What's up with delayed food allergies?
March 16, 2015 1:53 PM Subscribe
After experiencing some digestive issues, my doctor has diagnosed me with several delayed food allergies. They happen to all be things that I eat every day. What should I do with this information?
Looking at the list of foods I am not supposed to eat/eat less often, I am left with...not a lot of foods that I can eat. Basically meat and non-starchy vegetables. A couple of these foods I have cut back on, and have seen improvements, but some of them don't seem to be causing any problems (hard to tell without rigorous experiments on myself, of course).
I am wondering why I might be allergic to all the foods I normally eat daily. Will I become allergic to other foods if I move them into the more regular rotation? I know I probably need to do a real elimination diet but I'm not sure how to do that without starving given how limited my diet is already.
My husband is convinced that delayed allergy tests are just bogus in general, and I just tested positive for these foods because I eat them a lot.
YANMD, but my doctor prescribes herbal supplements and I don't trust them all that much. Does anyone have any useful thoughts about this?
Looking at the list of foods I am not supposed to eat/eat less often, I am left with...not a lot of foods that I can eat. Basically meat and non-starchy vegetables. A couple of these foods I have cut back on, and have seen improvements, but some of them don't seem to be causing any problems (hard to tell without rigorous experiments on myself, of course).
I am wondering why I might be allergic to all the foods I normally eat daily. Will I become allergic to other foods if I move them into the more regular rotation? I know I probably need to do a real elimination diet but I'm not sure how to do that without starving given how limited my diet is already.
My husband is convinced that delayed allergy tests are just bogus in general, and I just tested positive for these foods because I eat them a lot.
YANMD, but my doctor prescribes herbal supplements and I don't trust them all that much. Does anyone have any useful thoughts about this?
Best answer: Did they diagnose these allergies on the basis of a blood test? If so, it may have been an IgG test and the research on those is very mixed. In fact, some studies showed that foods showing up on an IgG test may be a sign of exposure or tolerance rather than intolerance.
Moreover, the allergy blood tests that generally get run won't identify something like lactose intolerance, which can cause GI distress but isn't actually an allergy. (Apparently there is a lactose blood test... but you have to drink lactose first. IME it's not typically covered on the standard allergy screens.)
I would suggest seeing (a) a different doctor, because you may still need to to rule out other, potentially serious, causes of your digestive issues, and (b) a registered dietician, who can guide you through a proper, evidence-based elimination diet.
YANMD, but my doctor prescribes herbal supplements and I don't trust them all that much.
If you don't trust your doctor, find another doctor. Quite apart from this issue, if you suddenly have a serious medical issue come up, your regular doctor needs to be someone you trust to be on your side, not someone you suspect is selling woo at your expense.
posted by pie ninja at 2:22 PM on March 16, 2015 [3 favorites]
Moreover, the allergy blood tests that generally get run won't identify something like lactose intolerance, which can cause GI distress but isn't actually an allergy. (Apparently there is a lactose blood test... but you have to drink lactose first. IME it's not typically covered on the standard allergy screens.)
I would suggest seeing (a) a different doctor, because you may still need to to rule out other, potentially serious, causes of your digestive issues, and (b) a registered dietician, who can guide you through a proper, evidence-based elimination diet.
YANMD, but my doctor prescribes herbal supplements and I don't trust them all that much.
If you don't trust your doctor, find another doctor. Quite apart from this issue, if you suddenly have a serious medical issue come up, your regular doctor needs to be someone you trust to be on your side, not someone you suspect is selling woo at your expense.
posted by pie ninja at 2:22 PM on March 16, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: They happen to all be things that I eat every day. What should I do with this information?
A US-based friend of mine lived in Asia for a few years, started eating rice every day while there, and developed an allergy to rice. After avoiding rice completely for some years, the allergy eventually went away, and this friend now eats rice as often as they like with no trouble.
Another friend started eating a handful of pecans every day after a tree in their yard provided a bumper crop. Within a year, they developed an allergy to tree nuts. They still have to avoid tree nuts years later because the allergy has not gone away.
These are just anecdotes, of course, but I think it never hurts to eat a variety of foods, as much as possible, rather than constantly relying on a few staples.
If it's the "delayed" aspect contributing to the uncertainty, delayed symptoms in response to eating certain foods is definitely a thing that can happen. A food and symptom journal might be helpful, to help you pinpoint whether symptoms might be happening 2 or 3 days after you eat certain things. You might find some useful ideas here or here.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 2:36 PM on March 16, 2015
A US-based friend of mine lived in Asia for a few years, started eating rice every day while there, and developed an allergy to rice. After avoiding rice completely for some years, the allergy eventually went away, and this friend now eats rice as often as they like with no trouble.
Another friend started eating a handful of pecans every day after a tree in their yard provided a bumper crop. Within a year, they developed an allergy to tree nuts. They still have to avoid tree nuts years later because the allergy has not gone away.
These are just anecdotes, of course, but I think it never hurts to eat a variety of foods, as much as possible, rather than constantly relying on a few staples.
If it's the "delayed" aspect contributing to the uncertainty, delayed symptoms in response to eating certain foods is definitely a thing that can happen. A food and symptom journal might be helpful, to help you pinpoint whether symptoms might be happening 2 or 3 days after you eat certain things. You might find some useful ideas here or here.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 2:36 PM on March 16, 2015
YANMD, but my doctor prescribes herbal supplements and I don't trust them all that much. Does anyone have any useful thoughts about this?
Find a new doctor, ideally one that relies on science. And a referral to an allergist. My experience so far with being diagnosed with allergies late in life is really just vigilance and occasionally having a sad about things I can't eat anymore. O Nutella, why has thou forsaken me?
How were your allergies diagnosed?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:57 PM on March 16, 2015
Find a new doctor, ideally one that relies on science. And a referral to an allergist. My experience so far with being diagnosed with allergies late in life is really just vigilance and occasionally having a sad about things I can't eat anymore. O Nutella, why has thou forsaken me?
How were your allergies diagnosed?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:57 PM on March 16, 2015
Hey, I have this too. I was diagnosed by the skin prick test by an actual allergist. I get retested every 4 years or so. Similar to your case, most of the worst offenders were things I was eating semi-frequently. I complete cut out four of them (beef, broccoli (wtf, body?), cow milk, and chocolate) for a few years. Now I can eat chocolate, beef, and broccoli again but cow milk is still out, alas. I have more food allergies than those I listed here that have not gone away despite avoiding them completely. I'm not sure why some have stayed, and some have gone and my allergist doesn't really have answers either.
I do think it's worth doing a challenge-response test. Pick a weekend morning and eat some of what you're allergic to. Avoid any other foods for a couple of hours and see what happens (if anything). Obviously, do not do this if you have reason to believe any of your allergies are life-threatening. Or better yet, find an allergy clinic that will do this kind of test with you in case you do have a bad reaction. For me, the allergic response was apparent with 15-30 minutes and bad enough that I was thrilled to avoid these foods because my quality of life was terrible while eating those things.
Also, I don't think herbal supplements are going to do a darn thing for you. Find a better doctor and an allergist :)
posted by Mouse Army at 3:05 PM on March 16, 2015
I do think it's worth doing a challenge-response test. Pick a weekend morning and eat some of what you're allergic to. Avoid any other foods for a couple of hours and see what happens (if anything). Obviously, do not do this if you have reason to believe any of your allergies are life-threatening. Or better yet, find an allergy clinic that will do this kind of test with you in case you do have a bad reaction. For me, the allergic response was apparent with 15-30 minutes and bad enough that I was thrilled to avoid these foods because my quality of life was terrible while eating those things.
Also, I don't think herbal supplements are going to do a darn thing for you. Find a better doctor and an allergist :)
posted by Mouse Army at 3:05 PM on March 16, 2015
I had a Dr who tried to push food allergies on me, but it turned out that I was having a strong reaction to the histamines. I've got it pretty well under control by paying attention to what food are high in histamines, what OTC stuff helps, etc.. There's a lot of woo with histamine intolerance, too, but not as much as my old MD was pushing on me.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:18 PM on March 16, 2015
posted by Ideefixe at 3:18 PM on March 16, 2015
Best answer: I've had that issue. Yes, go see an allergist and get the skin test done. Not that that really helped me.
What did help me was healing my gut. I had to avoid (1) all allergens & bothersome foods, (2) grains, (3) dairy, (3) legumes, (4) nuts & seeds, and (5) FODMAPS. It sucked!!!! But my problem foods are not your problem foods.
Look up Leaky Gut Syndome (I hate that term!). Basically, your intestinal permeability is increased, and undigested bits of your staple foods are getting into your blood stream where the immune system reacts to. What worked for me was lots of bone broth, fresh ginger, probiotics, l-glutamine, and digestive enzymes. And an incredibly strict diet. After several months I was able to reintroduce most foods back without issue.
Good luck! Me mail me if you have any questions.
posted by Neekee at 3:58 PM on March 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
What did help me was healing my gut. I had to avoid (1) all allergens & bothersome foods, (2) grains, (3) dairy, (3) legumes, (4) nuts & seeds, and (5) FODMAPS. It sucked!!!! But my problem foods are not your problem foods.
Look up Leaky Gut Syndome (I hate that term!). Basically, your intestinal permeability is increased, and undigested bits of your staple foods are getting into your blood stream where the immune system reacts to. What worked for me was lots of bone broth, fresh ginger, probiotics, l-glutamine, and digestive enzymes. And an incredibly strict diet. After several months I was able to reintroduce most foods back without issue.
Good luck! Me mail me if you have any questions.
posted by Neekee at 3:58 PM on March 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
*I wanted to add: since you can't have starchy vegetables, and you'll likely need to cut out grain & legumes (harsh on the intestines), please make sure you are getting enough carbs.
I didn't. Bad things happened to my metabolism & blood sugar regulation.
I don't know how varied your diet was beforehand, but maybe go to farmers markets or Asian markets to test out different veggies you didn't usually eat. Just a thought.
posted by Neekee at 6:59 AM on March 23, 2015
I didn't. Bad things happened to my metabolism & blood sugar regulation.
I don't know how varied your diet was beforehand, but maybe go to farmers markets or Asian markets to test out different veggies you didn't usually eat. Just a thought.
posted by Neekee at 6:59 AM on March 23, 2015
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posted by brainmouse at 2:11 PM on March 16, 2015