What the heck to eat???!

[alice111]

So I am feeling a little overwhelmed but all the different food intolerances, digestive problems, and now on top of that possible intolerances like histamines, sulfur, etc etc etc

I am already underweight, and really can't afford to lose any more.. But I don't know what to eat!

There are some foods I know For sure I cant have because the reactions are immediate and digestive related, but these other things like histamines that could be causing sever anxiety and agitation, I don't know

Is there some kind of super hypoallergenic drink that I can take for a week to just see where things settle and slowly introduce things back in?

Is there some kind of food that will not cause any problems that I can just eat for a few days to eliminate possible foods I am reacting to?

Really needing some help....

 

[CantThink]

A friend of mine can only tolerate Neocate Splash - a hypoallergenic nutritionally complete, amino acid-based liquid formula for individuals one year of age and older. (the company's description)

It's made for children/infants, but my friend is so allergic to everything in terms of food (and meds) that this literally saved her life! She doesn't have M.E. but has Addison's and POTS, amongst other conditions.

 

[South]

My fall-back trusted menu item when my digestion flares up, and when my food reactions are being particularly bad, is this which really seems to nourish me:

Homemade chicken broth (or if people can't have chicken, then using turkey parts, fish parts will work) made from the parts that include cartilage and bone. I get chicken wings, cook in crockpot with water for hours and hours, strain, refrigerate so I can then skim off some of the excess fat. The resulting liquid is nothing like any broth you can buy in a store. The collagen in this liquid soothes the gut as a bonus.

Mixed in to that resulting broth: any starch you do ok with. The starches without this broth aren't as soothing and nourishing as they feel when added to this broth.

This combo has gotten me through some rough times with my digestion. Bear in mine that I don't have ME, but I have been in rough territory with food reactions and digestive issues, and found this very useful.

I'm not well-read on histamines and sulfur intolerances, someone can hopefully chime in on whether this type of broth is ok on these fronts. I think I've heard of people with intolerances to both histamines and sulphurs doing ok on this broth - don't quote me though - and there may be some theory out there about keeping the heat level on the crockpot (or pot on stove) quite low during the cooking process, rather than boiling fast cooking, but I don't remember the reasoning there. I cook mine in crockpot (slow cooker) on a medium heat setting for roughly 5-7 hours.

 

[WillowJ]

There are some suggestions and histamine safe/unsafe foods lists at this site:
http://www.histaminintoleranz.ch/en/therapy_dietarychange.html#lebensmittelliste
It is originally in German but many of the pages are available in English and French.
Of course, some foods may vary by region (or person).

If for some reason you can't have potatoes (I can't, and nightshades are a common allergy/intolerance), keep in mind that sweet potatoes are in a different family.

As far as shakes/something to drink at times when I was unable to take solid food go, I was able to tolerate this:
http://www.iherb.com/NutriBiotic-Organic-Rice-Protein-Vanilla-3-lb-1-36-kg/42882
Without the random gut-destroying maltodextrin and diglycerides and such, it doesn't have a great texture. But it also doesn't irritate my gut, or give me tinnitus or flulike symptoms, etc.
I found it best to buy from there and not random other places like Amazon marketplace sellers (I think it was not as fresh), but I did not yet try Vitacost or other such suppliers used by others here.

Chicken broth is an excellent suggestion but only if you have a way to get it homemade. I have brown rice noodles in mine. If you have or suspect histamine issues, of course you will want to use what you need and immediately freeze the remainder. We put everything into individual portions in my house and use as needed.

Sticky rice is also very soothing to the gut, and as a bonus I can get it with no sprayed-on vitamins (which have synthetic folic acid and i think must be made from soy, which bothers me).

 

[Valentijn]

@alice111 - Digestive enzymes can help a lot in general.

 

[alice111]

My problems are actually not so much digestive, I seem to have gotten this under control with limiting foods I can't tolerate and take digestive enzymes, which is great...
The problem is now I seem to be having severe anxiety, agitation which I am convinced is coming from something I a, eating.. But which I am not sure! This is why I have been looking into sulfur foods, and histamines etc.

The problem is the foods restricted for these, are the only ones I can digest!

 

[jason30]

Look into the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol.
Do you have a leaky gut? If so then repair it to get fewer problems with histamine.
And use HCL betaine by foods which are rich in protein.

Good luck!

 

[maddietod]

Pretend you're a really smart food detective. Keep an exhaustive journal of what you eat and drink, and how you feel. Cut back immediately to the foods you think you tolerate and eat only that for 24 hours and see what changes. Once you've got a platform of safe foods, you can build up one thing at a time.

Since you're underweight, try to eat a lot of some safe starches (e.g. I'm OK with rice, peas, and sweet potato, but not corn or potato). At the beginning, don't worry about a balanced diet (protein-carbs-etc.). You just need to feel safe about what you're eating today and tomorrow...one day at a time. As soon as the anxiety is under control, this will feel easier.

You know to keep it simple, right? No butter on the asparagus unless you're testing dairy.

 

[alice111]

@madietodd thanks! did you find yourself that food was causing anxiety?

 

[alice111]

@WillowJ thanks for the link! i there a list that is in english you know of?

 

[maddietod]

@madietodd thanks! did you find yourself that food was causing anxiety?

No, but anxiety and depression are known food reactions. I get headaches, muscle tension/pain, fatigue, peeing urgency, and most recently - mouth and throat swelling (not anaphylaxis). The reaction depends on the food/drink.

 

[WillowJ]

@WillowJ thanks for the link! i there a list that is in english you know of?

Yes, the page I linked to you has one free one in English, described like this:

It is also on this page.

 

[Elph68]

So I am feeling a little overwhelmed but all the different food intolerances, digestive problems, and now on top of that possible intolerances like histamines, sulfur, etc etc etc

I am already underweight, and really can't afford to lose any more.. But I don't know what to eat!

There are some foods I know For sure I cant have because the reactions are immediate and digestive related, but these other things like histamines that could be causing sever anxiety and agitation, I don't know

Is there some kind of super hypoallergenic drink that I can take for a week to just see where things settle and slowly introduce things back in?

Is there some kind of food that will not cause any problems that I can just eat for a few days to eliminate possible foods I am reacting to?

Really needing some help....

Hi Alice,

Biopsychiatry research has shown that people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks have higher levels of lactic acid surrounding the brain when compared to controls. Stomach bacteria (which is what causes food intolerances) produce 2 types of lactic acid, D-lactate and L-lactate. L-lactate can be broken down and used by the body for energy, D-lactate is very difficult to break down. The link is that gut bacteria that produce D-lactate (and by the way, lactobacillus acidophilus found in yoghurt is a prolific d-lactate producer) are a possibility to be causing your anxiety.

D-lactate is produced from simple sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, gluten etc.) It is possible that you have a Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth of these nasties as you say it happens really quickly. Supplements such as Biffidobacterium, lactobacillus Rhamonusus GG and e-coli will compete for the sugars without producing D-lactate.

When I was telling my mother about this, she said that she remembers her parents taking breadmakers yeast whenever they had an upset stomach, this is a very old remedy .... never tried it myself, but the theory does fit.

Bicarbonate of soda also neutralizes the acid and kills the acid producing bugs. 1 tsp in water 3 times a day.

Magnesium helps to remove the damage (calcification) that excessive lactic acid causes in the organs and soft tissue.

Digestive enzyme supplements may also help as they start to break down the food into more usable components.

Fresh leafy greens, fats and protein ..... hope that helps ....