I've eliminated the following from my diet in my quest for remission. I'm posting the list with the hope that it will help someone else who is struggling. The remarks in blue represent my reactions to the food as I've tested it. I'll slowly begin reintroducing some of them to see if I can tolerate them.
FRUITS
Am unable to eat any fruit, fresh, canned or juice.
Low Fructose Diet Recommendations
Serving size is 1/2 cup. Recommend 1-2 cups per day.
Intestine Friendly
pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, lemons, limes, avocado, bananas, rhubarb, orange.
Fruits to Avoid
prunes, pears, cherries, peaches, apples, plums, applesauce, apple juice, pear juice, apple cider, grapes, dates
Questionable Fruits - Limit
other fruit juices/drinks, sugar-free jam/jelly, dried fruit, canned fruit in heavy syrup, other fruit
My Tests:
grape juice - avoiding
tomato juice - avoiding
orange juice - avoiding
lemonade - failed
apple juice - avoiding
grape juice - avoiding
cranberry juice - avoiding
pineapple juice - avoiding
blueberry combination juices - avoiding
fresh apples - testing Golden Delicious: failed
applesauce - avoiding
bananas - avoiding: pressure all day after eating
blueberries - avoiding
citrus fruits - failed
grapes - avoiding
kiwi - tested: failed
fresh pears - reacted
fresh peaches - avoiding
pineapple - failed
fresh plums - avoiding
raspberries - slight reaction
rhubarb - avoiding-give me mouth sores
strawberries - avoiding
most canned fruits - avoiding all
canned prune plums - avoiding
avocados - lowest fructose fruit-California brands are the lowest in fructose and I usually don't get mouth sores from them.
tomatoes, fresh and canned - avoiding
jelly - avoiding
VEGETABLES
Low Fructose Diet Recommendations
Intestine Friendly
asparagus, cauliflower, green peppers, broccoli, leafy greens, celery, mushrooms, white potatoes, shallots, spinach, pea pods, cucumber, beans, other root vegetables.
Foods to Avoid
none
Questionable Foods/Limit
tomatoes, corn, carrot, sweet potatoes
My Tests: (all but leaf vegetables are cooked thoroughly)
acorn squash - avoiding
arugula - avoiding
asparagus - OK
beets - avoiding
broccoli - avoiding
brussel sprouts - OK
butternut squash - avoiding
cabbage - avoiding
carrots - avoiding
cauliflower - OK
celery - OK
corn - avoiding, but seems OK
cucumbers - avoiding
kohlrabi - avoiding
lettuce/salad dressing - avoiding-only eat occasionally on a sandwich
onions, white - avoiding
onions, green - avoiding
parsnips - bad reaction
peppers, green or red - avoiding
potatoes - avoiding
spinach - avoiding
summer squash - bad reaction
sweet potatoes - avoiding
turnips - avoiding
yams - avoiding
zucchini - not sure
Other Low Fructose Diet Recommendations
Intestine Friendly
all meats, all fats, all dairy, all eggs, all beans, Aspartame (Equal and Nutrasweet), Saccharin (Sweet and Low), Sucrose (table sugar)
Foods to Avoid
honey, fructose or sorbitol
Questionable Foods/Limit
sugar-free gum and mints; limit products with high fructose corn syrup if symptoms still continue.
MEATS
beef - bad reaction
chicken - bad reaction
lamb - OK
pork - OK
turkey - OK
FISH - avoiding all fish due to high histamine levels
crab - avoiding
orange roughy - bad reaction
salmon - avoiding
shrimp - avoiding
SNACKS
chocolate (w/o soy lethicin) - avoiding
rice cakes and crackers - OK
GF cookies w/o eggs - avoiding because of sugar
GF cakes w/o eggs - avoiding because of sugar
GF muffins w/o eggs - OK
raspberry sorbet - avoiding
Lära bars - avoiding
olives - not sure - high in histamines
potato chips - avoiding
chocolate coconut ice cream - avoiding
NUTS Avoiding all nuts as of June 2009 because of fiber
mixed nuts - almost always cooked in peanut or soybean oil - avoiding
pistachios - butter seems OK
almonds - avoiding because of rough texture
almond butter OK-gut is healing
almond meal (for baking) - OK-gut is healing
hazelnuts - butter seems OK
peanuts - no go
sunflower butter - not sure
pecans - avoiding
cashews - react-avoiding
DAIRY
dairy: yogurt, ice cream, sour cream, cheese - avoiding
ghee - seems OK
LEGUMES – all off limits in any quantity
soy beans and all derivatives
legumes: peas, white beans, kidney beans, bean flours, green beans
peanut butter
HERBS
Fresh parsley - ok
Fresh chives - not sure
Rosemary - OK
Fresh thyme - not sure
Marjoram - OK
GRAINS AND SEEDS
wheat, oats, rye, barley and all gluten-containing products - no go
Amaranth - small amount of flour OK
Arrowroot - OK
Buckwheat - No
Corn and derivatives of corn - OK
Cornstarch - OK
Quinoa - OK
Millet - No
Potato starch - seems OK
Rice - OK
Sesame seeds - No
Sorghum - No
Tapioca flour - No
EGGS - tested farm fresh - reacted within hours
MISCELLANEOUS
yeast - seems OK
vitamin supplements with cornstarch - not sure
vitamin supplements with soy - no go
ham - Boar's Head is OK
additives - suspecting carrageenan and maltodextrin
BEVERAGES
Rice Dream milk - stopped using (it's made with barley and has a small amount of gluten)
Homemade rice milk - OK
Almond Dream milk - OK
Silk Almond milk - OK
Hemp milk - avoiding
Crystal Light - avoiding
Diet soft drinks with aspartame - OK, but am avoiding
Minute Maid Lite - avoiding
beverages with corn syrup - seem OK, but am avoiding
Splenda - No
DINING IN RESTAURANTS- very risky, must be extremely careful
Arbys - GF bun and potato cakes: can no longer eat beef or potatoes
Mexican restaurant - OK with corn tortilla/taco, rice, and guacamole, but no sour cream or cheese
PF Chang's - Philip's Better Lemon Chicken: can no longer eat lemon or chicken
Old Country Buffet - OK: Spanish rice, corn tacos
Olive Garden - GF chicken/steak skewers: can no longer eat chicken or beef
Breakfast - unable to eat breakfast out
German - OK: grilled pork chops
Outback Steakhouse, Applebee's - hamburger, bacon w/o bun, baked potato w/ghee, homemade mayo: can no longer eat beef
Greek - pot roast and rice in tomato sauce: can no longer eat beef or tomatoes
Maggiano's (Italian) - corn pasta, tomato sauce, asparagus - made to order by chef - can no longer eat tomatoes
LIST OF FOODS I'VE TESTED OR ELIMINATED
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
LIST OF FOODS I'VE TESTED OR ELIMINATED
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Hi Gloria, thanks for the great list. I was wondering about a couple of things. I noticed you tolerate chocolate. I thought I did too, until last Sunday when I got really sick. I thought it was the chocolate, but I think I had some stomach flu. The chocolate I ate was Lindt 85% cocoa-(ingredients:chocolate, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sugar, natural bourbon vanilla beans. May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, soy bean, milk.) I know I have sensitivities to soy & milk, but I've been eating this chocolate for awhile and didn't have problems until last Sun.
It seems like so many things have that last warning on the label. Do you see any problems in the ingredients? What chocolate do you eat? Also, when you eat out, do you worry about things being cooked with soybean oil? Thanks for all you do for us, JoAnn
It seems like so many things have that last warning on the label. Do you see any problems in the ingredients? What chocolate do you eat? Also, when you eat out, do you worry about things being cooked with soybean oil? Thanks for all you do for us, JoAnn
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. John Wayne
Another member on the board had problems with the Lindt chocolate. Apparently when candy bars are manufactured overseas, they don't always show the soy in the English-translated list of ingredients. I used to eat German Ritter bars until Tex showed me the two different labels: English-no soy, German-soy. There also may be gluten in them. Read this thread:
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... colate+soy
I melt Enjoy Life chocolate chips and pour the chocolate into Wilton candy forms. I also melt bags of chocolate chips that I bought during Passover last year which are soy-free. I bought some chocolate bars from Trader Joe's, but I am nervous that they might have soy, even though it's not on the label.
It's interesting that you could tolerate the chocolate before, but are having problems now. I think that's a pretty common scenario with MC. Tex may be able to explain this better than me, but I've noticed that once I eliminate one problematic food, I'm OK for a time, but then something else seems to bother me. I think maybe my immune system goes all-out to fight against the one major offender and then when it's removed, it notices the another offensive food and begins the assault against it. That's just a guess, but that's what seems to be happening to me. But I'm an unusual case, being a double DQ1 with multiple intolerances.
I think many restaurants use soybean oil. If you ask what type of oil they use, they'll say "vegetable oil," which is soybean oil. I posed the issue on this thread: http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ight=arbys
I eat at Arby's and haven't had a problem. When I asked the local store what oil they used, it wasn't soybean oil - I think it was canola oil.
I've learned where I can safely eat out by trial and error. My list of acceptable restaurants is not very long, as you can see.
Hopefully others will share their experiences.
Gloria
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... colate+soy
I melt Enjoy Life chocolate chips and pour the chocolate into Wilton candy forms. I also melt bags of chocolate chips that I bought during Passover last year which are soy-free. I bought some chocolate bars from Trader Joe's, but I am nervous that they might have soy, even though it's not on the label.
It's interesting that you could tolerate the chocolate before, but are having problems now. I think that's a pretty common scenario with MC. Tex may be able to explain this better than me, but I've noticed that once I eliminate one problematic food, I'm OK for a time, but then something else seems to bother me. I think maybe my immune system goes all-out to fight against the one major offender and then when it's removed, it notices the another offensive food and begins the assault against it. That's just a guess, but that's what seems to be happening to me. But I'm an unusual case, being a double DQ1 with multiple intolerances.
I think many restaurants use soybean oil. If you ask what type of oil they use, they'll say "vegetable oil," which is soybean oil. I posed the issue on this thread: http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ight=arbys
I eat at Arby's and haven't had a problem. When I asked the local store what oil they used, it wasn't soybean oil - I think it was canola oil.
I've learned where I can safely eat out by trial and error. My list of acceptable restaurants is not very long, as you can see.
Hopefully others will share their experiences.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
JoAnn,
I agree with what Gloria said about the way our immune system behaves after we remove gluten and other major offenders from the diet. Our immune system seems to have sort of a "one-track mind", in a sense. It always reacts primarily, to the most potent intolerance that is currently available to it. IOW, you can stop an IBD reaction by ingesting helminth eggs, (pig whip worm eggs), and after the eggs hatch, and the worms attach to the intestinal walls, the IBD symptoms will usually either significantly attenuate, or cease completely, for most patients, as the immune system concentrates on trying to figure out how to get rid of the worms.
That's why we believe that the immune system doesn't pay any attention to the minor intolerances, until all of the more major intolerances are completely withdrawn from the diet. Not being one to relax, "and take it easy", once the major offenders are gone from the diet, the immune system will "look around", and if it notices any additional intolerances in the diet, it will begin to react to them.
Concerning the oils, theoretically, (according to the experts), no significant level of proteins should be present in refined oils. IOW, corn oil should be safe for anyone intolerant of corn, and soy oil should be safe for anyone intolerant of soy. In reality, though, that doesn't seem to work for everyone. The refining of those oils is apparently not a perfect process, because a number of us here have found that we do indeed react to those oils, even though it is theoretically impossible. Evidently, based on our experiences, some batches of oils do contain at least small amounts of protein, so most of us avoid them, especially if we are showing symptoms.
I used to have a problem even with cottonseed oil, and sunflower oil, but now that I have been in remission for about 5 years, I can eat virtually any of the "vegetable" oils, without reacting.
Tex
I agree with what Gloria said about the way our immune system behaves after we remove gluten and other major offenders from the diet. Our immune system seems to have sort of a "one-track mind", in a sense. It always reacts primarily, to the most potent intolerance that is currently available to it. IOW, you can stop an IBD reaction by ingesting helminth eggs, (pig whip worm eggs), and after the eggs hatch, and the worms attach to the intestinal walls, the IBD symptoms will usually either significantly attenuate, or cease completely, for most patients, as the immune system concentrates on trying to figure out how to get rid of the worms.
That's why we believe that the immune system doesn't pay any attention to the minor intolerances, until all of the more major intolerances are completely withdrawn from the diet. Not being one to relax, "and take it easy", once the major offenders are gone from the diet, the immune system will "look around", and if it notices any additional intolerances in the diet, it will begin to react to them.
Concerning the oils, theoretically, (according to the experts), no significant level of proteins should be present in refined oils. IOW, corn oil should be safe for anyone intolerant of corn, and soy oil should be safe for anyone intolerant of soy. In reality, though, that doesn't seem to work for everyone. The refining of those oils is apparently not a perfect process, because a number of us here have found that we do indeed react to those oils, even though it is theoretically impossible. Evidently, based on our experiences, some batches of oils do contain at least small amounts of protein, so most of us avoid them, especially if we are showing symptoms.
I used to have a problem even with cottonseed oil, and sunflower oil, but now that I have been in remission for about 5 years, I can eat virtually any of the "vegetable" oils, without reacting.
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.
Hi Tex and Gloria, Thanks for more great information. The "worm treatment" sounds very unusual. Do doctors actually do this, Tex? There's probably not an answer to this, but when does your immune system give up and quit trying to find things to attack? I'm going to try your chocolate ideas, Gloria. I still think I may have had problems because of stomach flu, but I'm scared to try the Lindt again for awhile. What about olives? Do either of you have any experience with olives? Thanks again, JoAnn
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. John Wayne
JoAnn,
The whipworm treatment actually works, (for most patients, anyway). It was developed at the University of Iowa, a few years ago, but it never gained mainstream acceptance, (drinking a solution filled with worm eggs does not appeal to a lot of people, I guess). One of the problems is that the swine whipworms cannot propagate in the human body, (which is why they were chosen for the project), so they die off, and have to be replaced on roughly a monthly basis.
If anyone is interested in trying this, I believe I have a bookmark, on one of my computers, for a lab in Thailand, (or Indonesia, or somewhere in that part of the world), where you can buy the whipworm ova, direct, (without a prescription).
Here's a brief article about a paper presented by the doctor who researched and developed the treatment:
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... 9A006BDA48
I don't believe that the immune system ever stops looking for what it perceives to be foreign invaders, except in the cases of people taking immune system suppressants, or those who have immune system diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. Most of us have a limited number of intolerances, though, so the immune system eventually fails to find additional intolerances.
Olives should be OK. Olive oil is one of the safest, and healthiest, oils that we can use.
Tex
The whipworm treatment actually works, (for most patients, anyway). It was developed at the University of Iowa, a few years ago, but it never gained mainstream acceptance, (drinking a solution filled with worm eggs does not appeal to a lot of people, I guess). One of the problems is that the swine whipworms cannot propagate in the human body, (which is why they were chosen for the project), so they die off, and have to be replaced on roughly a monthly basis.
If anyone is interested in trying this, I believe I have a bookmark, on one of my computers, for a lab in Thailand, (or Indonesia, or somewhere in that part of the world), where you can buy the whipworm ova, direct, (without a prescription).
Here's a brief article about a paper presented by the doctor who researched and developed the treatment:
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... 9A006BDA48
I don't believe that the immune system ever stops looking for what it perceives to be foreign invaders, except in the cases of people taking immune system suppressants, or those who have immune system diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. Most of us have a limited number of intolerances, though, so the immune system eventually fails to find additional intolerances.
Olives should be OK. Olive oil is one of the safest, and healthiest, oils that we can use.
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.
JoAnn,
When I was going through my kitchen yesterday, looking for stuff with casein and soy, I realized my olives had "lactic acid" in them. I have seen this on some labels with the disclaimer "not from dairy," but this one didn't have that, so I'm reluctant to eat those. The big shocker was my black truffle oil, which had "traces of milk protein." Fortunately, it was almost gone anyway, so DH gets the rest of that. Just a reminder of how our intolerances can show up in the craziest places. *sigh*
Love,
Courtney
When I was going through my kitchen yesterday, looking for stuff with casein and soy, I realized my olives had "lactic acid" in them. I have seen this on some labels with the disclaimer "not from dairy," but this one didn't have that, so I'm reluctant to eat those. The big shocker was my black truffle oil, which had "traces of milk protein." Fortunately, it was almost gone anyway, so DH gets the rest of that. Just a reminder of how our intolerances can show up in the craziest places. *sigh*
Love,
Courtney
Hypothyroid 05/05
LC/CC 07/08
Celiac 07/08
LC/CC 07/08
Celiac 07/08
Hi Tex and Courtney, The worm thing is really intriguing. I never thought of them as having a "beneficial effect" like the article mentions. Do you know anyone personally who has tried this? The reason I asked about olives is because I had a reaction to something yesterday (stomach cramps and pain) and it had to be olives, tuna, or the homemade mayonnaise I made. I used the recipe from Dee's kitchen, so I don't think that's the problem. I checked the olive label and it mentioned ferrous gluconate (added to preserve color) Could that be it? The tuna says it is packed in water, salt, and vegetable broth. I wonder what's in the broth? If it had soy, wouldn't they have to mention it? You sure have to become a detective with this disease. Thanks for your opinions and help. JoAnn
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. John Wayne
JoAnn,
I don't eat olives, so I'm not much help with them. I believe that Polly is a big fan of olives, though, if I'm not confusing her with someone else. Ferrous gluconate is an iron supplement, and normally it does not contain gluten, (it's a salt of gluconic acid, which is a derivative of glucose).
Yes, it's true that failing to list soy on a ingredient list, if it is present in the product, would be a violation of the FALCPA legislation, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't occasionally happen.
After doing a little research, I believe I've uncovered the reason why, even though helminth therapy seemed so promising at first, it has sort of dropped out of site. Apparently, some helminths have been able to survive in the human GI tract long enough to cause unexpected problems. Some of the comments in this thread don't bode well for helminth theory, and apparently, they may well be correct:
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/groups/ ... 42b16259b3
This FDA "Import Alert" contains the adverse information referred to in the above thread:
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia5721.html
The FDA's main complaint is that TSO are considered to be an unlicensed drug, (it's always about money, when you're dealing with a government agency), but the medical cases that the report describes, don't sound good at all.
Tex
I don't eat olives, so I'm not much help with them. I believe that Polly is a big fan of olives, though, if I'm not confusing her with someone else. Ferrous gluconate is an iron supplement, and normally it does not contain gluten, (it's a salt of gluconic acid, which is a derivative of glucose).
Yes, it's true that failing to list soy on a ingredient list, if it is present in the product, would be a violation of the FALCPA legislation, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't occasionally happen.
After doing a little research, I believe I've uncovered the reason why, even though helminth therapy seemed so promising at first, it has sort of dropped out of site. Apparently, some helminths have been able to survive in the human GI tract long enough to cause unexpected problems. Some of the comments in this thread don't bode well for helminth theory, and apparently, they may well be correct:
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/groups/ ... 42b16259b3
This FDA "Import Alert" contains the adverse information referred to in the above thread:
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia5721.html
The FDA's main complaint is that TSO are considered to be an unlicensed drug, (it's always about money, when you're dealing with a government agency), but the medical cases that the report describes, don't sound good at all.
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.
Hi JoAnn,
The vegetable broth in tuna is very likely made with soy. All of the ones that I've purchased that say they are packed in water are actually packed in vegetable broth containing soy. It should list soy as an ingredient. I've found that if I want to buy tuna without soy, I have to look for cans of tuna that are labeled "Premium" or something similar. Of course, they also have a premium price.
Gloria
The vegetable broth in tuna is very likely made with soy. All of the ones that I've purchased that say they are packed in water are actually packed in vegetable broth containing soy. It should list soy as an ingredient. I've found that if I want to buy tuna without soy, I have to look for cans of tuna that are labeled "Premium" or something similar. Of course, they also have a premium price.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
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- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
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Morning JoAnn,
Right there with Gloria on this one since I could not understand the terrible reaction I was having to tuna with the vegetable broth and found out that there is soy in the vegetable broth. Considered under the radar amounts for listing but sure did me in. I also go with the premium and it is expensive but no reaction.
Not one who would try worms.
Love, Maggie
Right there with Gloria on this one since I could not understand the terrible reaction I was having to tuna with the vegetable broth and found out that there is soy in the vegetable broth. Considered under the radar amounts for listing but sure did me in. I also go with the premium and it is expensive but no reaction.
Not one who would try worms.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Hi Tex, Gloria, Maggie, and Courtney, you guys are a wealth of information! After hearing from you, I'm sure it was the tuna. The brand, Courtney, is Western Family, it might just be a Utah brand or a western states brand. Thanks for helping me figure it out. JoAnn
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. John Wayne
Hi JoAnn,
That brand is not listed in the guide, and if it has vegeteble broth, I'd bet it's made of soy. I use Tree of Life Tongol Tuna in Spring Water, which is supposed to be free of all this stuff. I get it at the HFS, and it's not too expensive--about $1.25 a can as opposed to those that are $3 or more.
Love,
Courtney
That brand is not listed in the guide, and if it has vegeteble broth, I'd bet it's made of soy. I use Tree of Life Tongol Tuna in Spring Water, which is supposed to be free of all this stuff. I get it at the HFS, and it's not too expensive--about $1.25 a can as opposed to those that are $3 or more.
Love,
Courtney
Hypothyroid 05/05
LC/CC 07/08
Celiac 07/08
LC/CC 07/08
Celiac 07/08