help with food allergies!!??

[lydias]

Anyone familiar with this?

I am trying to figure out why I'm so bloated while eating raw and keep gaining weight. I just feel horrible. I got NAET done awhile back for food allergies and I was allergic to everything! But never finished getting treated as it was expensive.

This morning, I tried doing muscle testing (kinesiology) to some things. Not sure I am doing it right....
But I drink lemon water every morning, totally showed allergic to lemon
then I did blue green algae, totally allergic
apple cider vinegar was great!

Can food allergies make you not loose weight? Even if the food is raw?
How do you treat these or get rid of them! I have a feeling I am allergic to half of the fruits and veggies I'm eating.

[dreamrawalwz]

Yes, definitely! If your body is allergic or intolerant to something your body treats it like a foreign invader. The cells try to hold on all the water to dilute the allergen and "fight" it off. The weight you gain is water weight due to this process. Just one bite of corn/wheat/soy/dairy/sugar/peanuts I can gain 10 pounds overnight and go up 4-5 pant sizes due to just water weight. Once you figure out the food you're allergic or intolerant to the weight will go down very rapidly. Do you feel "puffy" more so than it's actual "fat"? There is a difference, but it may be hard to distinguish.

[lydias]

any suggestions on how to figure out the food allergies?

anyway, I am gaining sizes like crazy. :(

[Carol K]

I had major food allergies that caused severe itching everywhere. Since going raw, I have found hardly any reaction to raw foods. The only problem is when I happen to try an old, cooked food. I had some organic corn chips this week, and itched all night. And, yes, my pants were tight the next day and my stomach bloated. What a lesson. Keep experimenting with what are considered "safe", non-allergy foods. It's called an elimination diet. You eat only non-allergenic foods and add problematic foods one at a time after about three weeks on the safe stuff. Then, watch for reaction. No reaction = safe to eat. Reaction (bloat, headache, nausea) = allergy food for you.

[dreamrawalwz]

any suggestions on how to figure out the food allergies?

anyway, I am gaining sizes like crazy. :(

An ellimination diet. What are you eating raw? Everything I mean. The common (raw) allergens include: nuts, seeds, sprouted grains (i think?), citris, and tomatoes.

[lydias]

oh no!

the problem is I've already eliminated the common allergies, but I think I am allergic to alot of raw foods
nuts, seeds, avacado, citrus, not sure what other fruits or greens, some sprouts, possibly wheatgrass

I cant drink the green smoothies without fruit and keep experimenting but still I get sooooo bloated

so i'm left with greens, I guess juicing
that is impossible for me right now cause I'm pretty weak

[dreamrawalwz]

oh no!

the problem is I've already eliminated the common allergies, but I think I am allergic to alot of raw foods
nuts, seeds, avacado, citrus, not sure what other fruits or greens, some sprouts, possibly wheatgrass

I cant drink the green smoothies without fruit and keep experimenting but still I get sooooo bloated

so i'm left with greens, I guess juicing
that is impossible for me right now cause I'm pretty weak

Can you juice fast to let your body have a break and heal a bit? Usually when your body is just overwhelmed the intolerances can build up, but once the burden is released then they go a way. That happened to me with a few items. What about food combinations? Try one food a day and see what happens? I know I can't do nuts, seeds, or avocados. I'm starting to react to tomatoes and citris as well. I'm afraid to try wheatgrass because I'm intolerant to regular wheat so I'm not sure how i'll react.

[Sunshine9]

Hey! I'm actually dealing the the same thing. I have been bloated for over a year, tried so many raw remedies to fix it, and it just stayed about, i gained about 20 pounds, and felt sicker and sicker and sicker....

well i had a food allergy test that was very interesting. Turns out i am HIGHLY allergic to bananas! There are also a few foods lower on the list, but not as much as bananas.

I'm doing an elimination diet, and it's hard. I still can feel that there are foods aggravating me and i'm trying to figure out which ones, but i'm feeling much better in just a few days. I would cut out ALL major allergens: citris, nightshades, nuts, soy, wheat, most grains. Then keep a detailed food journal of what you eat, and how you feel. The thing with food allergies is you might react three days later to a food you ate today. So the journal isn't totally accurate. Try rotating your foods.

I know it can seem overwhelming! You might just got out the major culripts for three weeks, then add them in every few days (one food a day, one meal at at time) to observe your reactions. That also might make it easier than trying to cut out everything at once, because that can just leave you hungry. I'd also cut out any food you are obsessed with and eat every single day. Could mean you're sensetive to it.

[lydias]

I eat everything on a raw diet that is raw. I try to be careful of what I suspected to be allergies.

if you cant eat seeds, nuts, and avacados, how do you keep being successful on raw? I think I have the same problems on raw and I suspect citrus. And how will I know if I get everything nutritionally?

I just completed a 7 day water fast and I'm worse then ever.
maybe juice would be different, not sure


there is no wheat or gluten in wheatgrass but it doesn't mean everybody can tolerate it

Is Noma Shoyu a common allergy?

[Sunshine9]

Well... it's way harder to be raw! Especially with most fruit & fat aggravating me right now.

How long have you been 100%?

I personally choose to be closer to 80-90% while i'm working this out. I trust that once i get the inflammation down, I will be able to add in the raw foods that i love and get back to "normal." Steamed vegetables & quinoa help fill me up without the fruits and avos i love....

Yes, nama shoyu is a common allergen.

maybe you could start slow - picked three foods to avoid for two weeks, then test how you react adding them back in.

I can still eat green smoothies, and rather boring salads, carrots, some fruit.... that kind of thing.

[dreamrawalwz]

I eat everything on a raw diet that is raw. I try to be careful of what I suspected to be allergies.

if you cant eat seeds, nuts, and avacados, how do you keep being successful on raw? I think I have the same problems on raw and I suspect citrus. And how will I know if I get everything nutritionally?

I just completed a 7 day water fast and I'm worse then ever.
maybe juice would be different, not sure


there is no wheat or gluten in wheatgrass but it doesn't mean everybody can tolerate it

Is Noma Shoyu a common allergy?

It gets boring at times, but I'd rather be bored with limited food choices than in pain or whatever reaction I get.

[domestic goddess]

The quick, easy way out of this is to go to an allergist and get tested. The other option would be to find a Hollistic MD who will also test you for food allergies, and most likely be more open to your lifestyle. My holistic MD is awesome. I have MANY food allergies, including nuts (but not all nuts) soy, corn, bananas, apples, grapes, coconut, tomatos, squash, rice...I could go on. About 25 things in all, plus molds. It definitely makes it more of a challenge to be raw, but DEFINITELY worth it. This is the best I have felt in YEARS and I still have other health issues I am dealing with.

Also, if you do have multiple food allergies, consider being tested for CAndidia as they often go hand in hand. Good Luck! I totally feel for you!

[lydias]

well I was 100% raw last time for 45 days,
I think my longest was about 9 weeks,
I went downhill this time after trying to water fast
so I have to start again

but I think I will have to do some cooked veggies cause I have no variety right now
I thought after inflammation cuts down you go back and add things here and there especially if its raw but I was still bloated at 45 days eating raw

I had better health eating salmon and veggies so I am really confused right now.

[domestic goddess]

Well, in my experience, even after 6mo off of allergenic foods, I still can't eat them nor can my kids. It can take years to heal your gut/body.

[Mishka]

I agree....it takes time. I finally went raw due to severe allergies to wheat, and it took 3 months to stop having a "shadow" reaction...even when I wasn't eating it. I think due to dumping so many toxins in the beginning. Now I'm doing much better.

I've done NAET also...and kinda have mixed feelings on it. And I agree it is expensive. When she tested me I also was pretty much allergic to everything. ugh. But I just preservered with raw, and I'm fine now except for eating too many nuts (doesn't sit too well in me) As far as you testing yourself...you could be what they call "switched" (neurons firing the opposite/incorrectly) so you get a incorrect reading. My friend who's been raw for 4 yrs. used to be highly allergic (like body swelling reactions) to peas...he has them now without any problem. And he just did raw. NAET is not the only way to "clear" food allergies. I have a feeling it has to do with our system being so bogged down our energy gets clogged. (at least in part, anyways) So anything that encourages our health.. that would be good...like fresh air, sunshine, water, exercise, faith, fresh food, goodwill towards others etc. I think all of these things contribute, so try and look at the full picture...not just diet alone.
I hope this helps, and you find what's right for your body.

Mishka

[juliebove]

I had the RAST test done. That's a blood test. I am allergic to eggs, dairy and almonds. At the time I was on a vegetarian diet and almonds were just a small part of it. Had pretty much figured out on my own that eggs were a problem, but I was still eating a lot of cheese.

Once I learned of my allergies, I changed my diet and almost immediately lost 12 pounds. Seems the allergens had caused a lot of bloating.

Daughter also has food allergies and although she is not overweight, she slimmed down some once she changed her diet.

[Nurse in the Raw]

I wonder if the allergies could be caused by the pesticides on the produce? Are you eating organic?....if not, you may want to give it a try to rule out pesticide allergies.

[Stina]

I'd like to get allergy testing. How much are you guys spending on it?

[the_lab_rat]

I don't know much about this stuff, but I had a similar experience I thought I'd share. When I first went 100% raw about a month ago, I started gaining weight crazy fast. Like 1/2 to 1 pound per day, both water weight and fat. I was bloated, exhausted, and depressed. I'd felt better on a cooked vegan diet, but decided to keep trying an unlimited raw diet like the book says. Well, finally I outgrew all my clothes, so I knew something had to change. I did a 3-day green smoothie "fast" with nothing but greens and low-GI fruits (mostly berries), and almost instantly started losing weight. Now I'm basically doing that "elimination diet" where I'm adding things in slowly. For me, I think nuts and oils were the cause.

I know you did a water fast, but maybe a juice or smoothie fast would be better? You can maintain them for longer, and perhaps there are some juice combinations that are really good for detoxing and getting all the allergens out of your system. (sorry, I don't know much about that, just a thought.)

[lydias]

Hey, thanks for all your tips!

I got to thinking about what you all were saying and last night I said let me try something. I used muscle testing (kiniesiology) the best I knew how to test some foods to see if I was reacting to them. Well guess what???

I am allergic to Zephryhills water and I've been doing enemas with it, yikes!
highly allergic to avacados which I ate almost every day!!!
allergic to cacao, hemp seed, red and yellow peppers, honey, papaya, lemon,coconut oil, cashews, dates, wheatgrass, and Kale!! which i've been using for green smoothies, and the mixed greens

I tested good for watermelon, apple cider vinegar, bananas surprisingly, apples, pears, celery, cucumber, carrots

semi okay with tomatoes, and almond butter

need to keep testing to get more good things on the list

hopefully some of the allergies will go away now that I know what to avoid, I wish I would of thought of this before, but I dont know how to muscle test I just remembered how my practitioner happened to do it on me and it seems to be accurate to his findings

I can't believe it! I've gained 20 lbs. , no wonder, I love raw food so now I know its not raw its just my body is all screwed up!

Anybody else having problems, I suggest muscle testing!!

I did my supplements too and I was allergic to my probiotic!!

Thanks you all, maybe this is start to finally get better! :)

[dreamrawalwz]

As for allergy testing....I had skin prick test done and NOTHING showed up. The allergest thought I was some teen looking for attention and wouldn't believe me when I said my throat closed up wtih peanuts (now i can't even breathe the dust). I did a blood test that looks for different antibodies I believe. I came up with many food allergies. You also may have pleanty of intolerances that wouldn't come up as allergies.

[Sunshine9]

I had a test done that was covered by my insurance that measures the IgG response, which is basically the delayed response. It was interesting, because only a few foods showed up, and some items I had obvious responses to didn't appear. My ND explained there are 2 types of allergies, and my test doesn't measure the IgE reaction, which might cause hives, swelling, etc. I'm glad I did the test because I never would have thought I was severely allergic to bananas, so it would have taken me a long time through elimination alone. I might get another test done, but i'd have to pay for that one (insurance doesn't cover it) so i'm using elimination for now to figure things out.

also lydia - when you do the muscle testing, do you put the food in a bag so you can't see it, or did you just hold it? I read that to be most effecting you should put it in a paper bag so that your mental ideas don't influence your muscle response.

[StarFire]

Got tested by my homeopath and I'm highly allergic to most sweet fruits... pineapple, watermelon, apples, pears, the list is endless... it sucks! but I'll keep eating raw and believing that my body will balance itself and someday I will be able to incoprorate more fruits... After all I live in Hawaii - the exotic fruit capital of the world... waaaaaa!!!! ;) :o

[juliebove]

As for allergy testing....I had skin prick test done and NOTHING showed up. The allergest thought I was some teen looking for attention and wouldn't believe me when I said my throat closed up wtih peanuts (now i can't even breathe the dust). I did a blood test that looks for different antibodies I believe. I came up with many food allergies. You also may have pleanty of intolerances that wouldn't come up as allergies.

I've heard that the prick test is not that effective for food allergies. But I've also heard that the RAST test is not that effective either. And I've heard if you haven't eaten a certain food ever, or perhaps for a very long time, it won't show as an allergy.

[Solace]

Anybody try doing a set of liver cleanses to rid the allergies ?
I have also done Vega-type testing to see what foods weaken me and follow that loosely.
Also have you tried enzymes and probiotics to help with bloating ?

[Wendee]

Will someone kindly please tell me how they test for food allergies?

thank you very much

Wendy from the Windy City

[dreamrawalwz]

Will someone kindly please tell me how they test for food allergies?

thank you very much

Wendy from the Windy City

I got a test kit from York Laberatories online. They are located in FL. They mail you a thing to prick your finger and then you squeeze enough blood out to get absorbed on the string they provide. You send it off to them and when the results return they're in 3 categories: eliminate, rotate, and ok foods. It also has a nice personal book for your allergens with infomation and maybe recipies? I dont' remember.

[Stina]

Does anyone have guidelines how to approach an elimination diet? I suppose fasting is the ultimate state of cleanliness to test food one by one. Other than that, probably a pretty simple fare of greens, huh?

[Stina]

I got a test kit from York Laberatories online. They are located in FL. They mail you a thing to prick your finger and then you squeeze enough blood out to get absorbed on the string they provide. You send it off to them and when the results return they're in 3 categories: eliminate, rotate, and ok foods. It also has a nice personal book for your allergens with infomation and maybe recipies? I dont' remember.

Did you feel like it was accurate and verified your experiences with food?:)

[dreamrawalwz]

Did you feel like it was accurate and verified your experiences with food?:)

Yes, definitely. Finally there was something in writing and proved I was NOT crazy as the doctors thought. I have eliminated those items for the most part and feel much better.

[Stina]

Yeah, my food allergies were personally hugely impacted my mental health. Then I read a book by Dr. Skye Weintraub and figured out how much food was messing with me and the extent of the relationship between food and mind, body, and soul. thank goodness for the holistic health care practicioners out there.

[lydias]

wow, thanks for your input!!

I tried the green smoothie fast and I just got bigger. I have tested allergy for all tropical fruits and all greens except romaine which is crazy!! and any type of salt, and the baking soda with magnesium I was putting in my bath, yikes! I have probably spent at least over $1000 on naet cause I was allergic to everything.... few of them stayed, most did not obviously

But now that I've figured this out, maybe it will be better if I stick to the foods that are so far aggreable. :)

I was researching Ellen Cutler's stuff in California with something called bioset which is like naet i guess, she likes alot of enzymes.

I'm still a little perplexed. My husband is only allergic to a few things.

[carolg]

I am excited my husband has an appointment in 6 weeks, can you believe that long wait time, for NAET. This person also does acupuncture too.

He has had traveling virus' for years. Recently he had a tooth infection, that got treated with Amoxicillian, with the dentist scare tactics. He became highly allergic to this drug, and we don't do drugs here, then put on another drug with meta something predisone, then allergic to that, took Benadryl, allergic to that, then on predisone...and allergic to that....so now it's time to flish the body.

He is also scheduled next week for Ion Cleanse treatments as the wait for the NAET person is so long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhvi43hAcn8&mode=related&search=

NAET person has super long wait and very successsful busy practice too. It was a recommendation. If she can help an 80 year old then she can help my hubby. We eat a healthy diet and mainly raw. He was however eating lots of "bread." Oh, lots of fruits too over the years so it makes sense to help him out so I have put him on a candida free diet, as best as I know to do. He is taking a liquid program from health food store. Someone else suggested my husband could have Candida and get this stuff. He's also taking a Probiotic daily. He is feeling the difference already without bloating daily effects. It is homeopathic. He's starting with the High Potency. It's Aqua Flora. www.aquaflorainc.coom

The bottle is loaded with symptoms of candidiasis. Just sharing what my husband is doing. After all these drugs he is very itchy still, but it is getting much better. Email me if you have further questions as not always here and I can come back and post responses gladly.
carolg