J's new elimination diet

[Ltldogg]

I'm curious why you continue to test a food for 4-7 days if you are reacting to it?

Because you might be experiencing cross-reaction or reaction to older foods still in your digestion track. This would only apply if you are eating more than 2 foods generally speaking. So why not be sure and give it plenty of time. Of course if you are sure that one food has flared you up, drop it immediately and maybe test a year later or so. Also, it is important you test only one new food at a time.

Does it ever improve between 3 and 7 days?

It did for me. I have been testing enriched wheat pasta only and for the first 3-4 days I still had hip pain, eye pain, sensitive teeth, skin issues. These pains were not worse than before, but after day 4 everything got better and I'm at a point today I can actually jog/run without any pain; first time in over a year. I'm still testing and plan on going for up to 30 days because I have been in such bad pain this past year that it is blissful to enjoy such an improvement. I still have some eye problems, but that is improving, my sleep has been great, my BMs have been amazingly great (smooth, easy to pass, etc.), my bloating and edema has gone way down, and the refined pasta is satisfying and filing.

How are you doing now?

I'm in the best place I have been in a very long time. I have taken maybe one Tylenol in the last 2 weeks. I haven't had to use my cane in a couple of months. I have complete range of motion back in my hips/legs. So I'm on to something and just need to continue with a very slow, thorough ED. After 3.5+ years I have finally learned that lesson that I need to go longer and slower; probably way more than the average person would need. What I have experienced is that eating one food can have the same effect and feeling of just water fasting in that the forst 1-3/4 days can be aggravating due to withdrawal and desire to eat other things, but after day 3/4 mentally it is easy and euphoric if you are eating a single food that does not trigger inflammation.

Stick with it, take your time, be sure and hopefully you will only have to do it once and can find foods that cause zero pain! I look forward to your updates in this thread!

Sincerely,
Scott

[jamietwo]

Thanks Scott! Everything you said makes a lot of sense! That is great that you've been committed to your elimination diet for so long and with such great success! Glad to hear you're doing so much better!

I'm struggling with the fear factor: am I wrecking a good thing (living life with no pain) by doing this now?

And I'm also struggling with eating more brown rice. I normally eat brown rice every day anyway, but its different eating it plain! I'll try to hold out a while longer, although I think I am going to (rightly or wrongly) bump my meds back up to 200 mg/day. I've got a bunch of stuff going on right now and can't afford to get sick!! I wish I knew how much that (the meds) impacted my reactions...

If you don't mind my asking, are you doing this without meds?

[Ltldogg]

Thanks Scott! Everything you said makes a lot of sense! That is great that you've been committed to your elimination diet for so long and with such great success! Glad to hear you're doing so much better!

You're welcome and thank you!

I'm struggling with the fear factor: am I wrecking a good thing (living life with no pain) by doing this now?

I can't answer that for you but I will relay my thinking. I know that my autoimmune flares are not going to kill me (regardless of how painful they can be and how long they last) and I also know that unless I identify exactly what foods cause my body to trigger the pain and inflammation, I will always be in pain. So, I would rather take the hard and arduous road to pin-point what foods I can and cannot eat, so that I can live without pain for the rest of my, hopefully, long life! I'm only 42, but even if this had happened at 62 or 82, I would take the same path because I have been following a whole food plant based diet and my body is in great health otherwise and I feel I have extended my possible life span; that and I love life and want to live as long as possible and without pain.

And I'm also struggling with eating more brown rice. I normally eat brown rice every day anyway, but its different eating it plain! I'll try to hold out a while longer, although I think I am going to (rightly or wrongly) bump my meds back up to 200 mg/day. I've got a bunch of stuff going on right now and can't afford to get sick!! I wish I knew how much that (the meds) impacted my reactions...

I know the feeling/struggle, but I encourage you to push beyond that struggle for at least a week with each food to make sure the food is safe or not. Just keep in mind the end-game. Also know that there are plenty of foods you can test, one at a time for 4-7 days (mono-meal), during the ED. So you have something to look forward to; just don't rush and don't let food addiction and nostalgia trip you up or you have to start all over again for a certain food. Take your time, be sure of the food and do it once!

If you don't mind my asking, are you doing this without meds?

I definitely don't mind. Yes, the only meds I have ever taken (outside of ER trips in the beginning) as Rx are Durezol (steroid drops) for my Uveitis, and I did try Linzess for my slow transit digestion. The Durezol drops have been an absolute necessity in the past a few times when I cannot see and the pain from any light is just unbearable. The Linzess didn't work at all.

I always read up on the research and efficacy reports on any meds as well as look for as many user anecdotes as possible and in doing so I have easily said no to all the meds docs have wanted to put me on for UC, Crohn's, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis, etc. If you visit any of the IBD/Autoimmune specific forums you should see the same pattern: patient starts a med, it might work and if so only for a bit, then gets put on different meds, eventually needing to be put on additional meds to counter the negative effects of the other meds, etc. No thanks. I'm not putting my body at real risk of harm and death, nor am I any longer wasting time, money and effort with the medical and pharmaceutical "industry". I don't believe in their standard business model, which is to make as much money as possible in the guise of helping sick people get better. For all most all doctors, specialist and pharmaceuticals, they're an absolute scam. I will only seek out for an emergency going forward.

The only OTC that I take is Tylenol, which does help greatly, but I will only take when necessary and only for as long as necessary; in other words, if the pain is anything close to bearable, I will not take. I did try NSAIDs back in the beginning of my journey 3.5 years ago, but they did not help and after reading the available research I am not going to further destroy my gut, which is what NSAIDs will do.

I hope this info is helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions,
Scott

[jamietwo]

Thanks, Scott, for your insight. I was journaling my elimination diet 5 years ago when I was having my major (to me!) Lupus flare. I declined medication at every turn, through the worst of the flare, until the rheumatologist explained to me that the reason I had lost so much weight (down to 16 or 16.5 bmi - I need to go back to my old journal to look it up) is that the Lupus was attacking my muscles. My muscles looked like what I would expect those of a feeble person in a nursing home to look like. At the time I was 54 with a young teen still living at home and I was the sole support of my family. I decided then that losing a few years off my life would be worth it to have quality of life again. But now that I've had a good quality of life for a number of years ... I want more! Greedy, aren't I?

I won't throw in the towel just yet, thanks to your encouragement. But if my ED interferes with me getting my too-big home of over two decades ready to sell (and to sell and buy and move), then I will try again after I'm settled again, hopefully early next year! I honestly don't know why I chose "Now" to do this other than the fact that I've been feeling great and getting so much accomplished that I felt invincible! Which brings up cliches like "the calm before the storm" and "pride goeth before a fall". I hope I'm not inviting trouble!

I got side-tracked after launching into "my story" and failed to mention how impressed I am that you (Scott) have done all this without meds!

[jamietwo]

10/9 brown rice, B, L, D

Still having joint pain from broccoli.

[jamietwo]

10/10 brown rice, B, L, D, S

I'm on my second day of rice only, and my joint pain is much-improved! I tell you what, when I'm only eating rice, I really do just eat when I'm hungry!

I didn't realize how many cruciferous vegetables I eat! Looking ahead a few days to when I test my next veggie, I'd really like to test something that I : 1/like, 2/can eat a lot of, and 3/goes well with rice. My first choice would be collard greens, and my second choice would be cabbage.

POLL : Keeping in mind, I've already had issues with kale (non-joint issues) and broccoli (joint issues) ... would you test another cruciferous veggie or not?

[Ltldogg]

10/10 brown rice, B, L, D, S

I'm on my second day of rice only, and my joint pain is much-improved! I tell you what, when I'm only eating rice, I really do just eat when I'm hungry!

I didn't realize how many cruciferous vegetables I eat! Looking ahead a few days to when I test my next veggie, I'd really like to test something that I : 1/like, 2/can eat a lot of, and 3/goes well with rice. My first choice would be collard greens, and my second choice would be cabbage.

POLL : Keeping in mind, I've already had issues with kale (non-joint issues) and broccoli (joint issues) ... would you test another cruciferous veggie or not?

Hi jamietwo,

I cannot eat any green/cruciferous veggies due to terrible flares with ALL my Autoimmune Diseases and I'm okay with that. I use to think I needed them and would constantly try to work them in my ED, but once I accepted I don't need them, I have been able to keep my pain way down.

I refer you back to our previous conversation and would say to stick with Brown rice only for at least 7 days before trying another food.

~Scott

[Lyndzie]

Do you have another food category you’d like to try? You could try nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, egglant) or summer squashes (zucchini, yellow squash). I’m a tomato lover, So that is where I’d start. Or maybe carrots and cucumbers?

[AlwaysAgnes]

10/10 brown rice, B, L, D, S

I'm on my second day of rice only, and my joint pain is much-improved! I tell you what, when I'm only eating rice, I really do just eat when I'm hungry!

I didn't realize how many cruciferous vegetables I eat! Looking ahead a few days to when I test my next veggie, I'd really like to test something that I : 1/like, 2/can eat a lot of, and 3/goes well with rice. My first choice would be collard greens, and my second choice would be cabbage.

POLL : Keeping in mind, I've already had issues with kale (non-joint issues) and broccoli (joint issues) ... would you test another cruciferous veggie or not?

I think I might steer away from the cruciferous vegs for a while in the hopes of finding something that isn't a problem. Cruciferous vegs could be a problem food group for some. Sulfur related? I don't know. Anyway, our problem foods can turn out to be the faves we eat often or in large amounts. Also, in smaller amounts or eaten less often, they might not be a problem. For non-cruciferous leafy greens, you could try escarole, endive, dandelion, amaranth, pea shoots, spinach, or radicchio. I'm not sure what I'd choose next in your position. I know I'd be missing my onions and garlic, so perhaps I'd try onion. Other more common vegs I might try sooner rather than later would be green beans, asparagus, summer squash, and carrots. Tomatoes and green bell pepper would also be very high on my "try that soon because I miss it" list. For fruit, I'd go with apples.

[jamietwo]

10/11 brown rice, B, L, D (day 3)


Thanks for sharing your experience, Scott! I will postpone testing anymore cruciferous veggies for a while. Today is day 3 on rice after my broccoli failed. Jeff recommends 4-5 days, but I’ll see if I can hold out for 7.


Thanks Lyndzie! I like your idea of carrots! They are another one of my staple foods, so I might as well find out if they are a problem sooner rather than later! Plus I have a 5 lb bag of carrots in my fridge! I decided potatoes and tomatoes were out when I did this 5 years ago (although I didn’t start with 1 food and its obvious that I react to many of my staple foods!). So I do plan to test nightshades, tomatoes and potatoes specifically - yum!!! down the road! I discovered cucumber slices make a decent sub for tomato slices in tacos, but I’m not sure I can eat them cooked (for the ED). Looks like I”m going to have to learn to like more cooked veggies!! And thanks for pointing out I was testing multiple cruciferous veggies in a previous post - I hadn’t made the connection!


Thanks AlwaysAgnes! Two suggestions for carrots - I think I’ll try them! Thanks for adding your vote to steer clear of the cruciferous veggies for now. I’ve been dying for a raw apple, but apples are actually very tasty cooked, so maybe I’ll test them soon. My thought process was I should get a veggie approved before a fruit, but if carrots don’t work out, I just might try cooked apples!


And thanks to Jeff for responding to my question in his forum (viewtopic.php?f=22&t=58659). He also suggests holding off on testing more cruciferous vegetables for now! I'm glad its unanimous!

[jamietwo]

10/12 brown rice, B, L, D (day 4)

Hangin' in there! Interesting development: maybe a coincidence? ... maybe a result of not being as hydrated since I'm not eating any fruits or vegetables? I only had to get up twice in the night, and I had a 5-hour stretch of sleep! Woo hoo! I could definitely live with that!

[jamietwo]

10/13 brown rice, B, L, D (day 5)

I'm dreaming of cooked carrots now! My usual way to eat carrots (when not munching a raw one), is to just cook them in soup or in with my greens or my broccoli (good-bye greens and broccoli ). I've also had roasted carrots (when I've had a bunch of other vegetables to roast!). I wonder what the "tastiest" way to cook carrots is. By the time I introduce carrots, any method of cooking them will probably taste good!

I guess I should mention that the joint pain that arrived with the broccoli is much better but not completely resolved yet.

[jamietwo]

10/14 brown rice, B, L, D (day 6)

[jamietwo]

10/15 brown rice and CARROTS, B, L, D (day 1 for carrots)

I'm wavering (again). I woke up this morning, and I think I'm catching a cold ... or something. I haven't had a cold in forever (loosely speaking ). So of course, I blame it on living on rice since 9/21/18 (with 3 days of vegetables tossed in every so often ), therefore I introduced cooked carrots today after 6 full days of rice only.

I'm seriously considering stopping this and restarting it after my house project. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I know everybody says it, but I don't have time to be sick!!

[jamietwo]

10/16 brown rice and CARROTS, B, L, D (day 2 for carrots)

I haven't thrown in the towel yet! I think it will depend on whether or not carrots are a keeper! I really need more than one food, or more accurately, I feel the need to eat more than just brown rice! There are other foods that I think I could happily live on! Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can keep eating carrots. If so, I'm going to introduce cooked apples next, and then I will have some variety (if you can call 3 foods variety!)! It would be so nice to have 3 foods to revert to if I react to a new food! If carrots are out, well, we'll cross that bridge if we must.