Gluten: 442
Cow Milk: 113
Chicken Egg: 61
Soy: 79
Mean of the 11 foods: 68, with beef, almond and corn in the 3+ category and oat, rice, chicken, tuna, pork, cashew, walnut and white potato in the 2+ category. Nothing in 1 or 0.
2 genes for nonceliac gluten sensitivity.
So obviously gluten is off the table. Do I need to get new dishes? (That's a real question!)
The rest....the commentary said that I should eliminate the highest item in each category, so beef in meats, almonds in nuts. I already don't eat any grains. Then slowly eliminate the other foods as I find replacements. Obviously I can do that, but I wonder, is it possible that after a few months of removing the biggest offenders, that the rest of the inflammatory response will settle down and I would have less response to the others? Or are these responses simply too high to consider something like that? I see a lot of other people's responses with numbers in the 30s-40s.
Also I have a feeling that since all of my responses were so high, I am very likely to be sensitive to a lot of the stuff I might substitute in, but don't know because I wasn't tested. If not chicken, is turkey likely to be a problem? If I depend heavily on new items in my diet, might I cause sensitivities to them?
What about the casein in Jersey/Guernsey cows? Is there anything to the various websites that say that the casein in those milks is less inflammatory than milk from the other (more common in US) cows? I have a good source of Jersey cow milk. And, sadly, I just got a yogurt maker because I thought I wasn't having any reaction (that I noticed) to dairy!
Enterolab results Gluten 442! Other questions
Moderators: Rosie, JFR, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Enterolab results Gluten 442! Other questions
Let me Google that for you.
Hi Laura,
It looks like you've been reacting for a long time due to your high scores.
Yes, start by eliminating the highest reactionary foods first.
Many MC'ers can eat turkey. My Enterolab number for chicken was #3, and I eat turkey everyday. I also eat wild game meats for my proteins.
My suggestion would be to start slow with a meat and a veggie (like squash, no skin, & cooked well) and see how that works, then slowly add one new food a time to test it.
You need to stay away from all dairy, gluten , soy, & eggs....the big 4!
Good luck and try not to stress....which I know isn't always easy to do...hang in there! :)
PS.....check all your supplements for the big 4 that you're reacting to!
It looks like you've been reacting for a long time due to your high scores.
Yes, start by eliminating the highest reactionary foods first.
Many MC'ers can eat turkey. My Enterolab number for chicken was #3, and I eat turkey everyday. I also eat wild game meats for my proteins.
My suggestion would be to start slow with a meat and a veggie (like squash, no skin, & cooked well) and see how that works, then slowly add one new food a time to test it.
You need to stay away from all dairy, gluten , soy, & eggs....the big 4!
Good luck and try not to stress....which I know isn't always easy to do...hang in there! :)
PS.....check all your supplements for the big 4 that you're reacting to!
Linda :)
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
Hi Laura,
Linda did a good job of covering the most important issues, so I'll just try to address some of your other questions.
Regarding dishes, it's usually a good idea to replace any porous or cracked dishes or utensils, including those with surface hazing. Wooden bowls and spoons are especially a problem, as are just about any type of cutting board, so you should use a dedicated cutting board for your own food. If you toast bread, you will need either a dedicated toaster or a countertop oven type of toaster with foil under your bread to prevent it from being contaminated. Inspect all baking dishes and tins to make sure that they don't contain any baked-on residues (or any cracks or deep scratches).
The casein type question comes up every year or so here. Here's some info that I copied from an old post:
FWIW, I am tolerant of casein (that is to say, I show no apparent GI clinical symptoms if I ingest it), but I produce antibodies to it, so I avoid it. None of us needs anything in our diet that perpetuates inflammation, because inflammation leads to additional AI diseases and all sorts of other problems. Because of that, I consider oral immunotherapy for food sensitivities to be a cruel form of iatrogenesis. Oral immunotherapy removes the clinical symptoms, but the production of antibodies continues, setting the stage for the development of AI diseases.
None of us needs milk in our diet. When our paleo ancestors were evolving (from about 1,000,000–10,000 years ago), only babies drank milk. Milk was introduced into the adult human diet during the neolithic period, beginning roughly 10,000 years ago. So we definitely don't need it for health considerations. Our paleo ancestors were taller, stronger, healthier, and more robust than we are today.
It's possible to make yogurt from substitute milks, if you feel that you can't do without milk (and I can understand that because most of us use a substitute such as almond milk, coconut milk, or hemp milk). Several members have tried making yogurt from alternative milks, but I don't recall their results. You might post the question on the main message board, or do a search of the archives.
Good luck with sorting out your recovery diet. It all seems overwhelming at first, but it gets easier as it goes.
Tex
Linda did a good job of covering the most important issues, so I'll just try to address some of your other questions.
That's not impossible, but very unlikely. As Linda pointed out, your high antibody counts indicate that you have been producing antibodies for a relatively long time. Consequently it will take a relatively long time for them to decline to normal levels, especially the ant-gliadin antibodies. And as long as the anti-gliadin antibody count is high, your gut is likely to remain hypersensitive. The vast majority of us (especially those who have so many high antibody count results) have to go through an extended period on a very restricted diet before we are able to tolerate any of those foods.Laura wrote:but I wonder, is it possible that after a few months of removing the biggest offenders, that the rest of the inflammatory response will settle down and I would have less response to the others? Or are these responses simply too high to consider something like that? I see a lot of other people's responses with numbers in the 30s-40s.
Regarding dishes, it's usually a good idea to replace any porous or cracked dishes or utensils, including those with surface hazing. Wooden bowls and spoons are especially a problem, as are just about any type of cutting board, so you should use a dedicated cutting board for your own food. If you toast bread, you will need either a dedicated toaster or a countertop oven type of toaster with foil under your bread to prevent it from being contaminated. Inspect all baking dishes and tins to make sure that they don't contain any baked-on residues (or any cracks or deep scratches).
The casein type question comes up every year or so here. Here's some info that I copied from an old post:
So as you can see from that quote, Holsteins are the worst, while Guernseys are the best, as far as A1 versus A2 beta casein is concerned. But finding a source of A2 beta casein milk does not guarantee tolerance. You might react to it just as you would to A1 beta casein, for all we know. There's no antibody test available for A2 beta casein.There are research reports that show that one of the peptides in the casein molecule apparently mimics the alpha gliadin peptide in gluten. That means that many immune systems mistake the casein peptide for gluten, resulting in the same immune system response as gluten, in those individuals.
In fact, the only casein tests available are for A1 beta casein, which is the type primarily produced by most modern dairy cows. Research shows that ancient cows produced milk that primarily contained A2 beta casein. There is only one amino acid different in the respective molecules that define these two proteins, but that single amino acid apparently makes a huge difference in the digestibility of the milk. Unfortunately, our ancestors made the wrong choice long ago, because they selected dairy cow breeds based on production, rather than on protein quality. Today, only a few of the less-popular dairy breeds produce primarily A2 milk, so that A2 beta casein is a very small percentage of the milk available commercially. Still, a difference of only one amino acid in the sequence may not be sufficient to prevent a reaction.
That said, it's possible that you might be able to tolerate milk from Guernsey cows. Their beta casein A2 percentage is far, far better than any other modern breed, but it still contains a few percent of A1 beta casein, which may still be more than adequate to trigger an autoimmune reaction.Guernsey milk would be the best option to try, though, by far, as far as cows go. Goats and sheep, Asian zebu cattle, water buffalo, and yak milk is also mostly A2, but I don't know what the percentages are for them. Brown Swiss milk is mostly A2, but it's still roughly 30% A1 beta casein. Holsteins are the worst, at almost 79% A1 type, and, of course, Holstein cows dominate the dairy business.
FWIW, I am tolerant of casein (that is to say, I show no apparent GI clinical symptoms if I ingest it), but I produce antibodies to it, so I avoid it. None of us needs anything in our diet that perpetuates inflammation, because inflammation leads to additional AI diseases and all sorts of other problems. Because of that, I consider oral immunotherapy for food sensitivities to be a cruel form of iatrogenesis. Oral immunotherapy removes the clinical symptoms, but the production of antibodies continues, setting the stage for the development of AI diseases.
None of us needs milk in our diet. When our paleo ancestors were evolving (from about 1,000,000–10,000 years ago), only babies drank milk. Milk was introduced into the adult human diet during the neolithic period, beginning roughly 10,000 years ago. So we definitely don't need it for health considerations. Our paleo ancestors were taller, stronger, healthier, and more robust than we are today.
It's possible to make yogurt from substitute milks, if you feel that you can't do without milk (and I can understand that because most of us use a substitute such as almond milk, coconut milk, or hemp milk). Several members have tried making yogurt from alternative milks, but I don't recall their results. You might post the question on the main message board, or do a search of the archives.
Good luck with sorting out your recovery diet. It all seems overwhelming at first, but it gets easier as it goes.
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.
Thanks so much Linda and Tex!
Thank you so much for the thoughtful and thorough responses. My husband is allergic to shellfish and walnuts, and we're finding it a bit funny that shellfish seems to be one of my last remaining sources of protein since beans don't go through well, and walnuts was my least reactive of the nuts they tested for. I love shellfish, I have had it only rarely in 23 years, and if I can't have beef, by golly, I am eating shrimp and crab and scallops and clams. Fresh. From Whole Foods. Husband is happy that I'm considering getting my own dishes and cookware.
Want a laugh? I hardly had milk in my diet besides a few cheeses since I was a young child - before school age, but the SCD seems to have such a big thing about yogurt that I ordered a yogurt maker and decided to try it, esp since my fruits and veg are still so limited and I seemed to tolerate Farmers Market yogurt (made to SCD specs) ok. Well. The DAY it came is the day I got the results. I should have listened to my 5 yr old self!
Also funny - after YEARS of rolling my eyeballs at people who made a fuss about giving up gluten and whining about not having birthday cake, I am having a REALLY hard time accepting the loss of eggs. I eat them every day. They are the perfect food! Like I feel the denial creeping in...it's ONLY a 61, and that's as low as about half of the foods on the "other stuff" list if their average was 68. *sigh* I will be firm with myself.
Anyway, thank you again for the info and support!
Laura
Want a laugh? I hardly had milk in my diet besides a few cheeses since I was a young child - before school age, but the SCD seems to have such a big thing about yogurt that I ordered a yogurt maker and decided to try it, esp since my fruits and veg are still so limited and I seemed to tolerate Farmers Market yogurt (made to SCD specs) ok. Well. The DAY it came is the day I got the results. I should have listened to my 5 yr old self!
Also funny - after YEARS of rolling my eyeballs at people who made a fuss about giving up gluten and whining about not having birthday cake, I am having a REALLY hard time accepting the loss of eggs. I eat them every day. They are the perfect food! Like I feel the denial creeping in...it's ONLY a 61, and that's as low as about half of the foods on the "other stuff" list if their average was 68. *sigh* I will be firm with myself.
Anyway, thank you again for the info and support!
Laura
Let me Google that for you.
Laura,
We've often had discussions about alternate egg options, and some of us who are sensitive to chicken eggs can tolerate duck, goose, quail, pheasant, or turkey eggs. I'd include guinea eggs, but it you've ever tried to crack one you will know why I didn't list them. (They're almost as hard as the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with MC).
If you can break them open though, they might be another option (of course you might have to raise your own, because guineas are not as common these days as they were when I was growing up).
I hear you on the irony of dealing with food sensitivities. I've stocked up on more than a few foods just before I discovered that they weren't safe for me.
You're very welcome,
Tex
We've often had discussions about alternate egg options, and some of us who are sensitive to chicken eggs can tolerate duck, goose, quail, pheasant, or turkey eggs. I'd include guinea eggs, but it you've ever tried to crack one you will know why I didn't list them. (They're almost as hard as the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with MC).
If you can break them open though, they might be another option (of course you might have to raise your own, because guineas are not as common these days as they were when I was growing up).I hear you on the irony of dealing with food sensitivities. I've stocked up on more than a few foods just before I discovered that they weren't safe for me.
You're very welcome,
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.
Laura,
I can't have eggs either, and we raise organic chickens! But, I have substituted baking soda/coconut vinegar, flax eggs, or chia eggs in my recipes with success. There are recipes out there that use the egg substitutes.
You're just in shock right now. When you can wrap your mind around the lab results, you'll start to discover that there are foods out there for us.
Take it one day at time right now.
I can't have eggs either, and we raise organic chickens! But, I have substituted baking soda/coconut vinegar, flax eggs, or chia eggs in my recipes with success. There are recipes out there that use the egg substitutes.
You're just in shock right now. When you can wrap your mind around the lab results, you'll start to discover that there are foods out there for us.
Take it one day at time right now.
Linda :)
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
LC Oct. 2012
MTHFR gene mutation and many more....
Test Results - Not Sure How to Feel
Got my test results today:
Gluten: 139
Cow Milk: 48
Chicken Egg: 27
Soy: 21
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 15
After a 1 1/2 of MC and blood tests and endoscope biopsy for celiac with negative results, I feel some relief in knowing that I'm not crazy. Something that I was putting in my body was contributing to the awful D, cramps, bloating, fatigue, etc. Luckily, I did switch GI doctors and actually found one in town that was on the recommended doctor list. He also ordered my blood tests. I'm happy to know that this is not all in my head. Now to learning as much as I can about eliminating foods from my diet that cause me problems. I'm glad I finally broke down and had the tests done.
Gluten: 139
Cow Milk: 48
Chicken Egg: 27
Soy: 21
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 15
After a 1 1/2 of MC and blood tests and endoscope biopsy for celiac with negative results, I feel some relief in knowing that I'm not crazy. Something that I was putting in my body was contributing to the awful D, cramps, bloating, fatigue, etc. Luckily, I did switch GI doctors and actually found one in town that was on the recommended doctor list. He also ordered my blood tests. I'm happy to know that this is not all in my head. Now to learning as much as I can about eliminating foods from my diet that cause me problems. I'm glad I finally broke down and had the tests done.
All positive results, unfortunately, but if Dr. Lewey is your GI specialist, he should be familiar with all this, and a good source of information and guidance.
I agree that it's a crying shame that so many GI specialists continue to mislead patients by claiming that the negative results on those worthless celiac blood tests (and negative celiac results on endoscopy biopsy analysis) actually mean anything for MC patients.
Hopefully, with Dr. Lewey's help, and by reading and asking questions here on the discussion board, you should be able to fine tune your diet so that you will be able to control your symptoms sooner rather than later.
Thank you for posting your results.
Tex
I agree that it's a crying shame that so many GI specialists continue to mislead patients by claiming that the negative results on those worthless celiac blood tests (and negative celiac results on endoscopy biopsy analysis) actually mean anything for MC patients.
Hopefully, with Dr. Lewey's help, and by reading and asking questions here on the discussion board, you should be able to fine tune your diet so that you will be able to control your symptoms sooner rather than later.
Thank you for posting your results.
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.
Support Group
I learned so much from this support group about MC and I'm so thankful. For over a year my doctor kept telling me that this colitis has nothing to do with what I was eating or drinking. You really need to go with your gut (get it) and do what is best for yourself - even if it means changing doctors. I'll do whatever it takes to feel better and hopefully get off medication - the future looks healthy and bright!
Thank you all!
Thank you all!