Hi Mary Beth,
How important is it to rotate foods? IOW, is there any solid evidence that sensitivity will develop from eating the same food consistently, or is this just supposition? With my limited diet, I tend to eat the same foods over and over - like my usual breakfast is a mixture of cut-up banana, blueberries, and either walnuts or pecans. I'd appreciate your expertise.
Hugs,
Polly
Question for Mary Beth
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Question for Mary Beth
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Polly,
It certainly does happen, but I am not sure how often it happens becasue not many people re-test. When I re-tested recently I found that some of my low green foods had moved up to high greens, yellows or even reds (coffee/caffeine is a good example for me). I didn't do a good job of rotating some of my foods. I think it's wise to rotate your foods at least a little, so maybe come up with a an alternative fruit/nut combo for breakfast.
Mary Beth
It certainly does happen, but I am not sure how often it happens becasue not many people re-test. When I re-tested recently I found that some of my low green foods had moved up to high greens, yellows or even reds (coffee/caffeine is a good example for me). I didn't do a good job of rotating some of my foods. I think it's wise to rotate your foods at least a little, so maybe come up with a an alternative fruit/nut combo for breakfast.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
This is a very interesting topic that I have often wondered about. Logically, rotating the foods makes sense to me, and I try my best to do it, but find it very difficult on my limited diet. I have noticed that if I eat too much of anything and at the same time, too often, I develop a sensitivity to it. Examples that come to mind are Earth Balance butter spread, Udi's bread, as well as beets and garlic.
Beets were a low green for me, but as I was exuberantly incorporating them into my diet (love them), I developed a sensitivity.
Garlic tested barely into yellow, and I was able to tolerate it for a while. However, I probably overdid it, so I went back to reacting, and had to drop it again :(.
Coffee, which has been the hardest thing for me to give up, I keep trying from time to time, and am now having about half a cup, which I sip on throughout the day (yes, itsy, bitsy sips which make me very happy:)). The only noticeable effect is that it makes my stools a bit softer. However, it tends to build up over time and get worse, so I will probably have to drop it again :(.
For me, this is such a balancing act and takes constant vigilance. Hopefully, one of these days it will become second nature, and will no longer take up so much of my energy.
Love,
Kari
Beets were a low green for me, but as I was exuberantly incorporating them into my diet (love them), I developed a sensitivity.
Garlic tested barely into yellow, and I was able to tolerate it for a while. However, I probably overdid it, so I went back to reacting, and had to drop it again :(.
Coffee, which has been the hardest thing for me to give up, I keep trying from time to time, and am now having about half a cup, which I sip on throughout the day (yes, itsy, bitsy sips which make me very happy:)). The only noticeable effect is that it makes my stools a bit softer. However, it tends to build up over time and get worse, so I will probably have to drop it again :(.
For me, this is such a balancing act and takes constant vigilance. Hopefully, one of these days it will become second nature, and will no longer take up so much of my energy.
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
I don't mean to throw a wet blanket on this discussion, but I'm not sure that a rotation diet will prevent the development of a food-sensitivity, if our genes that predispose to that sensitivity are already triggered. Here's why:
Remember my oat challenge, 5 years ago? When I started that challenge, I wasn't sensitive to oats, (I had no reaction at all, early on), and I hadn't eaten any oats in probably at least 5 years
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6013
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6036
I didn't do it as a conventional challenge - I did it as part of a rotation diet, so that I only ate oats twice a week, at least 3 days apart, (3 days followed by 4 days). I initially thought that by doing that, I would never develop a sensitivity to oats. That's why I mentioned that I might begin to eat it every day, after a couple of weeks, in order to verify whether or not I was actually sensitive to them. I never changed the schedule, though, I maintained a 3 day/4 day rotation, the entire time.
The rotation didn't help - after about 6 weeks, the D started, and wouldn't stop. It took about 6 weeks for it to completely settle down, and anytime after that point, if I ate any oats, it cleaned me out in about 3 hours, (as you can see by the posts I made in the threads at the links above).
Anyway, that's why I don't bother worrying about a rotation diet. I eat virtually the same foods, every day, with only slight variations on certain days. For example, I eat pork 6 or 7 days per week, (every week), and potatoes, 6 days each week. I usually eat eggs and bacon for breakfast, 7 days each week, but occasionally I will substitute pancakes for the eggs, and once in a while, I will just substitute a Chex GF cereal, for breakfast. Basically, though, I always eat the same basic foods that I've always eaten for my entire life, except for gluten, dairy, nuts, and fruits and vegetables, (of course, that cuts out a lot of foods, but it mostly just cuts out processed foods.
Note that I don't avoid fruits and vegetables because I react to them, but because I no longer have a colon, and with an ileostomy, fiber is not only not my friend, but it is now a major enemy.
Tex
Remember my oat challenge, 5 years ago? When I started that challenge, I wasn't sensitive to oats, (I had no reaction at all, early on), and I hadn't eaten any oats in probably at least 5 years
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6013
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6036
I didn't do it as a conventional challenge - I did it as part of a rotation diet, so that I only ate oats twice a week, at least 3 days apart, (3 days followed by 4 days). I initially thought that by doing that, I would never develop a sensitivity to oats. That's why I mentioned that I might begin to eat it every day, after a couple of weeks, in order to verify whether or not I was actually sensitive to them. I never changed the schedule, though, I maintained a 3 day/4 day rotation, the entire time.
The rotation didn't help - after about 6 weeks, the D started, and wouldn't stop. It took about 6 weeks for it to completely settle down, and anytime after that point, if I ate any oats, it cleaned me out in about 3 hours, (as you can see by the posts I made in the threads at the links above).
Anyway, that's why I don't bother worrying about a rotation diet. I eat virtually the same foods, every day, with only slight variations on certain days. For example, I eat pork 6 or 7 days per week, (every week), and potatoes, 6 days each week. I usually eat eggs and bacon for breakfast, 7 days each week, but occasionally I will substitute pancakes for the eggs, and once in a while, I will just substitute a Chex GF cereal, for breakfast. Basically, though, I always eat the same basic foods that I've always eaten for my entire life, except for gluten, dairy, nuts, and fruits and vegetables, (of course, that cuts out a lot of foods, but it mostly just cuts out processed foods.
Note that I don't avoid fruits and vegetables because I react to them, but because I no longer have a colon, and with an ileostomy, fiber is not only not my friend, but it is now a major enemy.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.