Saturday, August 6, 2011

And The Results Are In…..

This will be more of a “serious” post than what you’re used to reading here at my blog.  If you’ve been following me along for the past 3-ish years, you’ll probably remember me complaining from time to time of feeling “full”, “heavy” or “bloated” after eating certain foods.  Most likely apples, pears, artificial sweeteners or pasta of any kind.  About a year ago I underwent food allergy testing and testing for Celiac Disease, all of which came back negative.  While this was certainly a HUGE relief, it still left me at a loss as to what I was eating to make me feel so uncomfortable (aside from the foods listed above; I’ve been avoiding those for a good year or more).  

A month or so ago I was chatting with a friend at work who had been suffering from the same symptoms as myself.  Through the naturopathic clinic she’s been going to, she learned of a blood test done to test for food sensitivities.    She told me the test could either be done in office or bought and brought home to do.  Needless to say, I was ALL OVER this information!  One phone call and a short drive later, I was in possession of the at home kit.   The test itself was very simple to do; use the lancer provided to prick my finger, fill 5 “circles” on a card with blood making sure to fill each completely, let dry overnight, pack into plastic baggie (also provided) and mail to the lab.  Easy stuff! 

This past week my results were sent back to me.   The “specimen” was tested against the most common types of foods, which are listed by category.    The three columns are listed as LOW, MODERATE and AVOID.  Then the foods are listed by category  This is how it looks:IMG_6198 What you see here is the “dairy” section of my test.  Thankfully none of the foods tested fell into the “AVOID” category, but there were more than what I expected to see under “MODERATE”.  The clinic suggests eliminating the moderate foods for 4-6 months, then slowly introducing them back into my diet determine the foods that my system can’t handle. 
I’ll give you the run down of these foods, listed as highest to lowest in terms of my sensitivities.  Let’s start with the dairy shown above;
-mozzarella
-cheddar
-Swiss
-American cheese
-cottage cheese (just slightly over the “limit”)

Meats
-egg whites
Grains
-gliadin**
-gluten
-barley
-wheat
-malt
-oats
-corn

Shellfish
-clams
-oysters
-shrimp

Nuts
-pecans
-sesame seeds
-walnuts

Fruits
-watermelon
-plum
-pear
-apricot
-avocado
-nectarine
-blueberry
-cranberry
-papaya
-peach
-pineapple
-raspberry

Vegetables
-celery
-kidney beans
-green beans
-beets
-black olives
-broccoli
-onion
-cabbage

-lima bean
-spinach

Misc
-cane sugar
-baker’s yeast
-brewer’s yeast
-honey

**I’m good with all fish**
The one single item I tested highest for was gliadin**.  Gliadin proteins comprise one of the two main protein groups in gluten. Therefore, foods that contain gluten, also contain gliadin proteins.
(Source)
CRAP!  Gluten was the one item I really hoped did NOT show up on the test!  I’ve never been a huge “carb” type of gal, but I didn’t want to have to worry about my favourites….like oats and barley.  But it is what it is and feeling good day in and out is more important to me.  What really bites is that I just stocked up on all my American goodies just over a week ago:IMG_6146 IMG_6143 IMG_6144 IMG_6145 Lots of oats, cereal and honey.  :( 

So what’s the plan?  Ultimately I will be staying away from the recommended foods.   I will not, however, be throwing away what I have in my pantry.  I’ll be giving some to family, and consuming a few of my favourites sporadically until they’re gone.  My (beloved) oats will be replaced with gluten free oats, and I will be upping my quinoa, millet and rice consumption which won’t be difficult at all.   I’m bummed about the fruits and veggies, but most are close to being out of season anyways.  At the end of the day I’m looking forward to feeling 100% consistently.   When I get to that point I’ll know it was all worth it!

Have you heard of or even had this type of testing done?  Any feelings positive or negative surrounding the topic?    I look forward to hearing your thoughts, experiences, suggestions, etc.

Thanks for reading!  I know this post wasn’t typical for me and lengthy to boot, but the blogging community has such a wealth of experiences and information; I just had to share!  :)
Bye for now!!

11 comments:

  1. I'm not an expert obviously, but I had the same test done. The foods that showed up as "moderate" were the ones that I was eating really frequently; the ones that were low or didn't show up were foods that I never ate or ate rarely. If you remove the "moderate" foods for about a month or so, then try them again, they most likely won't bother you (since they were never in the "avoid" category). Just my personal experience :)

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  2. I have never heard of this test- kind of cool! Bummer about the results , but hopefully this will help with your tummy issues!!

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  3. As you know I'm allergic to everything & their dog. ;) If you wanna chat about food allergies feel free to email me or give me a call. My food issues are true allergies, (hives, eczema, rashes, breathing issues, etc...) but even food sensitivities can make your life hell. I can't even handle oats, quinoa, or rice. So I'm completely grain free... just be sure to try one at a time (one a week is ideal so you can keep track of symptoms) & see how you do so you can gauge the reaction of your body properly. Are you going to do an elimination diet or just go by the results? Good luck, Krista! I know how you feel & it's gonna be tough for a while, but it does get easier in time. Hugs!!

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  4. Without knowing a lot about the test, I do question how valid it really is. I know many naturopathic practitioners are really into doing elimination diets and slowly adding things back in, but that often times will tell you you are sensitive to many things that you really don't need to be avoiding. I question mostly the parts about the fruits and vegetables. But again, I don't know enough about it, and I don't truly know how your symptoms make you feel. If going on some sort of elimination diet is something you think you can do, then go for it. But I would definitely try adding those foods back to see if they truly are causing your problems, so you can pinpoint which exact ones they might be. To eliminate all of those fruits, veggies, and other healthy whole foods for no reason would be a shame.

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  5. I hope the changes in your diet will have you feeling 100% again. It's a pretty long list! I have never been tested for food allergies, but I do avoid certain foods that I know don't make me feel good. I often wonder if there are more I should avoid...

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  6. Ah, I hope that you're able to change your diet without having to completely avoid some of the wonderful foods you love! It seems like everyone is discovering all these allergies to their diets lately...I know cutting out all milk products, including caisin, has been hard and saddens me because I miss my super sharp cheddar cheese. Best of luck though, I'm sure you'll be fine and feeling 100% soon!

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  7. That's a really interesting test! It makes you think how many people are eating stuff that may be harmful to their bodies and not even know it. Dang, I'd really like to find out, too!

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  8. I think I need to get blood work done because I am finding certain foods make my tummy hurt! You should have waited 'til after you ate your new snacks to get the test :). I'm sure the kiddos will gobble them up for you though.

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  9. Such an interesting post, Krista! I would love to have this test done. Feeling 100% all the time would definitely be worth giving up certain foods!

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  10. If you don't mind me asking, how much did the test cause? I am looking into having one done in but the results are sent to a lab in Alberta (I'm in Ottawa) and I'm wondering if your results were from the same lab.

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  11. Oops that should have said "cost" not cause!!

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