Well that was fast! I sent my sample in on Monday, test results came back today:
Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 33 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 23 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 48 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-soy IgA 13 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 21 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Grains:
Grain toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Oat
Grain toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Corn
Meats:
Meat toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Tuna
Meat toward which you were next most immunologically reactive: Beef
Meat toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Chicken
Meat toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Pork
Nuts:
Nut toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Almond
Nut toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Walnut
Nut toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Cashew
Food to which there was no significant immunological reactivity:
Rice
Food to which there was some immunological reactivity (1+):
Oat
Corn
Beef
Chicken
Pork
Cashew
White potato
Food to which there was moderate immunological reactivity (2+):
Tuna
Almond
Walnut
Food to which there was significant and/or the most immunological reactivity (3+):
None
Enterolab Results
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
That was indeed fast. And your results appear to be definitive (high enough to remove any doubt about their accuracy), despite your taking budesonide for a while. While your results show you to be quite sensitive to the 4 most common food sensitivities (and those will almost surely be lifetime sensitivities), you appear to have come out much better off that most of us in the test of the 11 additional antigenic foods. No 3+ foods, and only a few foods that you can easily do without in the 2+ categories will make life much easier in the long run. While you will probably have to either avoid, or design a rotation diet for the least reactive foods in the 1+ category while you are recovering (such as pork and maybe chicken), there's a good chance that you may be able to add some or many of them back into your diet after your gut has healed (because of their relatively low sensitivity rating). Beef will probably need to be avoided, because of it's ranking at the top.
Remember that turkey is virtually always a safer choice than chicken (very, very few of us are sensitive to turkey), and virtually no one here reacts to lamb, or wild game meat (including rabbit, venison, quail, pheasant, goose, duck, etc.). Also, even though potato is on the reactive list, sweet potato may be an option. And fortunately, you showed no reaction to rice, so that's a good safe carb that's used in many GF products.
Many of us use Almond Milk as a safe substitute for cow's milk. But since you showed a moderate reaction to almond, you may find that Rice Milk (or Coconut Milk, or Hemp Milk) is a safer alternative to cow's milk than almond milk in recipes, or if you choose to eat a GF breakfast cereal such as Rice Chex.
At any rate, now you can begin to design a recovery diet with much more confidence.
Do you mind if I add your results to our list, or would you rather I didn't?
Tex
Remember that turkey is virtually always a safer choice than chicken (very, very few of us are sensitive to turkey), and virtually no one here reacts to lamb, or wild game meat (including rabbit, venison, quail, pheasant, goose, duck, etc.). Also, even though potato is on the reactive list, sweet potato may be an option. And fortunately, you showed no reaction to rice, so that's a good safe carb that's used in many GF products.
Many of us use Almond Milk as a safe substitute for cow's milk. But since you showed a moderate reaction to almond, you may find that Rice Milk (or Coconut Milk, or Hemp Milk) is a safer alternative to cow's milk than almond milk in recipes, or if you choose to eat a GF breakfast cereal such as Rice Chex.
At any rate, now you can begin to design a recovery diet with much more confidence.
Do you mind if I add your results to our list, or would you rather I didn't?
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.
I'd be more than happy for you to add my results to the list. Would you place peanut on there anywhere since it wasn't listed? It's a staple of my diet... so was tuna up until now! At least I can still eat bacon. I already suspected eggs were a major issue for me. Every time I've had a substantial amount for breakfast, approximately 4-5 eggs at one time, the results were never pleasant so had already eliminated that. Dairy has been gone from my diet as well aside from some small amounts of cheese on a burger, for example. I've been substituting regular milk for almond milk and never noticed any issues but removing that will probably help things along as well. My biggest sadness is the possibility beef will be a problem. I love steak! In fact I've got a one pound New York strip thawing in the fridge right now.
BearcatRx,
Instead of beef, I buy different cuts of lamb (shoulder/leg/chops/rack/ground) and grill them. I find them to be a very good substitute, as they are quite tender and have a good amount of fat. I just discovered using hickory wood chips, which impart a delicious flavor to the meat during grilling.
As Tex said, Turkey is also a good choice, I find it a bit dry but use my bacon dripping to add flavor to turkey burgers.
Instead of beef, I buy different cuts of lamb (shoulder/leg/chops/rack/ground) and grill them. I find them to be a very good substitute, as they are quite tender and have a good amount of fat. I just discovered using hickory wood chips, which impart a delicious flavor to the meat during grilling.
As Tex said, Turkey is also a good choice, I find it a bit dry but use my bacon dripping to add flavor to turkey burgers.
Donna
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Diagnosed with CC August 2011
Thanks Donna, I'll definitely use that tip. I work for a grocery store pharmacy so that makes this a little easier. I am a little disappointed at how broad my +1s were. Seems like I'm a little sensitive to just about everything and only one definite thing, tuna, I can just throw away and never bother eating again.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Once you remove the ingredients that are major triggers, like soy, eggs, tuna etc. and heal a bit, things should improve greatly for you.
With the foods you are sensitive to with the 1+ rating, I would limit them to 'sometimes foods'
and avoid them totally if you are tired / stress / feeling poorly / reacting to environmental factors etc...
With the foods you are sensitive to with the 1+ rating, I would limit them to 'sometimes foods'
and avoid them totally if you are tired / stress / feeling poorly / reacting to environmental factors etc...
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Bearcat,
I hate to throw something like that away too, so I would enjoy the New York strip as the final meal before I took beef out of my diet while I recovered. I also reacted to beef when I was recovering. It didn't cause D in my case, but it caused minor bloating and pain between my shoulder blades within a few hours after eating it. After about a half day, a headache would show up. But after my gut healed for about a year or 2, I was able to slowly reintroduce beef into my diet without any symptoms. IOW beef (like yeast) isn't necessarily a lifetime sensitivity. As Gabes suggested, you might be able to eat it occasionally, under the right circumstances, without any serious problems. Your body will tell you if it doesn't agree.
Peanuts are not tested because for most of us, if we are sensitive to soy, we are also sensitive to most legumes. And of course peanuts are a legume. Sometimes we can find a nut butter or a seed butter that makes a satisfactory substitute for peanut butter. Since you're sensitive to almonds though, that might rule out almond butter, at least during your recovery period. Cashew butter might work, or sunflower seed butter. It's possible that there might be nut butters available in some of the larger cities made from some of the less common nuts (that might be suitable).
For a long time, I could tolerate Almond Milk just fine, but not almonds or almond butter. But now I can tolerate Almond Butter (when I can find it in one of the 1 horse towns around here where I usually do my grocery shopping). Now I can tolerate Almond Butter just fine.
I agree with Donna. I usually grill my pork, and lightly season it with garlic salt in order to bring out a superb flavor.
Tex
I hate to throw something like that away too, so I would enjoy the New York strip as the final meal before I took beef out of my diet while I recovered. I also reacted to beef when I was recovering. It didn't cause D in my case, but it caused minor bloating and pain between my shoulder blades within a few hours after eating it. After about a half day, a headache would show up. But after my gut healed for about a year or 2, I was able to slowly reintroduce beef into my diet without any symptoms. IOW beef (like yeast) isn't necessarily a lifetime sensitivity. As Gabes suggested, you might be able to eat it occasionally, under the right circumstances, without any serious problems. Your body will tell you if it doesn't agree.
Peanuts are not tested because for most of us, if we are sensitive to soy, we are also sensitive to most legumes. And of course peanuts are a legume. Sometimes we can find a nut butter or a seed butter that makes a satisfactory substitute for peanut butter. Since you're sensitive to almonds though, that might rule out almond butter, at least during your recovery period. Cashew butter might work, or sunflower seed butter. It's possible that there might be nut butters available in some of the larger cities made from some of the less common nuts (that might be suitable).
For a long time, I could tolerate Almond Milk just fine, but not almonds or almond butter. But now I can tolerate Almond Butter (when I can find it in one of the 1 horse towns around here where I usually do my grocery shopping). Now I can tolerate Almond Butter just fine.
I agree with Donna. I usually grill my pork, and lightly season it with garlic salt in order to bring out a superb flavor.
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.
Bearcat, you have practically the same results as myself. Once I rec'd these last final results I have cleaned up my kitchen and fridge so that I grab safe things. I have rotated all kinds of ways of eating the Safe Foods for the last month and have noticed very good results, healing has begun and I couldn't be more thankful. It has also helped to have a daily Mag, D3, K2 and histamine protocol. I actually cleaned my house on Saturday and I felt ok by evening (happy tired and not spent).
Even though my results made me sit down and reconfigure life again knowing "this is how it is going to be so start dealing with it" kind of frame of mind, I am doing it a day at a time.
Good luck tweaking things along the way! I'm not sure why I had to feel like I needed permission to eat certain things when I first joined this forum but I am most grateful to Tex to giving me the green light to "Play" with my food choices. Ever since hearing that I have tried to find any and every kind of thing made with Turkey lol. That has helped break up the monotony when pairing it with rice, potato, GF pasta, GF-DF-SF bread.
Here's to healing
Even though my results made me sit down and reconfigure life again knowing "this is how it is going to be so start dealing with it" kind of frame of mind, I am doing it a day at a time.
Good luck tweaking things along the way! I'm not sure why I had to feel like I needed permission to eat certain things when I first joined this forum but I am most grateful to Tex to giving me the green light to "Play" with my food choices. Ever since hearing that I have tried to find any and every kind of thing made with Turkey lol. That has helped break up the monotony when pairing it with rice, potato, GF pasta, GF-DF-SF bread.
Here's to healing
To Succeed you have to Believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality - Anita Roddick
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
