Food intolerances and metabolic 'repair'

[amyem]

Does anyone know of any documented (or have any personal experience with) information about the development of food allergies/sensitivities/intole rances and overtraining/underating and/or metabolic/hormonal disturbances? Wow, that was wordy.

I have recently begun the REPAIR process and have struggled for years with a SLEW of symptoms that, in the end, pointed to possible metabolic damage due to a long period of overtraining and dieting to extremes. One of these symptoms (and I'm assuming it's related) was the sudden onset of food intolerances. First it was gluten, then all sugar alcohols (which I realize are notorious for GI issues anyway, but chewing even a single piece of gum would throw my tummy into a hissy-fit), then nuts (especially peanuts). I also noticed GI upset when eating other foods and felt constantly bloated, uncomfortable and in pain. My doctors wrote it off as IBS, and in a sense considering I don't think they are legitimate food allergies, they were probably correct. I don't think I would have developed IBS though, without having first put my system under such stress over the years.

So, I guess my question is: is this likely reversible? Since reintroducing many of the foods I had eliminated due to general GI problems (fruits, starches, artificial sweeteners), my stomach seems to be 'toughening-up' . I have fewer and fewer episodes of bloating and pain after eating, and I am becoming better able it seems to digest food properly (at least it FEELS this way). I am pushing through the pain when it happens, taking my digestive enzymes and probiotics and day by day, my stomach seems to be feeling better.

As a note, I tested negative for Coeliac via blood testing, but at that point I had been gluten-free for about 5 weeks. I was told it COULD be a false-negative. My gastroenterologist did encourage me at the time to try wheat again, but I was not interested in feeling more pain at the time. I am thinking about sucking it up and eating a piece of bread, but I'm wondering if I should wait until further along in REPAIR before I attempt this. Thoughts?

Sorry for the rambling but any input is very much appreciated!

[desiree]

Hey Girl,

You are doing great, hang in there, have not pmed lately been out of town, but have kept up with your post--you are so strong--We are defineltly twins--So I have experienced these issues first hand!!

First of all--I did have a food allergy/sensitity test done about a year ago and the things I showed high sensitivity I stayed away from for about 12months, have just been retested and the things that I was sensitive back then, am now able to eat--Now the things I was sensitive to were things I ate on a regular basis--now the problem was I was eating these things when my body was going thru hell--the stress from not eating enough and the stress from over exercising--to the extreme--just like you--Doing 7-8 miles of speed training(intervals) twice a week, etc--Now everyones body is different--So obvious you and I are pretty much the same meaning that when we do this to our body we wreck our immune system--and unable to fight certain things--Gluten, nuts, etc have inflammation properties--nuts even have bacteria and can cause candida??

Now 2months ago when I had my cortisol levels checked--my gluten/wheat sensitivity was off the chart!! The Lab said they had never seen such a high reading before--and I had not eaten any wheat that day but I did have regular oatmeal which has gluten in it!! So I have avoided since then and just recently had the allergy test done again like I said and the wheat/gluten was only moderate reading!!

And I of course now have new sensitivies, new things that I had changed my diet to, but I have started to rotate this items back in except for the really high sensitive ones, like diary, eggs, etc.

Now my current doc says that as your immune system builds back up and restores that these sensitivies will be a thing of the past--But as long as you are eating things that you are sensitive to-your body/ the lining of the gut will not be able to heal properly--eating these foods on a regular food will keep the gut inflammed--and you will have these crazy symptoms and even make you have symptoms as if you were insulin resistant!!

So I advice to have a food allergy/inflammation test done as soon as possible, Doc just draws about 2-3 vials of blood you will get results in 10days--avoid those foods and watch how you heal--you will be amazed at some of the things your body is affected with--I mean Mustard--would make my nose run--and sure enough came up as inflammation problem--now rotating back in and not having a problem--Oh and even low carb ketchup--because tomatoes and vinegar etc--anything which had a high acidic level caused problems--because my gut was so inflammed!!

So please get that test done--you will feel so much better--you are not allergic to sugar--trust me--it is just high acidic for one--it causes stress in the body--it affects your immune system and etc--and your body is not breaking it down properly

I have been thru and number of enzymes trust me--and I have found the ones that work like a charm!!! It is the brand enzymatica--not sure if they have this is Canada, but if you go online they will even send you free samples to try the products--they have Digest gold which helped alot you take with all meals--they have Vgest if you have problem breaking down beans and grains which I did , they also have Glutenease for people with gluten and dairy sensitivies-should be used when eating out and not sure if there is gluten or diary in the food--and then the Best one of all--Allerase--which is for people with allergies period and has a high amount of invertase and glucomyalase which helps break down the sugars!! Even if YOU and I don't eat sugar it is like our bodies turn our carbs into sugar the next thing you know we are drowning in water, or nose is running or so stuffed up we can not breath--this stuff is AWESOME for that!!

Sorry so long--Just have no way to shorten this issue!!

Try to go online and if they can not send you samples then I will just Pm me your address--I have lots of the stuff

But really got get a blood test, it is a bit pricey but Well worthit--I am breathing and have not had stuffy nose since I got the results amonth or so ago!!

Dessie
Hang in there!! You are doing great--it does get better, Trust me!!

[desiree]

Oh forgot the most important part--I was so confused with this stuff it was all quite confusing--for a whole year now thought I was just allergic to these foods and could not add back in--now you know you do not have celiac which is the best news ever--

What Doc explained to me--is True Food allergies--almost cause anti??? shock(forgot the word) But what we have are food sensitivies, foods that are causing inflammation--not true allergies and these foods should be avoided 3-6 months only and try adding back in--giving the body ample time to heal and build/restore immune system--

I thought to myself and even my Dad said to me--"What is going on with you and all these new allergies-you never had allergies as a kid?"--It has been a rough year and even now with new sensitivies--that is what I call then now instead of true alleriges--Everyone thought oh my gosh you are celiac being that you can not tolerate wheat/gluten/diary, eggs, etc/but I am now eating wheat/gluten--but only once a week--and that is from avoiding completely for 2months--no soy sauce,not even licking the back of enveloples which has Gluten you know!! Crazy right--I have been doing my research Girl!! Gonna get to the bottom of this one way or another!!

Hang in there--get that test done, get those enzymes--although remember all the enzymes in the world are not going to help if you continue to eat the same foods causing the Gut to get inflammed--all the enzymes do is take the pressure off and not let the body get stressed by breaking down the foods!! HEALING PROCESS!!

I sound like A Champ--Right!! Only because of HANDS ON EXPERIENCE-
By the way I am now up to 220carbs daily and my body seems to be doing ok with that but if I dare going over that--I get the same feeling like I am drunk/hangover, overload of carbs that obviously turn to sugar especially since we are not burning off to many right now, eyes get puffy, etc--did have a Insulin resistance test done and body handled great the first hour, but when I got to the second hour, showed my insulin was a bit high, but not too crazy--so Doc just said to be aware and try to eat more lower GI index carbs--but does not seem to matter the GI, it seems to matter more the amounts--by the way when low carbing was doing only 30-40 carbs-and now 220!! Impressive--and Should give you HOPE I hope!!

Dessie

[amyem]

Dessie,

Firstly, THANK YOU a million times over for taking the time to write out your experiences with these food issues. What you describe sounds so eerily similar to my own struggles, I get both goosebumps and joy (someone like ME!! ) in reading your posts.

I did have an allergy scratch skin test last November, and had no major reactions to any of the allergens tested. I will say though that nuts were not tested for (except for peanut and almond I believe, just to be used as a baseline), and the doctor was surprised at the slight reaction I had to those two (not having mentioned any suspected nut allergies to her). I did not have a RAST test, but I've made an appointment to get another referral to the allergist to have that done. It takes a long time where I live to get appointments and get results, but I'm in the process! I certainly don't want to be consuming any foods causing further inflammation because I know I won't heal this way.

I ordered some enzymedica supps you suggested: Allerase (excited for this one!), Digest Gold, Gastro (V-Gest) and GlutenEase. I will be anxiously awaiting their arrival! Do you think though that over time, I will be able to produce my own enzymes and not have to supplement with so many extras??! That is my hope anyway. You mentioned you're at 220 carbs/day - awesome!! Increasing gradually is definitely the way to go...I don't want to have any more sugar hang-over days, so I figure my system will just have to learn slowly how to handle it! Any idea how long this might take? Just curious as to your thoughts....

I'm averaging about 130g carbs/day and feeling ok even though this is higher than my goal carbs for the first stage of REPAIR. I figure as long as I can handle it, why not jack them up there more quickly. I haven't had any issues so far, so I guess I'll just keep plugging away. I think the other missing link to why this is working is the REST part. Without resting, I don't think this repair would be at all possible. I feel as though my body was in a constant state of stress, panic and fatigue, messing up my body systems (GI, respiratory, endocrine). It's alarming how much self-inflicted damage can be done by improper nutrition and training!!

Thank you for explaining the rationalization behind the high carbs and sugar hang-over scenario! I seriously thought I was allergic to sugar for the longest time! Then I thought I just had sugar intolerance, insulin resistance...or some other weird disorder.

As for gluten, I have been COMPLETELY off it (no oats either) for almost 11 months. I'm really hoping I can consume it again, but I might wait for my new enzymes to arrive before doing so. More time to heal too, so that's also a bonus.

My parents are shocked too (and worried) because I have NEVER had any food allergies, especially as a child. I could (and would!) eat anything I wanted! No problems. And no one in my family has any food allergy issues (parents, sisters). So yeah. I need to get back to what my normal should be!! Sigh.

Funny you should mention the glucose tolerance test beause I've been wanting to have it done. With anxiety though. I know I would turn into a puffy, fluid-filled allergic mess for days. Have you ever checked your BS during an 'episode'. I've wanted to do this too for curiosity's sake...I wonder if it would be crazy elevated? And same here as for the amounts, not the type of carbs. Low GI, high GI - makes no difference. After a certain level (grams), I'd be a mess. Craziness! I want this to stop, I want this to STOP.

I DO have hope though! Especially reading about your amazing progress .

I feel like I have more to say, but I that's all I can think of for now...

THANK YOU so so much for your help Dessie - you have put my mind at ease!

[desiree]

Hello, how are ya??

Gosh where should I begin, first off, I will tell ya that I had two allergy/IGE and IGA testing done and was so confused and thought Oh my gosh I have these allergies an can never eat these foods again, but then I said to myself if these are true allergies you cannot add them back in 3-6 months--Mind you these tests were ordered from my doc once and from a nutritionist the second time--Well with the confusion and wanting to get to the bottom of it--I called an allergist and I said before I make an appt, I would like to speak the nurse practiioner about food allergy testing, RAST/IGE/IGa versus the skin testing--Well she told me not to waste my time doing the skin testing because not as accurate for sensitivies relating to Gut issues.

My first test I had done was thru a company called Alcat, which is the RAST testing, I called them for you today and they said they do testing thru Canada and that you can call there an order yourself without a physician, but I think you have to pay up front and then bill your insurance for reimbursement or just pay out of pocket--which is what I did because my insurance did not cover. the other lab I used was meridian Lab--which is more IGE/IGA testing--I am not sure if they do out of canada or not??

I am so excited that you got your samples on the way!! You will be impressed.

Now I did carry a glucometer around for a few days tested my blood before eating after eating, 2hrs after eating and my results were all normal--my Doc, said of course they are normal because you are not a diabetic, but what you need to think about is how hard your pancreas is working to breakdown the carbs/sugars and still keep blood sugar within normal limits--So that is when the insulin resistance test comes in--and I am not going to Lie--that test really sucked--I felt fine for the first 4hours, but then the blah-dragging, tired, sluggish, then about 8hrs later, naussea, an then the sugar really hit about midnight--woke up out of a deep sleep, sweating and could not go back to sleep till about 4am--Sugar HIGH!!--it was awful, then of course the next two days had to deal with the swollen legs and the floating Boat(that is me)
Now my results came back ok, but suppose to just keep an eye on it, So was instructed that instead of checking sugars during an episode to check bloodwork--potassium, magnesium, etc--and see how my body is handling the overloads of carbs/sugars -obviously sends my body out of wack and stressed it out--

It sure makes it hard for us to recooperate right?? I cannot even eat protein shakes after workout--inflammation to the milk protien in whey--so really sucks cause I love those things--

Gosh you would not believe the things that have gluten -but they do have gluten free oatmeal, have been doing that with no problems--

Oh I will tell ya that the digest gold is really strong stuff--the best, but when I first bought it kinda made me sick, I guess because the high amounts of protease(used to breakdown protein) and I was going thru a bout of really bad candida when my immune system was at its lowest and I was eating alot of protein, and I got the die off-symptoms, kinda like a toxic feeling--but now I can handle it great--As the immune system gets stronger You can handle anything!!

So yes--you will get better, and I still run into issues--like yesterday for example I have a sensitivy to pinto beans, I tried them and I got really tired, sluggish, and I knew right then--ok this is my body telling me that I am not ready for them--so took a Vgest and Allerase and felt better--But won't be adding back into diet for a while, don't really miss them anyway--good in protien and good carbs, but eat for health, not by choice!!

Oh you have a beautiful kitty, by the way--which brings up another issue--I have had cats and dogs my whole life and now ---Now ---I tested positive for allergies to cats/and dogs--to the extreme--this was a skin test--so I am on singulair--Cause I tell you right now---my life will not be without my BABIES!!!! My nutritionist believes that I will not ever heal completely with them in the house--but I don't believe that--although I did take her advice and ban from the bedroom--I remember when I was training really really hard I was living on Advil cold and sinus and just figured well I am allergic to my babies, but I can deal with it, my nose was running all the time and my head was so stuffy I had to sleep with two pillows behind my head--well I have not taken advil in 8months, since I started getting a grip on food allergies--My poor babies were getting all the blame, hahah

hang in there--it will get better, just get those foods out and my gosh you will be able to Breath much better--I use to have to take advil and an albuterol inhaler sometimes before a race just to be able to run--I even thought I had exercise asthma--Gosh it has been rough--But getting to the bottom of this

So long winded--I could just go on and on,

See ya, Dessie

[amyem]

Dessie - you're the best!

I hope my doctors won't need too much convicing re: the allergy testing. Some are a bit adverse to having tests suggested to them, but I'll hope for the best! I did call my allergist and they offer what is called Immucap testing (which apparently is the same as the RAST test), so I'm going to request to have this done.

THANKS for calling Alcat for me! Gosh, that was so nice of you. I think my physician would be on board as far as ordering the test, so I'll see what information I can gather about it.

I'm STOKED to try the enzymes! Thank you again for the recommendation, especially for the Allerase. The information they provide, especially about sugar intolerance was excellent! So, this IS a legitimate issue - thank gawd I'm not the only one!

I've been ok as far as being around animals, but I don't allow my kitty in my bedroom. I do try to keep it fur-free . Sorry about the news, but likely as your body heals, you will hopefully develop a stronger and stronger tolerance to the allergens! Fingers crossed!!

[Etana]

Amyem and Dessie,
It has been a pleasure to read you two connecting on similar issues, both of you pretty knowledgeable of your issues and body, and the extent that you have taken control of your own bodies with your doctors.

A real triumph of this JP Fitness forum, that you 2 could connect in this way!

[desiree]

Thank you Etana--but it is not just the two of us--we are all connected in some way or another and will help each other get thru it

But is certainly does help if you have already experienced it and are able to assist and help others get thru it, cause we all know what a challenge it can be doing it alone--

Thank you so much for the kind words and for just noticing and Of course always being there for others!!

dessie

[Leigh P.]

I wont lie I am not reading through all of this BUT I will say that I have a good series coming up on gut health and inflammation (after of course the GWF and Body fat updates). So you might enjoy that as I think it answers a lot of questions on intolerance.

[mjanessan]

Originally Posted by Leigh P.

I wont lie I am not reading through all of this BUT I will say that I have a good series coming up on gut health and inflammation (after of course the GWF and Body fat updates). So you might enjoy that as I think it answers a lot of questions on intolerance.

Will that be on a podcast or something written up on your website?

[shari3boys]

yeah that sounds awesome!

Originally Posted by Leigh P.

I wont lie I am not reading through all of this BUT I will say that I have a good series coming up on gut health and inflammation (after of course the GWF and Body fat updates). So you might enjoy that as I think it answers a lot of questions on intolerance.

[Leigh P.]

It will be on my website.