A few questions on enterolab results

[Tricia]

Hi all,

I had been improving with my elimination diet but still having bad days one every 2 wks or so with D and a lot of stomach pain. So I ordered enterolab and here are the results.

Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 24 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 24 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 32 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Fecal Anti-soy IgA 17 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 24 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
No reaction: none
(1+): White potato
(2+)
Oat
Rice
Beef
Pork
Tuna
Walnut
Almond
(3+)
Corn
Chicken
Cashew


Within each class of foods to which you displayed multiple reactions, the hierarchy of those reactions detected were as follows:

Grains:
Grain toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Corn
Grain toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Oat
Grain toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Rice

Meats:
Meat toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Chicken
Meat toward which you were next most immunologically reactive: Beef
Meat toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Pork
Meat toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Tuna

Nuts:
Nut toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Cashew
Nut toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Walnut
Nut toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Almond

I was already GF/DF/SF for years but still eating rice and potato, chicken and beef. I will cut all these foods out and eat lamb, a few overcooked veggies and quinoa for a while.
I do have a few questions though please :)

1) collagen supplement: from bovine hides was a good source of protein and helping my joints - should I stop forever due to beef sensitivity?

I am anaphylactically allergic to shellfish and tuna sensitive so not sure marine collage would work.

2) fish oil from salmon - stop as well?

3) bone broth - can it be from bones of chicken? (I’m thinking no but just thought I’d double check)

4) do my gluten/dairy/soy values look like I am doing a good enough job avoiding them? My husband loves everything I can’t eat and I try to be very careful. None of my personal care items have those ingredients and I have not eaten out in years. He is careful too and I don’t want to make my husband more miserable by being even stricter unless absolutely needed.

Thank you all for the great information. I will admit my results are a bit depressing as I already struggle to make food that is safe for me and my husband without limiting his food choices and this does not help. But I am willing to do my best to feel not just decent but actually good :)

Tricia

[Gabes-Apg]

1) collagen supplement: from bovine hides was a good source of protein and helping my joints - should I stop forever due to beef sensitivity?
I am not sure on this one


I am anaphylactically allergic to shellfish and tuna sensitive so not sure marine collage would work.

2) fish oil from salmon - stop as well?
not sure why you are concerned - the tuna was a low result

3) bone broth - can it be from bones of chicken? (I’m thinking no but just thought I’d double check)

Yes. bone broth can be from any meat source with bones (including fish)
are you buying a commercially made bone broth or making it at home?


4) do my gluten/dairy/soy values look like I am doing a good enough job avoiding them? My husband loves everything I can’t eat and I try to be very careful. None of my personal care items have those ingredients and I have not eaten out in years. He is careful too and I don’t want to make my husband more miserable by being even stricter unless absolutely needed.

If you have been gluten/dairy/soy free for years then those results are indicators there is still contact with those food items

when you say you try to be careful.

Do you have seperate cookware and utensils for your food?
Are you doing the preparation / cooking with gluten flour for his meals or is he doing his own meal preparation?
Are you eating gluten free processed food items such as bread/cereal/biscuits? if so in America these items can still have up to 20 parts per million of gluten etc there was a MC foundation article recently about this - and have you double checked that they dont have soy etc

[Tricia]

Thanks Gabes so much for the fast reply!

I was basing the salmon oil and beef gelatin question on the newsletter that Tex posted where it says “If the overall score is significantly higher (in the 20s or 30s, for example), then probably all of the foods ranked as 1+, 2+, and 3+ should be avoided, at least during recovery.” and a comment Tex made to another member that salmon and all saltwater fish are similar to tuna and should be avoided too.

Since my overall score for the 11 foods was 24, I understood that as I need to avoid all products related to those animals.

That would mean no more bone broth made from chicken or beef bones :( and no more salmon oil and beef gelatin.

I am just trying to not restrict things too much since I struggle with weight and appetite already :(. Also, I am trying to research other meats but so far only have found local lamb and I cant find lamb bones.

As far as being careful: i have my own cutting board and we have never cooked gluten or dairy in our cookware. My husband eats bread and cheese/butter but we do not have any flour at home and neither one of us are bakers :). I do all the cooking (my hubby would just survive on sandwiches) and I have cooked all GF and DF for years. We clean the counter after he eats gluten etc and for the last few months we have even had separate dish sponges and plates.
I do not eat any GF bread etc - the only things I don’t cook myself were rice cakes (which I wont be eating anymore) and plantain chips (only once every few months as a treat and only plantain and coconut oil and salt).

I should say that I used to take a Multi with a soy ingredient but have not taken that in several months. I was eating eggs until last week so that high result does not surprise me.

Mainly it is the gluten and dairy score since I have been avoiding them strictly for years.

Sorry for this super long reply! I appreciate your help so much!

Tricia

[tex]

Tricia.

With chicken eggs gone from your diet, you may begin to see improvements. If not, you may have to search for whatever is cross contaminating your diet, because you're quite correct, if you've been gluten-free and dairy free for years, those scores should probably be lower. And if your reactions are cyclic, it might be a good idea to start keeping a food and reaction journal, if you're not already doing so, because gluten reactions normally occur within 3 to 6 hours of exposure, but casein reactions sometimes take a day, or even longer.

Re: bone stock for broth, or collagen, for some of us, whether the animal (or poultry) was fed any ingredient that would cause us to react, might determine whether or not we could safely use their bones for bone broth, for others (of us), what those animals were fed wouldn't matter. For example, if we react to chicken, then we couldn't safely use chicken bones to make broth.

Your interpretation of the risks associated with various scores on the 11 other antigenic foods test results appears to be in line with my general opinions, but remember, those are only my opinions, and we're all different, so some of us may have different experiences.

As Gabes pointed out, tuna was one of the lower ranking food sensitivities, so you might be able to eat other fish, especially if you do so on a rotation basis, rather than eating them every day.

You indicate that you're having a problem finding alternative foods. What about turkey, goose, dock, rabbit, cabrito (goat), venison, etc.?

Tex

[Tricia]

Thank you Tex! I think the opinions of people suffering the same problem are very valuable! I have a few follow up questions:
1) since my score on the other 11 foods was 24 (the same as gluten and dairy) does that mean I am reacting just as strongly to those other foods?

2) Do I need to worry about beef tallow in my hand salve since I react to beef?

3) what about red and purple potatoes since potato was my lowest score? Ok to eat occasionally?

4) any GF bread options my hubby could try? He has not liked the one from our local bakery. I would not eat it but to reduce cross contamination.

5) is elk meat ok for me?


Have been keeping a food journal and not noting any patterns yet other than my monthly cycle always causing a flare. I live in rural Oregon so Meat options are a bit limited though I know a lot of people hunt elk/deer. Have not found goat/rabbit at store. Turkey and duck I can only find the whole bird and will have to get a bigger roast pan to accommodate :). I have never been a big meat eater so I am not used to cooking large amounts.

Thanks again,
Tricia

[tex]

1) since my score on the other 11 foods was 24 (the same as gluten and dairy) does that mean I am reacting just as strongly to those other foods?

Probably, but allergens such as gluten, and to some extent, soy, are stronger allergens, so even though they cause the production of an equal amount of antibodies as a weaker allergen, that might translate into a stronger reaction. But to complicate the situation, allergens that may be stronger for any one of us, may not be stronger for others. And to further complicate matters, severity of clinical symptoms does not correlate with the extent of intestinal damage, in most cases. In general, gluten causes much more severe, and longer-lasting damage, than any other allergen, regardless of clinical symptoms. In asymptomatic cases (of celiac disease), for example, there are no clinical symptoms, by definition, although the intestinal damage continues to accrue.

For another example, in my own case, my immune system produces antibodies to casein, but the only symptom I have to casein, Is slowly progressing osteoarthritis — I have no gastrointestinal symptoms from casein exposure. So obviously, I have to carefully avoid casein, despite the lack of gastrointestinal symptoms.

2) Do I need to worry about beef tallow in my hand salve since I react to beef?

That's a tough question because it probably depends on the degree of contamination. If it were pure beef tallow there probably wouldn't be a problem. But the problem is, beef tallow is never pure. It virtually always contains small bits of protein.That said, you still might not react to it, because in most cases, it doesn't appear to cause clinical symptoms that are nearly as severe as other allergens. In my own case, for example, if I eat beef, a few hours later I will have some moderate bloating. About half a day later, I will have a back pain between my shoulder blades, and about a day later, I will have a headache, but no diarrhea or other obvious symptoms. Of course, as is always the case, some individuals might have more severe symptoms. I might just be lucky.

3) what about red and purple potatoes since potato was my lowest score? Ok to eat occasionally?

Surely. I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell, potatoes are a fairly weak antigen. The biggest risk is probably arthritis symptoms, since potatoes are a nightshade. You should be able to eat them on a rotation basis, without any significant problems, and it's certainly possible that you might be able to eat them more often, without any problems. Sweet potatoes should be safe, because they're not related to Irish potatoes.

4) any GF bread options my hubby could try? He has not liked the one from our local bakery. I would not eat it but to reduce cross contamination.

A few years ago, Canyon Bakehouse bread was popular among members here. Since I don't eat bread (I eat corn tortillas, instead), I don't keep up with any new bread products. so there might be a better brand available, these days, for all I know. Someone who keeps up with those products might be able to offer some better suggestions

5) is elk meat ok for me?

Elk or venison should be safe for all of us.

Tex