Some years ago I found that I could no longer easily digest chickpeas or anything with them, which was a shame because I really enjoyed foods like hummus and stews with them in. For days after the ingestion I would feel headachy, have severe gas, bloating and feel generally lethargic and my appetite would be affected. Baked beans also seem to be a real issue for me now, I had a breakfast with them a few weeks ago, I only had a few but a couple of days later I was pretty ill and it lasted a number of days.
Recently I found that some, not all, red wines seemed to set off a similar reaction, severe gas in this case. I put this down to potential additives in the wine, white is fine by the way,
I wanted to find out if anyone has experienced the same issues with any of the above and in addition to cutting them out entirely what other steps have you taken to minimise the effects of these (and other) foods and drinks on your daily life.
I intend to have some intolerance testing and would probably elect to pay for this to get it done quicker and take strain off the health services. What are the tests like and do they give specific direction to help you avoid a wider variety of foods which can affect your digestion and general health?
A colleague at work told me about some testing you could do by sending your hair into a lab but the results ironically told me that chickpeas were on my green list, telling me I should eat more of them. When I emailed them they told me the below:
our test does not have the capability to detect IgG intolerances, IgE allergies, or medical conditions.
I didn’t expect much of the tests but I thought I’d give it a try so when it told me to eat a food I knew I had some level of intolerance to it confirmed my suspicions that it wasn’t a very good or accurate solution, hence my request for some further info and advice on proper intolerance testing.
Your experiences with the tests and any action you have taken to soothe issues would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
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I have no experience of intolerance testing and I'm afraid I don't drink wine, but I can answer the first part of your post.
I, too, developed an intolerance to chickpeas, borlotti beans etc and like you, hugely miss being able to include them in my cooking.
I also had to cut out cauliflower and drastically reduce onions and broccoli.
Now, I find the simplest way to avoid bloating and the diverticular type of pain I got low down on my left side, is to just not eat so may things I used to love 😭.
One thing that does help with my bloating and flatulence is saccharides boulaardii. I also take an Alflorex every day and try to include kefir plain yoghurt .
I expect someone else will be able to offer you advice on the intolerance testing.
By complete coincidence I have recently found out that chick peas, red wine, baked beans are on my list of foods to avoid too.In addition onions, pastry and white bread .I am desperate to find a good intolerance test.
It turns out a lot of these intolerance tests are innacurate and the best way is elimination diets to try and pin point the offending foods but it is such a long process. I feel I have been trying now for two years and really wish there was more help available. Good Luck .
yes, all types of beans but in particular chickpeas (they have very tough indigestible skins) cause me bloating and pain. Ditto raw carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. Whits flour in pastry , bread and biscuits is out too. I wouldn’t waste money personally on any testing. The only upside is it makes staying slim easier! I can only tolerate very small amounts of alcohol, so that saves a fortune in money.
Regarding chickpeas, you could try thoroughly rinsing the canned chickpeas to make sure you remove all of the slime (aquafaba) and then try reintroducing them again very slowly starting with 1/4 of a normal portion size (my portion size is 80g) for 2-3 days and record symptoms. If OK, increment by another 1/4 and so on. You may find there is a level of rinsed chickpeas that you can tolerate. With baked beans, I find it is the tomato sauce that gives me issues.
The only true way to find out about intolerances is through a FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet, preferably via a GP referral to a dietitian.
However, before trying the diet, I would highly recommend giving Alflorex probiotic a go which has been studied for IBS. Alflorex has made me more tolerant to a wider range of foods including the pulses you describe. After a 3 month trial of Alflorex, you may need to try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet to uncover any remaining intolerances (which hopefully will be less). It doesn't always work for everyone, but is worth a punt.
I am confirmed coelaic and have also been diagnosed with IBS-D. Having recently been unwell with diarrhea, bloating and stomach pains I am at a loss as to what exactly I am supposed to eat. Following a GF diet with added FODMAP makes for a miserable time so I have just sent a blood sample for testing. This was done out of desperation but I am hoping that it will show that I am eating something that is making me ill.
The permanent see-saw around good and bad days is enough to send even the most balanced happy person screaming into the street!! I will let you know what happens once I get the results.
Hi there, I use to eat all the foods you mentioned, also green leafy veg like kale, cabbage, broccoli etc. I made my own fermented foods all of which I loved. I slowly started to feel really unwell, chronic wind, bloating, severe nausea and terrible stomach pains after eating. I finally was diagnosed with SIBO (I have had manageable IBS for over 30 years) by a Naturopath. This was 3 years ago. I'm slowly re introducing green veg. Can't touch chickpeas, baked beans, any legumes., red/white wine. I had and still have low stomach acid which is a contributory factor for SIBO. I'm not saying that is what you have but that is my experience. Its been and still is a long journey. Hope you get to the bottom of the problem. Personally I wouldn't use intolerance testing.
Hi, I do suffer with constipation and I do find that any kind of beans do make my constipation worse and I do feel bloated if I do inadvertently eat beans of any kind, but sweetcorn does make me go and relieves the bloating.Not sure if this helps your particular problem.
I don't trust these tests. If they were that good why don't docs use them. If only it was that simple. I also found them inaccurate. If you took the same test a week later the results would be different. That's why they were so reluctant to sell me a second test.
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