Food sensitivities as barrier to low carbing?
 

I'm so glad I came across this forum while searching the 'net for information on food sensitivities! Sounds like there are other people here who are experiencing rashes or other food-sensitivity issues due to changing their woe. First, the good news: I've lost 28 pounds since March (first thru WW, then the South Beach Diet) and have shrunk 3+ pants sizes thanks to changing my way of eating and re-dedication to exercising. Now the bad news: my new WOE has wrought total havoc on me due to food intolerances! I've had problems since childhood with all products made with dairy, corn, and peanuts (bad rashes and digestive problems). It's been pretty easily controlled since I'm not highly sensitive (aka "allergic") and I knew what my triggers were, but now I'm not so sure. Since going to SBD, my symptoms have gotten worse even after cutting out *all* known trigger foods. I even axed the eggs and soy since I ate very little of them pre-SBD. Next I tried a strict diet of relatively "hypoallergenic" foods like lamb, brown rice, and veggies. There was a moderate improvement, but not with the speed and to the extent I've experienced in the past when I've strictly removed trigger foods. So, for the past week I've been living on oats and a very limited variety of veggies. My symptoms have improved significantly (except I had a nasty reaction my first day .... could've been exposure to some chemicals in the garden, the digestive enzymes I took, or maybe the quinoa?) though I'm clearly not getting enough calories or protein. My doc -whom I respect and trust- reaffirmed that I had food allergies (duh), told me to go back to my pre-SBD way of eating, prescribed a steroid cream (ick!), and referred me to an allergist who can't see me until January. Frankly, my body seems to be so hypersensitized that even though I'm not eating SBD foods I'm still recovering verrrrry slowly. I'd also prefer to get at the root of my problems, rather than simply treating the symptoms. For this reason, I'm opting to slowly add back one food at a time to my diet to try and gauge my body's reaction (yesterday's food: black beans!).

So what am I looking for (besides lots of sympathy, lol!)? I've scoured the 'net and can really only find references to intolerances/allergies to a few foods (dairy, peanuts, soy, wheat, etc.). And I can't find anything about the impact of dietary changes, such as going low carb. So ....:

- Has anyone experienced significant changes in how their bodies handle food since going to SBD or other low carb ways of eating?
- I think it's a safe bet that everyone here is actively low-carbing .... but are any of you aware of people who for medical/physical reasons can't tolerate a low carb/higher protein diet? Is this possible?
- Has anyone ever heard of a meat protein food intolerance?? (I have a theory this is part of my problem since I really ate very little meat pre-SBD)
- I want to start adding/testing protein sources in my diet asap and would prefer to start with those that have the least likelihood of triggering me (like dairy). I understand soy can be problematic. Can anyone recommend some specific sources?
- Any other recs? One caveat is that I'm hesitant to try lots of new supplements, etc. now .... I had a miserable reaction to a multivitamin years ago!

Thanks in advance for any help you all may be able to offer with my "weird" nutritional demands!!!

Linda

how about fish. I have never heard of an intolerance to plain white fish.

Fish
 

Well.... actually by many counts the third leading cause of food allergy (after eggs and milk) is seafood, including both fish and shellfish. I'm not aware that I have sensitivities to fish, however, so it might be worth a shot.

Have you introduced artificial sweeteners into your diet? I've heard that different AS's can cause a series of symptoms, including rashes, asthma, headaches and stomach problems. Maybe it's the fat in the protein that's causing the allergic reaction. I've always heard the fat is where the toxins are stored. Just a few thoughts. Don't know if they will help. Victoria

AS & Fat
 

Anything's possible, Victoria!! I've consumed aspartame for years, though not in huge amounts (maybe 3-5 diet colas a week, plus one or two dessert-type things). I've cut that amount down dramatically since cleaning up my act with the South Beach Diet. I did dabble a bit with Splenda (still in very small amounts) and a few Carbolite and Russell Stover low carb chocolate treats. The latter really did a number on my digestive tract ... they count as the best-tasting laxatives I've ever eaten! I didn't draw any connections between those products and the other symptoms you've described, but my rash, etc. was pretty much in full swing at the time so it would've been tough to tell. I haven't had so much as a nibble of AS in nearing 3 weeks now. The fat = toxin connection is an interesting one and something I hadn't really thought of. When I was doing SBD, I tried to eat mostly lean meats, but I was definitely eating more fat than I was used to. Off to do more research ...... :)