As stated in my last post there are blood, saliva, and urine tests you can do to determine which foods you need to avoid. I don’t recommend getting tested until you have gone gluten free and/or have done an elimination diet and are still experiencing symptoms.
Besides Cyrex Labs, the tests can be expensive and often times unreliable. Plus, if you are already avoiding certain foods or don’t have them in your diet regularly, chances are antibodies for those foods won’t show up on the test. Really the best and cheapest thing to do is to go gluten free or try an elimination diet.
If you’ve been searching the internet to find answers to your allergies or digestive issue or have taken the time to read all the articles in my gluten intolerance series, then maybe it’s time to try the elimination diet.
The elimination diet is not a weight loss diet nor is it a long term diet. It is a short term diet to help expose foods that are potentially causing you a problem. Elimination diets remove all foods that people commonly have reactions to. Most common allergenic foods are gluten (surprise), eggs, soy, dairy, corn, beef, pork, chicken, beans, citrus, coffee, nuts, and nightshade vegetables. After 3-4 weeks of being on an elimination diet you then add these foods back in one at a time and observe your response. The elimination diet will help you determine if you need to live gluten free and possibly dairy or soy free as well.
Most of the time people feel better after only a few days on an elimination diet but keep in mind you may very well feel worse. If you get nauseous, headaches, sweats, irritable, and fatigued don’t be surprised if you have an addiction to any of the foods eliminated. And by addiction, I mean addiction, not unlike drug or alcohol addiction.
Turns out gluten and milk both contain molecules that get converted into morphine like chemicals in the gut. Gluteomorphins from gluten and caseomorphins from casein (milk protein) are partly responsible for that comfort feeling you feel when you eat these foods. Many of us are literally addicted to the foods we eat. If you do feel worse, do your best to get through those first couple of days. If you find that it is unbearable this may be a sign you need help and should seek nutritional guidance from a Functional Medicine Practitioner in your area.
| Foods To Include | Foods To Eliminate |
| Fruit: most fruits are allowed | citrus (lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruit) |
| Vegetables: most vegetables are allowed | corn, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers) |
| Nuts & Seeds: Coconut, flax, pine nuts | peanuts, walnuts, sesame, pumpkin, hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, and nut butters containing these foods |
| Meat & Fish: organic turkey, lamb, wild game, fresh fish | pork, beef, veal, shellfish, cold cuts, canned meats, hot dogs, chicken, sausage |
| Grains:Non-glutenous grains & starch suc as rice, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, teff, tapioca | wheat, corn, barley, spelt, rye, triticale, oats, kamut, and all gluten containing grains |
| Beans & Legumes: split peas | soybean products (tofu, soy sauce, tempeh, miso, textured vegetable protein, soy milk, soybean oil, soy yogurt), lentils |
| Diary: rice milk | milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, eggs, ice cream, frozen yogurt, cream, non dairy creamers |
| Fats: cold expeller pressed olive oil, ghee, clarified butter, flax oil, coconut oil | margarine, butter, shortening, salad dressings, hydrogenated oils, mayonnaise, canola, processed vegetable oils |
| Sweeteners: only fruit from the above allowed list | sugar of all kinds (brown, white, honey, maple syrup, agave, molasses, brown rice syrup, high fructose corn syrup HFCS, sweets) |
| Spices & Condiments: vinegar, sea salt, fresh herbs and spices, garlic, cumin, basil, carob, cinnamon, ginger, oregano, mustard, parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, tarragon | chocolate, ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauces, barbecue sauce, steak sauce, teriyaki |
| Beverages: fresh purified water, herbal teas, sparkling water | coffee, tea, soda, alcohol |
After avoiding these foods for 3-4 weeks add them back in one at a time and be sure to keep a journal or log of how you feel mentally, emotionally, as well as physically. If you don’t feel any reaction to a particular food then it is most likely ok for you. If you notice any symptoms then you might have an allergy or intolerance and should avoid those foods in the future.
Next up, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (Part VI): Guide to Living Gluten Free.
With a vast drop in temperature, darker skies and rainy days, winter is the most yin of all the seasons. It is associated with the kidney and bladder organs, the color black, the element water, the emotion fear, and salty and bitter flavors.
Goji berries are one of the most well known Chinese herbs in the US. Used for over 2000 years in China, they were first mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, the oldest known book on Chinese herbs in 200 BC. They are prized for their ability to tonify blood and yin without causing stagnation. Consumed daily in China as a food and herbal medicine, goji berries are revered for their anti-aging properties. They are used in many beauty tonics.
