This post is the fourth in a series… please read part 1, 2 and 3 so this makes sense.
“There are good days and bad days…”
Dear Food Diary,
Day 64 today. Looking back, it’s been easier than I thought. You kind of get used to not eating out, cooking a lot, prepping for the week ahead, and introducing novel items into the daily diet. Kale sprouts? Nope, didn’t know about those before (great sautéed with bacon). Pre-packaged sausages hide all sorts of things you shouldn’t eat (and, after research, don’t really want to). Make your own sausage! Kombucha, a fermented tea, is freakin’ amazingly tasty. Sans caffeine, I’m not tired, cranky or bitchy. I weigh less now than I have in probably 20 years – my skinny jeans aren’t called “skinny” anymore. But, although there’s plenty of fun associated with these insights, none of these reasons are why I started on this journey.
I wanted to cure my food allergies to shellfish, avocados and almonds and gorge like the foodie animal I am.
Guess what? It appears to be working. Ate an avocado without experiencing any eye itching within 24 hours. Enjoyed shrimp without any typical irritation whatsoever.
But, as they say in all tests, the results are preliminary. Although these two foods haven’t shown any reactions, other mysterious foods have. Gelatin, which is supposed to be ah-mazing for gut health, gave me a strong allergic reaction. I looked for the brand everyone talks about — Great Lakes—but settled on the only option I found, Knorr. Bad idea I suppose. And I bought a glutamine powder (amino acid that purportedly heals the gut) which also gave me a reaction. Both are new to my body so perhaps in its purity (or so I like to think), my gut is defending against foreign invaders. Both products are also processed and there are so many additives and fake crap in supplements that the glutamine or gelatin could have been toxic. Go figure.
And two nights ago, in a moment of weakness (and sheer laziness), we ordered pre-cooked buffalo chicken wings from Safeway. I ignored the possible breading (very light), the bad (possibly toxic) oil they were deep fried in and whatever seasoning they were drenched in. BIG mistake – massive eye blow up the next morning. Apparently, after 62 days of pure eating, my gut no longer tolerates fake food. Damn.
With all the positive aspects, this reaction makes me wonder whether my gut is, indeed, healed. My eye inflammation issues originate because proteins are allowed to penetrate or “leak through” my intestinal lining. And if it’s healed, shouldn’t the reactions go away? Unknown at this point and not many avenues to consult to find the true answer. No matter… I soldier on.
The Reintroduction
About a week ago, I started reintroducing foods back into my diet. A little early but well, whatever… Cheese at Day 52 – locally sourced, grass fed cows. No issues at all. Wine at Day 56 – HUGE buzz after only a 4 ounce pour. No problem, except the next morning I could feel it. One glass. (Or a half glass in some circles.) Day 58 was big, since that was Shrimp Day. And nuts re-arrived on Day 60. All of these provided no stomach issues or allergic reactions.
Twas a party until gluten came back into the fold. Whole wheat pancakes. Talk about heavy in the tummy… like a sock filled with sand grew into my belly. It didn’t hurt… just uncomfortably bloaty. And these pancakes were really, really good. I’ll need to take it easy on the gluten in the future… the food needs to be worth the sacrifice. Crusty French baguette, fluffy flapjacks…
This process doesn’t need to be bland or unsatisfying. The AIP community is out there on forums and on Pinterest. search AIP Diet and plenty of recipes will pop up. I also created a bunch of AIP-friendly recipes during this journey which, if I do say so myself, are pretty tasty. With the right amount of willpower, the 60 days can go quickly. Trust me.
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Hi Taylor- I am a friend of Randy James from Tampa. He told me to read up on your food allergy stuggle as I too, in my very early 50’s, am now suffering from allergies to a long list of foods( and an equally long list of enviromental allergens!). I have chronic sinus pain/pressure issues that cause headache/post nasal drip and cough- weirdly in my left side only?! I feel you pain, I admire your will power to stick to that horrific diet. I have elected to try allergy immunotherapy shots 1x a week to see if they will help with the enviromental allergies, those I cannot control by not putting them into my mouth. I attempted to use a similar ‘leaky gut’ diet to deal with my allergies too- the Candida diet- however that was determined no good for me when it was revealed I am allergic to too many foods. I am still trying to figure out what I can eat. I have brought some meat back into my diet after 21/2 years of no meat :(. I am way allergic to a lot of crazy things- vanilla,lettace,most fruits except for oranges, peppers,onion, lentils… grapes(I whine= wine)eggs,shrimp and lobster. I am not sure what is going on in my body and am curious if menopause changes are not a culprit?? Anyway, my sinus issues are not much better yet, and I will keep hitting up the internet to see what else I might try to help myself. Thank you for sharing your allergy journey here- know you are not alone! 🙂 Emily