Earlier this year, I started seeing a naturopathic doctor. I had recently weaned off Zoloft and noticed that I was experiencing some wicked PMS. Rather than go back on Zoloft, I decided it was time to take charge of my physical health.
Yesterday, I had an appointment with my doctor and got to learn the result of a food sensitivities blood test. I learned a lot!
The blood test results are divided into three categories: low sensitivity; moderate; and severe/avoid.
For me, there’s only one food in the severe/avoid column: kelp. Farewell, sushi! But hey, I can still eat sashimi, so I’m not bummed about this.
I’m especially happy about the foods that fall into the “low reaction” column. There are too many to list, but the foods include tomatoes and onions – THANK GOD. The night before my appointment, I told Nathan that I did not know what I would do if it turns out I’m allergic to tomatoes or onions. When I scanned the test results and saw that tomatoes and onions are both fine, I felt like the winner of a game show.
There are a bunch of foods in my “moderate” column. I’m going to list them here as a reference for myself because I know I’m going to eventually lose my test results! My moderate food sensitivities are:
- Alfalfa (No big deal here, I loathe alfalfa)
- Bamboo shoots
- Black beans
- Black pepper
- Brewer’s yeast
- Casein – a protein in milk and cheese
- Coriander
- Cottage Cheese (I had a bad experience with rancid cottage cheese in 12th grade. I still have flashbacks. I was in the Calculus classroom. Now I have a health reason to avoid cottage cheese – sweet!)
- Cow’s milk
- Cumin
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Gliadin – a protein in wheat, barley, oats, and a few other things
- Navy bean
- Nutmeg
- Oregano
- Pineapple (random!)
- Turmeric
- Vanilla (But hey, cacao is good – priorities)
- Watercress
- Whey
- Yogurt
My doctor would like me to avoid all the foods on my moderate list for the next three weeks. Then, I can bring back one food group at a time. I eat the food for one day and then wait 48 hours to see if I have a bad reaction. This could be something like gas and bloating, acne or even mood swings. If I don’t notice a symptom, I can continue eating the food once or twice a week.
I’m so happy! I love a lot of foods on the moderate list, but hey, if black beans and garlic are making me feel congested, I can live without them. I can still eat every fruit, except pineapple, and every vegetable that I love.
I’m curious to see how I feel over the next three weeks. Since I started paying attention to my overall health, I have noticed that I seem to live with constant low-level congestion. I’m often tired in the morning and my ears feel clogged. My doctor could tell my ears are irritated and said it looks like a food issue. I will gladly trade all the foods on the moderate list for a clear head!
I feel ready for this. I have been living without refined sugar for over two weeks. It is time for some more big changes. (But not caffeine. I need to cut back, but dear God, not now. There’s only so much change I can handle at a time without going postal on my family.)
To avoid casein and gliadin, I’m going to have to make some big changes on the bread and cheese front. But today, I feel good. I don’t feel deprived. I feel, instead, like I’m choosing the pleasure of good health over the pain caused by food sensitivities. Earlier this year, before I even had my blood drawn, my doctor recommended I avoid gluten. That felt like torture. No pizza? No bread? WTF? But today, I think “pizza” and my stomach recoils. Now that I have test results that identify the foods causing pain, I have lost the craving.