If I could do this I bet I would have been invited to a lot more parties! Or.. not.
I used to be fun at parties. I could do stupid human tricks like stand on my head while tying a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue and then drop into the middle splits, finishing with a rousing chorus of “Consider Yourself ” from Oliver! (done in a horrible English accent, I’m sorry). And – bonus – because I don’t drink, I could still remember my humiliation the next day! I’m pretty sure I was never on anyone’s Hot List but I think I was considered generally entertaining enough to get invited to some pretty sweet gigs. But like many things – my night vision, my skin and my tolerance for grocery store sushi – my party skills have declined with age. While I can still stand on my head, tie a cherry stem in a knot and do the splits (sadly I no longer attempt accents after too many apologies for offending natives), a recent trip to a friend’s house showed me how far I’ve truly fallen.
First, we were partying at 8 p.m. on a Thursday with cans of sparkling water and talking about our kids. (And I loved every second of it! Most fun I’d had in a week.) Second, when her husband, considerate guy that he is, kept bringing us food – I realized I’d become that girl. The fun sucker-outer. “Does that dip have cheese in it?” “Is that butter on that bread?” “Are those crackers topped with cheese?”
And then, as I was getting ready to leave, he showed up with two twee little cups topped off with stripey straws. “It’s a homemade smoothie! One of my best yet!” he proclaimed.
I cringed as he handed it to me. “Did you put milk in it?”
“Oh yes, but don’t worry it’s skim!”
I resisted the urge to kick myself in my own butt out of annoyance as I declined. Again. “I’m so sorry but I can’t drink milk or I”ll be in the bathroom the rest of the night.”
“What? Why??”
“Um, I get massive panic attacks and I bloat and get tummy aches. Then I vomit. Oh and I get explosive diarrhea! Sometimes all at the same time!” I realized I’d just crossed into overshare territory when I saw the look on his face. As I beelined to my car, I realized – again – how much being majorly lactose intolerant sucks.
But, as I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, lactose intolerance is a tricky issue – many people lacking the digestive enzymes necessary to digest dairy tolerate the foods just fine, while some who have problems with dairy produce plenty of enzymes – and one that might even be able to be “cured.” [Updated to add, see comment below] While lactose intolerance is well substantiated it in the medical literature and most doctors agree that it’s an issue that many, if not most, adult humans have to some extent, leaky gut syndrome is not a recognized medical diagnosis and as I wrote in previous posts, I’m still not sure about it. For me, it’s more of a hope. Since eating dairy makes me so stinking sick, I already know I won’t be eating it. But if throwing in some probiotics, broth, vinegar (stuff I eat anyhow), etc on a more regular basis will help mitigate my reaction to it then, to me, it feels like it falls into the can’t-hurt-to-try camp. And if it helps, then yay! In the same vein, however, I tried taking gluten out of my diet and it didn’t do anything for me. When I added it back in, I felt fine. So I eat gluten all them time and feel good about it. It’s really individual I think.
For LGS the science is not all there and I don’t know that I’m confident standing behind it yet. But I am intrigued enough to give this method a try as I’d love to be able to have some cheese without puking, especially since it is non-invasive and doesn’t require any meds. Whether this is something you feel comfortable trying is up to you and your doctor! My purpose in this post is not to substantiate LGS with my own testimony but just to give you the information and you can decide what feels right for you. [End update]
So while I’m guessing that being able to down a milkshake without vomming won’t allow me to speak in a Mike Myers-ian Scottish accent while quoting So I Married an Axe Murderer (saying “His head, it’s enormous! It’s like an orange on a toothpick!” isn’t funny at all in an American drawl), it might allow me to at least be less high-maintenance with my friends.
So is this really possible? I asked Jill Grunewald, a Holistic Health Coach and expert in treating food intolerances that I was interviewing for Shape. “Actually it is,” she answered. “The key to successfully overcoming this is to not just eliminate dairy for a time but to ‘heal and seal’ the gut before trying it again.” You may recall that thanks to an unhealthy diet, illness or antibiotic useage many people suffer from “leaky gut syndrome” where the lining of the intestinal wall has thinned thereby allowing pathogens and undigested food into the blood stream. So whether your tummy troubles come from gluten, eggs, dairy or just the smell of envelope glue, Grunewald offers five steps for helping cure your food issues:
1. Identify. First you have to figure out what the real issue is. Called the “elimination/provocation diet,” she recommends you entirely eliminate the following foods – the most common allergens – for 21 days (3 weeks):
eggs
dairy
wheat
gluten (including wheat, barley, and rye) *
soy
nightshades (eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, and peppers, including cayenne powder)
corn
nuts
peanuts (which are legumes, not nuts)
shellfish
* If you have Hashimoto’s [one type of hypothyroidism], gluten should be categorically, 100% avoided, always.
This requires some pretty serious vigilance – while I have never tried eliminating this whole list, my experiment taking out dairy made me realize the importance of reading every label and making sure you know what’s in random ingredients. (Betcha didn’t know that most soy sauce has gluten!) If you’re time crunched then a quick-and-dirty solution is to check the back of packages for the allergen list in bold letters under the allergy warning to weed out sneaky sources. After the elimination period Grunewald says the next step is provocation. Starting with one food at a time (say dairy for the sake of this example), you eat a large serving, such as a large glass of milk, to see if you have a reaction to it. A reaction is characterized by pain, bloating and diarrhea but can also include brain fog, skin problems, fatigue and irritability and will become apparent within 72 hours after eating the food.
2. Eliminate. This step is as simple as it is hard: Take dairy (or whatever it is that you’ve identified as problematic) – even minute sources like icing on a granola bar – out of your diet for a minimum of six months in order to give your body plenty of time to “seal and heal” the intestinal lining.
3. Substitute. During the elimination period, find healthy substitutes – Grunewald’s favorite substitutions for dairy are anything using virgin, organic coconut as the base. Things like coconut milk, coconut oil (instead of butter) and even coconut yogurt not only are gentle on your sensitive system but offer healthy medium-chain fatty acids. If coconut isn’t your favorite, almond milk and even goat milk are also good substitutes. Just stay away from anything soy as it can mess with your hormone balance. Flax seeds can be subbed for eggs in baking, rice/almond/amaranth/garbanzo/whatever flour can be used in place of wheat flour and Sea Monkeys can be swapped for shrimp. (Just kidding about the Sea Monkeys.) Google will become your new best friend.
4. Heal. And here’s where most people trip up: It isn’t enough to just remove the offending foods. You need to take care of the “leaky gut” causing the issues in the first place. Grunewald recommends daily doses of homemade bone broth, probiotics, fish oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha. There is no set prescription for how much of each to take (other than supplements, in which case follow the serving size on the bottle) but she says that the more you can eat these foods, the quicker your gut will heal. These foods are high in pre- or pro- biotics as well as other compounds that encourage a healthy immune system and intestinal function.
5. Reintroduce. After the six months are finished, start by eating one serving of a previously troublesome food. Which one? “Whichever one you’ve missed the most!” Grunewald says. The National Institute of Health (and the one who commissioned the consensus panel that determined lactose intolerance can be mitigated) recommends starting with a couple of tablespoons of yogurt as it comes with digestive enzymes built in. From there work up to 2-3 small servings per week. All the experts agreed that the key to this final step is moderation. Depending on how severe your reaction was to it and how well your gut has healed, you still should eat it in moderation – which frankly is good advice even if you don’t have tummy troubles.
Have you ever healed a food sensitivity? (Note: I’m not talking about a food allergy – those can be deadly and should only be tested under the care of a doctor.) Do you have a food or supplement you particularly recommend for good gut health? Do you have a stupid human party trick??
New party trick, bam!
That picture is freaky !
I don’t have any food sensitivities but doing IE I’ve noticed that bread at lunch makes me really sleepy in the afternoon. I was getting a 6 inch Subway for lunch each day and once I got the salad bowl instead I’m much better.
I have heard great things about Apple Cider Vinegar but haven’t yet found a way to stomach the taste ! I hate it. If anyone has any suggestions for disguising the taste I’d love to try it 🙂
Hmmm… yeah I don’t think anyone likes a straight shot of apple cider vinegar! I put mine in homemade salad dressings or I drizzle it on cooked spinach with a little lemon. I’d love more ideas too though!
I put ACV in my tea every morning with some raw honey – it tastes just like lemon juice that way! I’ve also mixed it into applesauce, which makes it much more palatable.
I thought in your last post on this topic, you talked about how this wasn’t a confirmed medical condition as of yet, and weren’t sure about its legitimacy. While I have no doubt that some folks have genuine sensitivities and that our digestive systems can be screwed up, I’m personally pretty dubious about these generalizations – the whole gluten intolerance thing or adrenal fatigue diagnoses, for example. I know some people really do have these conditions, but I think they are used and manipulated by the indsutry. Based on several of your posts, I thought you also felt this way. What convinced you, in terms of the science I mean, in this case?
That’s a really good point and you’re entirely correct on both points. LGS is not a recognized medical diagnosis and I’m also still not sure about it. For me, it’s more of a hope. Since eating dairy makes me so stinking sick, I already know I won’t be eating it. But if throwing in some probiotics, broth, vinegar (stuff I eat anyhow), etc on a more regular basis will help mitigate my reaction to it then, to me, it feels like it falls into the can’t-hurt-to-try camp. And if it helps, then yay! In the same vein, however, I tried taking gluten out of my diet and it didn’t do anything for me. When I added it back in, I felt fine. So I eat gluten all them time and feel good about it. It’s really individual I think. But yes, for LGS the science is not all there yet and I don’t know that I’m confident standing behind it yet. I’ve updated my post to make this less ambiguous! (P.S. The emerging research on adrenal fatigue syndrome – as measured by cortisol spit tests – is getting pretty interesting! Another syndrome that’s on the medical fringe but seems to be moving more center stage.)
Cool – I figured that was your take, and I think the update is helpful 🙂 I know how careful you are about offering advice on your blog, and you take such a great measured and balanced approach to most of these types of things, I just wanted to clarify. Keep up the great work!
Oh good – thank you for the reminder! Sometimes I get so involved in the conversations in my head that I forget you’re not all privy to my internal debates;) And thanks for reading – that really means a lot to me!!!
I can’t even imagine not being able to drink milk. It’s something I’ve grown used to drinking every morning.
Ugh I hate having to explain to people why I can’t eat certain foods and it never seems enough to just say I can’t eat gluten/dairy. They always want to know why. I mean do you really want to know what happens to my body when I consume those food? I didn’t think so. I’m in the process of trying to heal leaky gut and I’m definitely starting to feel better. It was actually your post that prompted me to ask my doctor about it, so thank you for the information.
I don’t have any food intolerances (that I know of) but I do have a goofy stomach.
Maybe I should try eliminating some of the foods you mentioned to see what happens.
Out of curiosity, are you going to follow the steps and try to reintroduce dairy to your diet? I would love to know the outcome if you do!
I’m sure in all your research on leaky gut syndrome you have run across the GAPS diet and the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, but if not- it is also all about healing your gut and she (Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride) has researched the effects that your gut has on your mental health as well. Although I don’t suffer to that extent (I’m more like you and have a dairy intolerance and other digestive issues) I decided to give it a try and started this week on the GAPS diet to try and heal my gut. I am really hoping it works because like you said it gets old always being the fun sucker at parties!
Thanks for posting this! I will work on doing more bone broth, ACV, and fermented foods. I would try just about anything to at least make myself less sensitive to gluten. It is so hard to eat at a friend’s house or travel with a gluten allergy.
I have several food intolerances. Several years back I was diagnosed with Colitis and Leaky Gut. I have devoted my life to it ever since. Oddly enough, I just released my e-book around it, “The Gutsy Girl’s Bible: an approach to healing the gut.” There are so many theories out there around how to heal the gut, but no matter what, I truly believe that if someone is miserable enough, they will benefit from elimination and then adding things back in. Many times, the gut just needs a break or elimination from a few things and it will thrive again. There is so much that goes into the healing process, and I truly believe that the one thing we all fail to remember that healing the gut is not just about food and a “diet.” It’s about a lifestyle…stress factors, movement, relationships, etc. Thanks for the post!
Thanks. That is interesting. I have long thought that we have underestimated the body in terms of being able to heal itself, IF we start treating it right. My dad has lactose intolerance (yet it does not stop him from eating ice cream, he just suffers after it) and I will have to forward this one to him.
Hi Ya’ll,
i have Hashimoto’s and no stomach issues. i dont have the cleanest diet in the world & i do eat soy & gluten. Why do people with Hashimoto’s should avoid gluten?
I’m very curious about your comment about people with Hashimotos should avoid gluten. I’ve never heard that before. Can you point me in the right direction where I can learn more?
I do have stomach issues with lactose AND I toot just to abut everything but never tried to heal it.. I think I am too lazy plus I want to eat some of the things I would have to eliminate! 😉
I have fructose intolerance. It seems to have the same symptoms, except that it also makes your eyes hurt. I thought something was wrong with them. Greek yogurt and probiotics have helped me the most, along with charcoal tablets if I make a mistake. high fructose corn syrup makes me kind of hope I might die soon. I also really miss fruit. 🙁
I have been adding acerola cherry powder to yogurt. A doctor told me it would help with the inflammation and it has. just make sure it isn’t adulterated.
Thanks for posting this. Although I don’t suffer from a food intolerance myself, my good friend does. I will definitely forward this post to her. As thanks, I may ask her for a party trick in return!!
Me, too, Charlotte – I’ve got Hashimoto’s and would love any info you have on going GF. Tx!
I’ve thankfully never experienced a food sensitivity. So I have to ask, when did you realize vomiting after a meal is not normal? I am so impressed, you’ve been able to give up dairy. I hope it continues to improve your situation.
Love the mentos/coke party trick haha! Oh this is really interesting, I don’t think I have any food sensitivities- but who knows?
Thanks for a brilliant post. Nutrition and the types of food we eat are an integral part of our own health and fitness and often overlooked
I changed to a more paleo-like diet because I’m a sugar addict and my energy levels and weight were bothering me. I already knew I’m lactose intolerant, but I had no idea I had issues with gluten! When I added a bit back in (a raspberry corn muffin one time, a snickerdoodle another), I became lethargic and my seasonal allergy symptoms almost immediately became more pronounced (lots of sinus pressure and I could never breathe through more than one nostril). I feel ridiculous telling people, like maybe I’m turning into a hypochondriac and it’s all in my head, but I swear!
I don’t know if I have the discipline to try and “heal” these things, especially since they aren’t things I need in my diet, but it’s an interesting concept.
I also hate being the fun-sucker at parties…and in my own house. I have started to add foods back (i thrive when i eliminate dairy/eggs/gluten/soy) but realized I was adding them in so i wouldn’t be the ‘fun-sucker’ at parties. I was tired of having to explain myself to everyone-i felt like they were judging me and didn’t believe me. I was tired of being different. I felt ‘weak’ when I would say “i can’t have gluten”…kinda like saying “i can’t do a push-up”….’can’t’ just isn’t part of my vocabulary.
So I had realization- I don’t want to eat those foods because I have a better life without them…and that’s OK. I was stressing myself out trying to heal my gut so I could eat ‘socially accepted’ foods again…but trying to please others only hurts yourself.
Consider yourself lucky if you have no food intolerances!
Pingback:I Am Now a Coloradan and Other Updates [Rachel Cosgrove Rebuttal, Mirena IUD One Year Later, Dairy Free Diet]
I am interested in trying this I have nothing to lose. I do however have an issue with keeping my weight up. I have thyroid issues lost 12 pounds which puts me at 133. How can I sustain and gain weight while doing this. It seems like it could take 7 months at least all together. Can’t afford to lose and weight or muscle at this point.
For my part, those two causes alone are value
investing more time in Twitter.
In case you are replying to a comment that has been left by way
of a specific user, ensure that you tag the individual in your
post.
Awesome things here. I’m very happy to look your article.
Thanks a lot and I’m looking forward to touch you.
Will you kinndly drop me a e-mail?