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I'm in my second month of the elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis. So far the following have tested OK: oats (ONLY if certified as gluten-free), quinoa, corn, nutritional yeast, onions and garlic, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, blueberries, apples, pears, peaches, and pineapple (canned but not fresh). Failures have been: beans and legumes, white potatoes, tomatoes (I'm assuming all nightshades), cheap store-bought oats (gluten contamination), mushrooms and bananas. I was gluten-free before I started. I'm still cooking all of my food on the recommendation of my GI. Last week had a BAD reaction to mushrooms, so no testing this week to let my system recover. It took a while for my esophagus to heal enough that I could detect a bad reaction. When I first started it had a thick layer of white blood cells (eosinophils) protecting it. The inflammation seems to be clearing up - which ironically means I am MORE sensitive to food than I was before. Thanks for starting this thread.
Kate

You could freeze some of your cantaloupe until you're ready to test it. I'd test leafy herbs individually. Thyme is a member of the mint family and high in salicylates. Basil is also high in salicylates. You may or may not be sensitive to salicylates. Parsley is low in salicylates.

http://salicylatesensitivity.com/about/ ... -toppings/

http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/E ... anical.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain :
Allergies

Plantain and banana allergy are reported in some human beings. Patients with allergy to plantains and banana report adverse reactions immediately after consumption, that is, up to one hour after ingestion. Symptoms are characteristics of food allergy: from mild reactions, such as itching and mild swelling of the lips, tongue, palate and throat, followed by a rapid resolution of symptoms, to itching rush and hives in the skin or mucous swelling, stomach complaints, hay fever, constriction of the throat and asthma, or anaphylactic shock – a generalized serious reaction with a large drop in blood pressure.[15]

The allergy may take two forms:

Birch-pollen allergy.
Others develop allergy because of the similarity between the allergens in plantain/banana and natural rubber latex, a condition known as the latex-fruit syndrome.

Although plantain and banana allergy is not among the top five food allergies, it cannot be considered as a rare allergy, neither in children nor in adults. Generally, the frequency is higher among specific groups of patients, as for example those allergic to latex, to pollens, or to plant-derived foods.


Dr. McDougall's elimination diet excludes major common allergen foods, but some still might discover they can't eat some of the foods listed as okay without negative consequences of some sort.

For example, if you have sensitivity to salicylate, some of the vegs listed on http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_allergic.html as okay are actually high in salicylate. You might not find relief of your symptoms if you included these, depending on individual factors.
http://www.allergyclinic.co.nz/guides/30.html

http://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_into ... intol.html

It's an 80,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, I tell ya.

I hear ya.

Do you think food salicylate if eaten in high enough amounts wouldn't have the same effect as do aspirin or other drugs? You might want to explore the list carefully. I'd probably stick to the negligible or low salicylate foods initially. Make it a part of the elimination. See if you feel better. Add the high ones back in slowly. If it is salicylate at the root of the problem, you will discover that pretty quickly by eliminating it/drastically reducing it at the get-go. Don't you think so?

Since you know salicylate is a problem for you, I think you are a step ahead of the game. The McDougall elimination diet doesn't really address salicylate intolerance/sensitivity. I can't imagine he'd say continue to eat lots of high salicylate foods if you know you have an intolerance to salicylate. If he sees this, and I'm wrong about that, he can correct me.

Hi Kate, so nice to see you in here. You are always so helpful even though you have your own challenges to face. It's also encouraging to see another person who is successfully working through this maze.

I didn't know cantaloupe freezes well. I will give that a shot. Thanks. And noted about the herbs.





If banana is in the latex family, then that is probably safe. I've had pretty hefty exposure to latex gloves and never had a problem. I have anaphylactic reactions to fish and shellfish (and other non-foods), so I am pretty aware of potentially dangerous reactions.


This is a RIDICULOUS puzzle. I usually like puzzles but this one is pissing me off.

I'll remove the high salicylate foods if I don't notice a significant improvement when hit the 1 week mark in two more days. If that works, then I might try the Failsafe challenge first to see if any of those categories elicit reactions, then maybe do some individual testing. I've noticed a moderate improvement, but I know I can feel much better than this. The only saving grace on that one is that I like pears and greens, so it won't be hideously intolerable.

Thanks again, Agnes.

I get a racy heart and anxiety-like symptoms from taking aspirin or ibuprofen, plus extreme abdominal pain. I don't get those symptoms from anything else, and my food testing is for CFS symptoms; I am not sure if the dose-related responses are expected to be significantly different. I am fine using skin products that contain salicylates. Not sure if that's relevant.

I'll remove the sweet potatoes and stick to peaches as my fruit if the ED doesn't make things better in another 2 days (I'll give it a week). Dr. M says it takes about a week for his elimination process, if I am recalling correctly. I'll pretty much eat rice (I'll switch to white), greens, cruciferous veggies, and cooked pears and see what that does for a week or two. The white rice will likely constipate me (a problem from my thyroid disease), but I suppose I can deal with that for a week if I have to. Anything on that list look salicylate-high?

Geeze, I'm a mess.

Katy, how did you get through so many test foods so fast?

Ha. But you're a cute mess. Here's another chart:
http://www.everydaywithadhd.com.au/user ... _Chart.pdf
For salicylate, it appears that cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts would be better choices than spinach, watercress and broccoli. Peel your pears.

http://www.northernbeacheskinesiology.c ... ifference/

Here's another one to add to your reading material pile. References CFS:
http://www.feingold.org/Research/PDFstu ... 2-open.pdf


I burned a hole in my gut with naprosyn, so I know what that feels like. Frankly, the fibro pain and brain fog was more pleasant to live with than that horrible burning alive.

I think if I did an elimination diet, the hardest thing to give up would be spices.

Yep, the lack of seasoning was the biggest reason I didn't do one before. And I hate it now. I miss my onion, garlic, ginger, pepper sauces, and spices!

This is very timely for me. I am having liver problems, which have not gotten better despite being on McDougall diet since April and losing 20 pounds. So my doctor wants me to go on an anti-fungal diet with medication. Although this diet allows meat and oil, it's otherwise pretty close to McDougall's elimination diet. (I wouldn't be eating the meat and oil!) Except, NO FRUIT! I thought I'd die without fruit, but thinking it over, I guess it's possible.

The only other thing is he has you follow this regime for 40 days (based on the time the medication takes) and says if you're going to cheat, don't bother doing it. It's pretty strict, but I know other people here are following very strict and limited eating plans.

So I'm not too enthused about it, but I'm not getting better with the status quo. At this point, I'm taking milk thistle for two weeks to see if the bloodwork numbers indicate any improvement before starting the medication. I'm just hoping the fresh local peaches come in before I have to give up fruit entirely!

Very ironic that these are links to ADHD sites. I'm on an ADHD med for my CFS (I've stopped taking it for the ED so that it doesn't interfere with my results).

Yes, spices are hard. I'm all about layering flavors and this week has been about as flat as a piece of cardboard. The only saving grace is the little bit of salt I'm using.

I will peel my pears. Goes against my grain, but I shall comply and try not to complain too much.

If this happens to be a salicylate issue do you know if it goes away with time? If it's a problem for ADHD kids, many of them outgrow it. Would that be an expectation for an adult with the problem?

Amen, sister!

I was so excited about this WOE because I could have fruit again, so I feel your pain!

I hope you find an answer that is reasonable for your lifestyle.

I don't know that it goes away, but if it doesn't there may be a level that doesn't cause issues you can't live with. Who knows what that level is. You may only have a few high-salicylate trigger foods. You'd have to track it and see.
http://salicylatesensitivity.com/info5/

http://www.mealplansite.com/medical-sal ... ivity.aspx :
"In high enough doses salicylates are harmful to everyone, but most people can handle average amounts of salicylates without any adverse affects on their health. However there are a small percentage of the population for who even a small dose of salicylates can be a problem and it is dose-related. Salicylate Sensitivity is not an allergy, but an intolerance where people are unable to handle more than a certain amount of salicylates at a time. The tolerated amount and items vary slightly from person to person. Salicylates also have a cumulative effect in the body and build up over time, this means that a salicylate sensitive person may be able to tolerate a small amount of salicylates but will experience symptoms after excessive exposure."

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-happens-in ... attack.htm :
"There are many products that contain aspirin or NSAIDs, and these can include lots of cold medicines, some antacids, and numerous prescription pain relievers. Some people will develop allergies to all salicylates and these present naturally in a number of different foods and drinks. If doctors suspect that aspirin allergy or salicylate allergy is severe they may have suggestions about limiting intake of foods that contain salicylates. People should also watch for cosmetic products, since a number of these have salicylic acid and should be probably be avoided if allergy or sensitivity exists."

I cheated . I do a food challenge for two day, go back to ED for two days and start a new challenge. When I get an immediate hit I stop there. I don't poison myself for two days. The only time I wait a week between challenges is when I have been physically damaged by a challenge food - this has happened twice with cheap oats (couldn't swallow for a day) and with mushrooms (threw up all night). With everything else I either already knew I was sensitive before I started (beans and legumes, gluten) or had an immediate reaction (nightshades) and stopped immediately. I also fast on Sundays for other reasons, and this seems to reboot my system for new challenges at the beginning of the week.

I agree about the spices. It was hard for me to start using salt again, having been completely off it for years thanks to JeffN, but I wasn't eating enough to maintain my weight without it. Cinnamon was one of the first things I tested in a challenge and thank goodness it passed! I was also worried about the lily family based on my internet reading, but onions and garlic both tested OK . With those 4 'spices' I'm pretty content with my food.

Kate