains, casein (from dairy), and soy – are also three of the four foods that damage the villi and their ability to make this conversion.

Corn is the fourth food, which is not unusually high in glutamic acid but IS an inducer of villous atrophy of the small intestine and IS neurotoxic, the latter being one of the hot topics in the autism community right now. Corn gluten meal is a “natural herbicide” (kills other plants!) and a major generator of fat, which is formed to store TOXINS as well as excessive calories.


Glutamic acid is the principal neurotransmitter as posted above. MSG (monosodium glutamate), whose parent protein is glutamic acid, is used as a flavor enhancer due to it neurostimulating effect on the taste buds. When it reaches the brain, it induces migraines, seizures, the “MSG rush”, and lowers the pain threshold (e.g. people with fibromyalgia or other chronic pain syndromes).


The “revelation” is that the food sources of glutamic acid can do the very same thing. they simply take longer to reach the brain. It takes a half hour or less for MSG to reach the brain but it takes 4-6 hours for “bound glutamate in food” to get there. This the CLASSIC meal-to-seizure interval in un-medicated individuals. This is paralleled by the “insomniac” who wakes up like a shot at 1-2 AM, 4-6 hours after dinner/dessert.


Gluten is approximately 25% glutamic acid by weight and casein is 20% glutamate by chemical structure. Soy is richer than both and almost as rich as their sum. They used to make MSG from soy and from kelp. These are the worst foods because they not only contain high levels of glutamate but also induce villous atrophy, causing malabsorption of essential nutrients and reduced conversion of glutamate to glutamine. Their lectins are also incredibly inflammatory to neurons just as they are to joints, kidneys, the liver, skin and every other tissue of the sensitized individual.


People ask me about meats and the answer is “Meats don’t do all of the other harm so they only need to be limited in the worst of the worst cases whose neurons are seriously compromised by the previous ill effects of the “big 4″ – gluten, casein, soy and corn. This is also true of nuts, seeds, and the gluten grain substitutes. I had a case recently of a woman who did quite well on The GARD (diet) but did not completely stop seizing until she gave up her cashew fetish. She will be able to go back tom eating them in the future once her neurons return to normal.


It is “interesting” that some of the new anticonvulsants work by blocking glutamate. This should not be a surprise. The glial cells that control the level of glutamate at the synapse are the targets of numerous pleomorphic bacteria and viruses, some of the latter being embedded in the very DNA. Yes, idiopathic epilepsy runs very consistently though certain breeds of dogs and is one of the myriad of genetic viruses in their DNA (side-by-side with all of the cancer-producing ones). The field of epigenetics is a fascinating one.


The GARD – The Glutamate & Aspartate Restricted Diet – continues to halt seizures in dogs and people as well as help treat a myriad of neurological disorders when applied properly. The latter is the key. Some individuals require an extreme degree of vigilance. Think “peanut allergy” when attempting to grasp the sensitivity that some develop to these lectins. I just wrote a piece on “secondary food intolerance”, which is the term I use to describe the lectins of the “big 4″ we acquire when we eat the meat of animals consuming them (especially wheat, soy and corn). This is not covering my derriere…this is now proven fact.


There are many factors in the development of this “syndrome” we call epilepsy. One component is clearly a genetic virus. There are other acquired viruses and pleomorphic bacteria that can be involved along with food lectins, malabsorption/malnutrition, free radicals from chemicals/pollutants, vaccines, seasonal variants, fluorescent lights/computer graphics/etc. and more. But when we identify these things and remove them, we can undermine the syndrome and miracles can happen. I no longer put any limitations on what this body can do, only what WE can do for our body.

I hope this helps,
John (Dogtor J)