Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I was on Paleo for about a month. I decided to take it up because I've already lost my colon to ulcerative colitis and recently I've been having increasing issues with pouchitis. The drugs don't work, I don't tolerate many of the side effects, and they don't address the root cause of the problem, so I've basically given up on them. During my month on Paleo, my eczema cleared up significantly, as did the chronic back pain I've suffered for many years due to degenerative disc disease. I also suffered chronic joint pain all over, which I always attributed to the colitis. This went away completely as well.

My doctor wants to run food allergy testing on me (IgE), so I had to adopt a "regular" diet for the past couple of days. I wanted to test my body's reaction to "normal" food, so the first thing I ate yesterday was a piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Within an hour, my lower back and shoulder were killing me. As the day progressed, pain spread to my other joints as well. This was concrete PROOF for me that food really does matter in immune conditions!

What do you think I'm reacting to? The gluten, dairy, eggs, or sugar? Perhaps all of them? I know I could have tested one thing at a time...maybe some other time if these blood tests aren't conclusive, which I doubt they will be.

Thanks for any insight you may have.

flag	asked Oct 18 at 2:49 NoColonStillRollin' 11●1

	IgE food allergy tests aren't enough. You also need IgG. I don't know why it's so hard for people to understand that EAT GOOD = GOOD STUFF HAPPENS. EAT BAD = BAD STUFF HAPPENS. Case and point: obese people – BoneBrothFast Oct 18 at 8:07
	And now I remember why I rarely come here. Thanks for the reminder BoneBrothFast. – Katherine Oct 18 at 14:46
	I think it's because the interests that be (e.g. Monsanto, pharmaceutical companies, etc.) would all be broke if that common knowledge were adopted by all. During the course of my illness, I had a GI doctor actually tell me that it did not matter what I ate, that I should enjoy life. What a joke! – NoColonStillRollin' Oct 18 at 14:52

CD · Answer 1 · 2012-10-18 02:59:39Z UTC

I would lean towards gluten and/or sugar since it appears to be an inflammation based reaction and not an allergy. That being said there's always the option that it's more of a placebo effect given you now know the damage SAD eating can inflict.

David McC · Answer 2 · 2012-10-18 13:38:06Z UTC

It's going to be hard to know until you exclude them one by one. Even then you might find that it's only a combination of them that hits you. For example I can eat moderate amounts of flour or sugar with no obvious digestive issues, but sweet pastry causes instant indigestion.

If you've had a lifetime of digestion issues and only been paleo for a month or so, I wouldn't bother with finding out the triggers just yet. You could usefully keep a clean paleo diet for 6 months, let your system recover and when you feel strong again, you could start experimenting. Good luck.

Katherine · Answer 3 · 2012-10-18 14:45:56Z UTC

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Honestly, what will IgE testing tell you? only if you have true IgE mediated allergies to foods.

There are still countless ways to be intolerant to various foods...many of which are not measurable yet.

You're dealing with really serious issues here. It's not worth it. Go back to what works.

answered Oct 18 at 14:45

Katherine
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That's how I feel. The doctor felt strongly like he wanted to do it. I'm hoping that if nothing comes back abnormal, he'll be willing to order me the Cyrex tests. – NoColonStillRollin' Oct 18 at 14:53

kristen · Answer 4 · 2012-10-18 15:35:35Z UTC

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I too have UC and horrible exczema. I recently "splurged" and had the igg elisa test done. i was highly sensitive to every type of dairy, eggs, yeast, coffee...the list goes on. So to answer your question, it could be any or all of those you mentioned. I highly recommend getting tested, it's a lot of money, but worth getting some answers.

answered Oct 18 at 15:35

kristen
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Thanks for your response, Kristen. Have you now cut out the offending foods, and if so, have you noticed an improvement in your UC symptoms? It's tragic that coffee seems to be one of the culprits! – NoColonStillRollin' Oct 18 at 16:51

What am I reacting to?

4 Answers