how to determine food allergies?? - Allergies Message Board

CaptainJack · 03-30-2003, 02:08 PM

I strongly suspect I have food allergies. I have heard the best way to determine what I'm allergic to is to go on an elimination diet, then gradually introduce suspect foods back into my diet. But it seems like you have to eliminate practically everything except rice for 2-3 weeks. And I really don't see how anyone can eliminate wheat and sugar. Am I just being difficult in this? I'm just not sure I could stick to a diet that strict. Any help or recommendations would be appreciated. Are there any good reading materials that describe exactly how to go on the elimination diet?

Cut-Throat · 03-30-2003, 04:12 PM

I was on this diet for a week. I stuck to it. And when it was over, I was still alergic to something. I'm guessing something airborne.

Yup - you are pretty much being difficult. If the allergies are that bad, you'll stick to the diet. And you are correct. You can't eat much. To eliminate sugar and wheat - basically you are not allowed to eat any prepared foods at all.

I'm sure that you can find some books on the subject. If you want to find out, you're just going to have to do it.

Believe me, when I was done with this diet, I was so glad I was not allergic to food that this was a real joy. The first thing I did after the diet was make a Gin Gimlet. The next day I had a Banana Split at the Dairy Queen.

The worst that will happen is that you'll lose a few pounds.

[This message has been edited by Cut-Throat (edited 03-30-2003).]

Wake25 · 03-31-2003, 07:10 PM

you WILL lose weight doing this .... and there are MANY books about the subject. But you dont need to spend the money. they aren't any smarter than we are... basically, all you can eat is chicken and rice and water... after 2 weeks your system will be cleaner and you probably wont get any reactions when you reitroduce foods.. about a week later you allergies will be back just as they were! elimation diet does NOT solove the problem... but if you are overweight.. go for it.. becasuse it is true.. the MOST that will happen is that you will lose a few pounds..

Cut-Throat · 04-01-2003, 06:48 AM

Wake,

This is baaaaaad ! advice. This is not any kind of homopathic cleansing diet. This diet was given to me by my allerigist. The diet is not supposed to eliminate the allergy at all.

It's only supposed to identify 1.) If food is the allergen 2.) And the specific food if it is. And you can eat a lot of different foods than chicken. You can get quite creative. How does Turkey Breast on the grill basted with Pur maple syrup sound? There are also a lot of fruits and Vegies that you can have. Rice is pretty much the only starch. etc.

purple2067 · 04-04-2003, 02:49 PM

If you are trying to figure out if you are allergic to a certain food, then you have to eliminate just ONE food at a time. If you eliminate more than one food at a time, and it turns out that you start to feel better, how will you know which one you are allergic to? If you must use an elimination diet to diagnose your food allergy, then that is the only way to find out what food you are allergic to. If you think you are allergic to wheat, eliminate it completely for a week, then see if you feel better or worse. Then, slowly reintroduce it and see if you get a reaction. I did the other diet that you are talking about to "cleanse my system", under the direction of my allergist. It was the worst thing I ever did to myself. I stuck with it for about a month, but I hated the diet so much that all I dreamed about was eating a salami and cheese sandwich. Not once while I was on the diet, did I feel any better from my allergies. In fact, my stomach got so upset from eating so many vegetables that I actually got WORSE while I was on this diet. For the first week I wasn't even allowed to eat rice. I called my allergist and told him that my blood sugar was so low that I was going to bottom out (it was probably around 50) and he told me to start eating rice, as much as I wanted. That stabilized my blood sugar but I was still miserable. I actually had several panic attacks because I was so upset over this whole diet. Finally I just decided that it wasn't doing a damn thing for my allergies, and even though I lost about 15-20 pounds, it wasn't worth it. If I only wanted to lose weight, I could have just stuck with weight watchers. For me, although I need to lose weight, that was NOT the purpose of this diet.

But I have also done the other thing that I mentioned, which was to eliminate one food at a time. That is how I found out what foods I am allergic to. Plus, I got allergy tests.

Please don't think that this diet is going to help you with your allergies, because unless you are allergic to every food under the sun, it is not going to help you and it is not any way to live.

Good luck,
Elyse