I can not even tell you how many times I have altered my diet since I became sick, because I lost count. Everybody has a different theory on why what I'm eating is the root of my issues. My mother swears that Candida is the cause, a visit with a different naturopath has had me gluten-free for the last 2 years, I didn't eat dairy at all during my teens because I self-diagnosed lactose intolerance, a recent blood test identified eggs and yeast as big allergens for me.... The list goes on even past this.
Since I've recently decided that I am GOING to get better now, that means trusting the doctor I'm working with. (If you had been told by doctors as many times as I have that they don't know what's wrong with you and that the only answer is to take a bunch of medicine that makes you feel like you're just barely suppressing a severe allergy attack at all times, you'd have trust issues too.) So I started my treatment by embarking on a 10-day cleanse, followed by a strict regimen of avoiding all foods known to be common allergens.
An aside: I'm going to take a moment to have a little self-righteous soap-box moment. The cleanse I just finished, and that I have done before in previous years, is prescribed by a doctor. It includes taking a fixed amount of medical-grade allergen-free protein powder. There is a several day period in which more and more foods are eliminated, so the body isn't shocked when all you're eating is broccoli and pears. I can not support cleanses like the Master Cleanse, or the Cranberry Juice Cleanse. I am not a doctor, but long periods of time ingesting nothing but sugar just does not strike me as scientifically sound.
Ok, sorry, had to get that out. So, the point of bringing up this cleanse is that it worked really well. I have dealt with bloating and constipation since all these health issues started, and in the course of just 10 days, those symptoms were pretty much alleviated. My friends also noticed that my face looked thinner, which I think must have been visible inflammation. I highly recommend talking to your doctor about trying a cleanse like this. The best part, besides feeling better, was that when I started reintroducing foods, instead of just feeling a constant level of discomfort, my responses to foods had become much more acute. Which means I'm one step closer to figuring out which foods make me sick in the first place.
Unfortunately, its hard to say exactly how long it takes for foods to affect me. (I wasn't kidding, this detective business is exhausting.) I was trying really hard to only introduce one food at a time, but after a while that proved to be ridiculous. (I'm in school full time, work, and bike everywhere. I'm hungry.) I did glean a bit of information though, which is that apparently I have a significant reaction to apples and almonds.
The apples, I discovered, grow yeast on their peels, which I am allergic to. I began by peeling apples, and pears too, but it seems the apples still affect me negatively. So, one food down, who even knows how many to go?
I started thinking about apples and what might component besides the yeast might make me allergic to them. Then I remembered that they had been listed on a chart I dug up out of the internet once, about salicylic acid intolerance. Aspirin is a big fat dose of salicylic acid, and if you have Samters, you know how well that affects you! Here's the list:
http://salicylatesensitivity.com/about/food-guide/
The idea that I've seen floating about (on other people's blogs, on some allergy clinic websites from New Zealand, and in ONE peer-reviewed article I managed to find,) was that if you have a bad reaction to aspirin, it would follow that you would have a bad reaction to the salicylic acid found naturally in a lot of foods. (I mean A LOT of foods.)
Thinking I had found the holy grail of my health issues, I emailed all the research I had found to my doctor. He said, unfortunately, that he doesn't actually think this is the issue. I, of course, proceeded to feel disheartened for the rest of the day.
HOWEVER. I know that there isn't a whole lot of research pertaining to how the salicylic acid in food affect those with sensitivity, but then there isn't a whole lot of research on Samter's in general. After the cleanse I spent a few weeks eating whatever I wanted besides the common allergens, (SEE BELOW) and ya know what? I feel like crap again. So, I'm going to continue working with my doctor, and take everything he prescribes for allergies and asthma, but I'm also going to stop eating anything with high salicylic acid content. Because being sick for 15 years will inspire you to try just about anything.
I'll let you know how it goes.
COMMON ALLERGENS (A list for those of you trying to quell inflammation)
Dairy
Eggs
Red Meat
Sugar (Any, in any form. Agave, honey, etc.)
Oranges (i know, right?)
Gluten
Peanuts
Corn
Yes, this list sucks. Yes, avoiding these foods is worth it.
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