I know there's questions regarding the accuracy of IgG food testing but I had the test done out of interest because I've been considering going dairy free and/or gluten free. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in Oct 2012 but actually believe my issues were due to poor T4>T3 conversion. I'm waiting to receive copies of medical records to see exactly what was going on around that time. I had gastritis (diagnosed by endoscope when ruling out coeliac disease) which was causing me to vomit every time I tried to eat and following the test eliminated gluten from my diet and within 2 weeks had stopped being sick. I was gluten free for around a year and then very gradually reintroduced it into my diet with no apparent issues. I'm currently struggling to balance my thyroid meds with perimenopause and HRT so thought I would try adapting my diet to see if that has any positive benefits. My IgG test shows that I have moderate reaction to cow's milk, whey protein, egg white, brazil nuts and peanuts, and soy bean (and it's derivatives), so planning to eliminate these things from my diet for at least 3 months to see if it makes any difference. Have any of you guys done this test and eliminated your own highlighted foods with any success? If I don't have any joy, my next step will be to try a gluten free diet again. Thanks, in anticipation.
Anyone had IgG food intolerance tested and succ... - Thyroid UK
Anyone had IgG food intolerance tested and successfully eliminated the offenders?
FAB-jellybean, I did an online food intolerance test with a reputable company as I needed a shortcut to find out what foods may have been affecting me as I was told I had Leaky Gut. It certainly was an eye opener as I was found to be intolerant to gluten, grains, certain nuts, egg whites, anything from the cow so set about changing my diet after talking with the nutritionist who was included in the test price. I cut out all of the above plus caffeine, and soy products and all processed foods and now read labels all the time. Basically now I eat fish, white meat, some red meat, vegetables and fruit which I do believe has helped me. Hope this helps.
I haven’t had a food intolerance test but just wanted to mention that I tried hrt twice on my menopause journey and it completely messed my thyroid meds up to the point where my hair literally broke off at an inch short. My thyroid levels completely dropped as though the hrt “blocked” them from working but because I was taking thyroid meds and they weren’t doing their job, my inflammation rose high which is obviously really bad. I had to completely stopped hrt and I’m only now starting to get back to normal 4 months later 😔 just thought I’d mention in case it helps at all
Hi yes, I did one it flagged 100 out of 160!! It was really useful at fine tuning my diet, as it isn't just a case of gluten or gluten free, I'm ok with most gluten but not barley or spelt and gluten free I can't tolerate amaranth, buckwheat and potato starch!
Also, a reaction doesn't mean you have to avoid all together, just be very wary of the amount you consume as it will trigger at some point, it also gave me a little more confidence in the (safe) foods I could tolerate and enjoy without the fear of a flair up 🤗
hello,
Yes is the answer. I have IgE response to dairy, gluten, egg, potato and wheat so have completely eliminated them from my diet this past year and a half. I tested positive to about 40 foods with IgG and complement and IgG4. I have eliminated all these from my diet this past year and a half. As a result of this I’ve healed my leaky gut and no longer get reflux, IBS, constipation, diarrhoea or vomiting.
I now follow diet which is no grains, dairy, nightshades, eggs, sugar, caffeine, alcohol,nuts, seeds, legumes. Absolutely nothing processed or refined or with an ‘ingredients’ list. The way I look at it is that is it needs a list to tell you what’s in it then it’s not ‘real’ food!
Essentially am AIP/ low lectin diet that is tailored to my individual sensitivities.
I eat properly raised/ organic meat, fish, bone broths, fruit and veggies and good fats.
Personally think doing these tests is one of the best things you can do as you can totally personalise your diet as to what suits YOUR body rarther than just a generic plan.
Good luck
Hello Lucy Yoga, I read with interest your above post and agree wholeheartedly that it's certainly beneficial to find out about food intolerances as I have no problems with some of the foods you mentioned and can also eat certain nuts etc. (that's what I paid to find out about). However, you have said that you wouldn't look at anything which has an ingredient list but it is only by reading labels that I realised I shouldn't be having malt vinegar or eating marmite to name a couple and in looking around for a dairy free mayonnaise I found a vegan one which was suited to my needs or do you refrain from eating anything that you don't make yourself?
yes…. Don’t eat anything processed or refined. Everything 100 % from scratch .. just unprocessed natural foods.
This wasn’t always the case but it’s what has healed my gut and rectified my gut issues. I’m just particularly wary of guar gums, artificial colours, flavours, inflammatory seeds oils and ‘products’ rather than food.
Just whole natural foods… very ancestral. If I couldn’t pick it off a tree or kill it I don’t eat it!
Thanks very much for sharing your experiences. As of today, I have cut out milk, whey, peanuts (and oil), and soya product to see how it goes. Since improving my thyroid levels, I have discovered that my oestradiol levels appear to be too high at times and have had to stop using the continual Evorel 50 Combi with norethisterone due to unbearable side-effects: excessively high oedema, constipation and anxiety. After 7 days without the patches my oedema and anxiety finally sorted themselves out and tried using half a patch (25mcg) with only oestradiol to see whether the progestin and/or oestradiol were causing the issues. After 24 hours, oedema was really bad again and my anxiety levels started to increase again so I removed the patch again and need to go back to go see the GP and probably a referral to a local NHS menopause clinic. I'm also wondering if the ashwagandha that I started taking 2 months ago has helped to balance my hormones, meaning that I don't need HRT at the moment. It's possible that I have adequate oestrogen levels and that my symptoms were caused by low progesterone levels. I seem to be very sensitive to changes in hormone levels, including my thyroid, so have to tweak my T4/T3 doses slowly.
There is thread on the Menopause Matters forum for people with hypothyroidism who are struggling to balance their HRT for anyone else who is having issues.
FYI, those of us with thyroid problems should avoid everything soy. (I do have a bit of soy sauce once a month or so but avoid it like the plague.) It's also the food product most likely to be GMO, yet another reason to stay away.
I’ve heard about these tests that they don’t always show allergies, but tbh idk. Regarding gluten, the diet helped me a lot (gluten free plus using supplements C, magnesium, calcium and iodine drops, also herbs like stinging nettle in high amount). But my real allergy turned out to be flaxseeds which are present in many products in Europe sometimes accidentally; and cocoa/chocolate caused same bad symptoms. Not always gluten is at fault
Thanks amarantus42 , yeah I cut gluten out before and it really did help at the time. I was able to reintroduce again very gradually again after a year, and funnily enough didn't show up on the IgG test. My understanding is that show potential food sensitivities, bonafide allergic reactions to food are IgE responses. For eg, I have allergic reactions (IgE) to pineapple and kiwi but these didn't show up on the IgG test probably because I avoid them in my diet so don't need to produce those antibodies. I'm going to cut out the offending players for a few months and it's not the first time that I've suspected I may have issues with dairy so will be interesting to see how it goes. I'll probably then try going gluten free again to see how that goes. Although I now believe a lot of my recent problems are due to taking ashwagandha, which I've now stopped. Will bear that in mind when I'm assessing the elimination diet.
Big warning for you . Be extremely careful when you have cut out any food you have an intolerance to , and then re-introduce it, months later. The reaction can be severe- vomiting (think 3-4 days), then nauseous, and uncontrollable, liquid diarrhoea and liquid wind for 2-3 weeks afterwards.
I did a York Intolerance Test, and would recommend it. Like you I have an intolerance to cow's milk, brazil nuts, and egg white. Egg white is my worst one.
I have buckwheat too, which Eeyore100 has. I agree with LucyYoga re. avoiding processed foods etc. It also is beneficial to eat grass-fed meat. I know that millet and rye void my bowel, instantly. Since I have yeast as an intolerance, all processed food likely contains this.
I didn't realise that when you re-introduce a food it should be a miniscule amount, to see if you can tolerate it. I went sugar free too. After about 6 months after doing the test, I ate a piece of toffee and pecan meringue roulade. This has sugar, cream and egg white. I haven't touched anything containing egg since. The result was, as per my opening paragraph!
Thanks for the warning Wua13262348 . Yeah when I reintroduced gluten it was the tiniest amount and very slowly built it back up. I certainly don't fancy having your extreme reaction. What I'm realising now is just how many foods contain soya or egg!!
Hi FAB-jellybean . I saw this post by chance today when searching for food intolerances, and your experiences and the replies are a real eye opener. Over the years, even before being diagnosed hypothyroid in 2021, I have eventually worked out for myself some of foods I can't tolerate and I've been quite ill at times. As a teenager I discovered msg was the devil whilst out for a Chinese meal and as a child my mother was sceptical that eggs made me feel sick, but they do. Growing up in the seventies there was little awareness of these things. Egg white, gluten generally, barley and barley malt in particular, whey powder, yogurt and yeast extract I avoid. I've never had the test or any similar, that you describe and I would like to explore this area some more. Please could you provide any more info? I have been gluten free for the last couple of years which has been helpful, to me. My daughter I think also has issues with food intolerances but hasn't identified just which ones are causing her the most grief. She has a love/hate relationship with bread, even the gluten free options, potatoes and other obvious 'baddies' like additives. An intolerance is very difficult to identify specifically, and I'm wary of making a mess of my diet and hers . Please can you provide more info on a reputable test? I tried to follow an AIP protocol a whole back but it's a bit limiting. Thank you in advance.
Hi Lulu, apologies I've just seen your post. StanleyThyroid has posted a link below to test I used.
Useful posts thank you. FYI Blue Horizon are offering 60% off this test this month with any other test - not sure if this is a regular discount but hopefully useful to someone.
Thank you FAB-jellybean and StanleyThyroid . I will certainly explore this further. Many thanks.
Researching Thyroid Promoting Nutrition/Food Intolerance and Weight Gain
Coeliac Home Fingerpick Test
I think all autoimmune Thyroiditis suffers should go gluten-free
