I have done some allergy and intolerance tests and results have come back with lots of red alerts on the page. I am trying to figure out how to proceed.
I had considered going gluten free previously but kept putting it off because I knew it would be very difficult for me. But my eczema has got quite bad over recent months, so it’s time to do something.
My worst reaction is to wheat, oats, barley, Durham wheat, spelt, gluten and eggs. Lesser reactions to dairy (milk, Gouda cheese, casein). For some reason they only tested Gouda so I don’t know if this means other cheese might be okay.
My current breakfast is cereal based and lunch is a sandwich (often cheese). This needs to change, but I am struggling to work out a plan. If I remove cereal, toast and eggs from breakfast what is there? Lunch without bread of any time isn’t great either.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed 🙁. If you have time, please send me ideas.
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Andie222
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I find M&S brown seeded gluten free bread the best. However it is pricey at £3 for a small loaf. It is a case of trying different gluten free breads and finding what you like. Gluten free wraps from the supermarkets are good as are Warburtons gluten free brioche rolls or similar.
Baked potatoes are gluten free and easy. Porridge is a good breakfast/ You can make a double batch and reheat in microwave.
Hi Lalatoot I don’t think I can have gluten free breads if I am intolerant to wheat, barley etc can I? Likewise porridge is no good if I’m intolerant to oats.
I do like baked potatoes although I do have a slight intolerance to them, so probably shouldn’t eat them too often.
Andie gluten free bread are gluten free. They are made with flours such as rice, millet, sorghum, maize. If you like to make your own food then these are the flour substitutes to use.
I’ve just spent some time on the Tesco website and see what you mean. I was thinking there was such a thing as gluten free wheat, in the same way as there is gluten free oats. However, I’m going to need to be very careful as many contain soya and sunflower seeds both of which I need to avoid. Shopping just got very time consuming!
If you can, go to Waitrose for your gluten and dairy free alternatives. It’s much easier shopping there for such things. The supermarkets have less choice and often make you dizzy. Get the celiac app to help with the shopping until you get the hang of it. It’s brilliant!
Gluten-free oats merely mean not contaminated with wheat in the factory packing them. I can’t even eat the gluten-free ones😱 I have the opposite effect to most people I end up like Cluaughton brick works, so I’ve just had to leave them alone.
I am strictly gluten-free and it’s easier now than it has ever been. As Lalatoot say’s gluten free bread has improved. I haven’t tried M&S yet (thanks for the heads up Lalatoot 😊).
I eat free-from bread called PROMISE. This is expensive, unless you’ve managed to catch it on special offer in Sainsbury’s which I did today £2.70 a loaf normally £3.60. Yes it is very expensive, but not a single bit of it gets wasted and it means that I can enjoy toast every morning and it’s no different to ordinary bread. Sainsbury’s also do gluten-free speckled hen and it’s on special at the moment four bottles for £7, which I think is pretty good and it tastes nice! And no, I don’t get a commission for telling people this.🤣 You can’t get everything you want from one shop, but still, I couldn’t get everything I wanted from one shop before I was gluten-free LOL!
I make my own for loads of stuff as so many ready-made foods use wheat, even if that wasn’t the ingredient originally in the recipe - because it’s cheap!
I cannot tell you how much better I feel for going gluten-free. In fact I have a saying nothing tastes as good as gluten-free feels!
Morrisons do a vegetarian suet which has a gluten-free flour coating. Sadly, Atorah have not cottoned on and still use wheat flour. Unbelievable! I sent a message to them two years ago, telling them they were missing a trick and they continue to do so.
You can actually grate fat into gluten-free flour and make your own. It’s a bit messy and time consuming, the fat is best frozen for a while - but I may end up doing that this year as I only managed to get one pack of gluten-free suet today from Morrisons.
Also a lot of brands will not actually declared themselves gluten-free for fear of contamination. That said it pays to look and make a judgement call, and if you feel brave, try it out, but only one thing at a time for obvious reasons. The coeliac site is absolutely brilliant in terms of telling you the products that you can use too.
I make my own bhajis now 70 to 100 at a time and they freeze just fine. Most shop bought bhajis, unless they are specifically gluten-free on the label, have wheat in them, and yet Gramm Flour is supposed to be used not wheat flour.
I want to expand my repertoire. So much cheaper than buying ready made gluten-free or normal.
Thank you for so much positive information and I love your saying. I’m feeling much more positive myself having read these replies. What a great group.
I’ve never heard of promise bread. I will look it up. I haven’t eaten suet since childhood, but you have inspired me to investigate. Thank you.
I've been GF for many years now and have come to adore Promise breads, as CF says, not a crumb goes to waste! You could consider getting a breadmaker on Good Friday, I have an old Panasonic one works great. You can control what goes into your bread. Put it on a timer and wake up to a house smelling like a bakery with a fresh GF loaf. Bobs Red Mill blended GF flours are good online. Makes you appreciate bread in a new way and not just absent mindedly eat it out of convenience. You could make nourish bowls for lunches by Sunday prepping a few veggies like roasted sweet pots, coleslaws, raw broccoli is actually delish, hummus (so easy to make) or buy Ramona's in a big tub and doesn't go off like others. This will last Mon to Friday. With a piece of salmon or chicken. I make nuts only granola by Nikki Sizemore, it's so delicious, with frozen berries softened with a bit of maple syrup into a compote with Fage yoghurt, a grated apple, orange zest and pistachios with a sprinkle of grated dark choc, obsessed with this eat as a pudding or breakfast! Get a few dishes going and before you know it you'll be onto a healthy more intentional way of eating turning a hastle into a new way of eating that can be way more satisfying!
Oats are gluten free, but they’re processed with the same machinery and grown in the same fields as wheat, so there’s a fair bit of contamination. Gluten free oats are grown and processed totally separately.
Oats do contain a protein which is quite similar to gluten (memory says gliadin, but may be wrong) and can trigger reactions in some people.
Hi there , yes oats can be a good alternative but I found it best to look for certified gluten free oats (which are ok for people with coeliac disease) . Oats made in a factory which makes other cereals can get contaminated with other grains . This information is from coeliac.org.uk. Most supermarkets in the U.K. sell gluten free oats . It’s also worth noting that although oats don’t contain gluten they do contain a similar protein called avenin which most coeliacs are ok with but there’s of course no guarantee it may not trigger other allergies .
You could do a chia pudding for breakfast. Look on Pinterest for recipes
Have you done a coeliac test at GPS?
The best thing with food allergies is to work with a dietician if you can afford a private one. They will work with you to do an exclusion diet. If you can’t afford I am sure there will be a coeliac support group on internet somewhere that can advise.
I have lactose intolerance and excluded all dairy for 2 weeks and by day 5 I felt much better.
You should also research the FODMAP diet, I am sensitive to a few fruit and veg on here.
Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential
I find M&S gluten free products, & a lot of gf breads often have milk & egg. You have to check. M&S gf seed loaf has dried egg white. I'm allergic to gluten, dairy & egg. Will post more info when I have time.
Gluten free bread by definition is made without wheat. If you look at the ingredients list, most of them are made with potato starch or tapioca etc. the brown or seeded ones tend to have a better texture than the white ones.
Pre cooked packet rice or lentils (depending on the ingredients) or pre cooked chestnuts are a quick and easy carb to go with your fats and proteins.
You can have pasta made from lentils or peas and you can get konjac "diet" noodles that are ok for most intolerances (I avoid these as they are so low calorie they have very little nutritional value other than fibre).
Can you have rice? If you can, then ricecakes make a reasonable, if bland, substitution for bread. Rice flakes and flour are generally well tolerated.
If you can have seeds, buckwheat or quinoa flakes can be used instead of oats. Ground linseed and ground chia seeds are also good substitutes. A mix of these makes a reasonable porridge, although you may need a lot of sweet spices like cinnamon or cardamom to liven it up a bit.
There are going to be lots of things that you can still have, but it'll mean making your own meals from scratch most of the time.
Thanks for your reply. I have a medium intolerance to rice, so will be avoiding that, but seeds (except sunflower) are ok. Looking at pasta which I love, the free from ones seem to be made from rice flour, but I will hunt for an alternative.
You can buy boodles ready made from Sainsburys which is butternut squash spaghetti, delish. Or get a spiralizer and do courgetti, or just peel courgettes into ribbons, blanche in hot water. Use veg as pasta win win! Except for lasagna, make a big deep one then freeze into portions with gf pasta or roasted peppers spread flat as your layers
We eat Green pea penne pasta and chick pea pasta, pretty sure they are both GF since I started eating them when trying out GF. Lentils and split peas make really good soups (green pea and mint being a favourite), especially as you can ring the changes with vegetables and some come out beautifully coloured (eg beetroot and purple carrot). Dairy and GF yogurt can make a delicious breakfast if filled with fresh fruit. As an alternative to bread, although completely different in texture, I love lentil 'cakes', they are not at all sweet, rather like rice 'cakes', with a crispy texture and you can spread all sorts, sweet or savoury, on them. I love Vitalite as a butter alternative but the rest of the family like Naturli (sp?) better and we all like the new Flora. Hope this helps, I am vegan so if you would like more ideas for dairy free. I've just seen you have a huge number of replies so probably didn't need this!
I have been blown away at the number of replies. It will take me time to get my head around it all and decide on a plan, but I will be referring back to some great suggestions. It may help others too. So thank you for these suggestions.
I’ve had many full allergy panels done in the past and a long history of supposed allergy attacks, while searching for root causes and ways to feel better.
Lots of red flags, as you note, but for me none of them useful. I was actually fine with tons of the things flagged from foods to pets to plants and everything in between.
I avoided whole food groups for my entire life because I tested allergic to them. I have a bit of ptsd from past allergy attacks. But one important thing an allergist told me was - if you are allergic to something you are allergic to it every time you come into contact with it. (even though I believe and have experienced the 7 year cycles of some of those allergies )
For me - I learned years later that whatever I thought I could have been allergic too was actually linked to undiagnosed and untreated thyroid. Allergy panels were just one more shot in the dark as I searched for an answers to why I felt so bad.
So my two cents, before you drive yourself nuts trying to follow all those red flags, consider sharing your TSH, T3, T4 levels plus the 4 key vitamins needed for thyroid health. If your T3 is not optimized I personally recommend doing that first, which for me knocked out a boatload of my other symptoms. That included skin issues for me too - like rosacea - which I was shocked disappeared after my Thyroid hormones started to optimize.
You may have already done this. But I don’t see that info in your profile . Advice on this board will still be to consider gluten feee regardless of celiac test results. That being said - if your T4/T3 isn’t right then fixing that should be a priority too. And always a good idea to do one thing at a time or else you might find you go through the trouble of gluten free when it was your T3 all along.
Of course gluten and other allergens might also be your problem. But it may or may not be the root cause.
Yes you are right. I've been working hard getting my thyroid and vitamin numbers in a better place. I'm now on T3 and both FT3 and FT4 are in the top quartile. The only thing still low is ferritin. Having a full iron panel next week.
Hi Andie. I think I would be inclined to check with the tester if the grain issue is gluten or not. I am formerly diagnosed as gluten intolerant & highly likely Coeliacs. My dog on the other hand is grain intolerant which does include rice. So it's an important difference. She's also allergic to peas. Together this rules out 99% of commercially produced dog food. A lot of gluten free is wheat free so the gluten free isle maybe a good starting place. But you'd still need to check ingredients.
For example the pasta are of ten made from potatoes or tapioca etc...
I'm not sure if GF bread would be OK. You'd need to check. I too like the Promise bread....
Your allergy list is a lot of food items if you then have to exclude them all.
I'd be inclined to start with the the big red flags first because it maybe that as your digestive system settles/heal you may find you can tolerate some of the others in smaller quantities.
It is confusing. I'm mildly allergic to wheat but not rice. But very intolerant to both. I've noticed that rice is commonly used in GF breads. I think I'm going to have to make some soup. Quite appealing in this weather but less so in summer.
Your poor dog. I imagine she is expensive to feed!
Aww thanks Andie. Looking back I think I should've moved her onto a raw food diet but she's 12 now. Having said that she gets runny eyes if I give her fresh cooked Salmon so maybe not. She on a hypoallergenic diet. Largely works well but not exciting. I do give her extra vitamins. And there are some foods that I can give her titbits every so often. No dog chews or treats....they are mainly grain based.
I would definately take further consultation over these results. What you don't want to do is exclude unnecessary foods and you need a dieticians advice and really the causes of these allergies needs investigating. Have you seen a gastroenterologist? I'm not convinced GF would be quite right for you.
I think that’s a great point. I’m thinking about what you’re saying and trying to match it to my own experience and wondering if “intolerance” means anything in particular. Are they used interchangeably?
And are we implying that they both trigger a cellular reaction (inflammation? Rash? Hives? Digestion problems? What else?) that we want to manage/control?
For me, the things I am allergic to make me itchy and sometimes get hives/swelling. But doctors tried to tell me forever that I was allergic to things that I didn’t notice any reaction to at all when exposed (other than the scratch/blood tests) so I got skeptical of it all.
A friend of mine had a grandfather who they thought had dementia but ended up it was just a gluten thing (allergy/intolerance) - which is so interesting to me! And my cousin is straight up celiacs… can’t make it to the bathroom quick enough if he ends up eating it.
But I get skeptical in my own life when doctors have set me on a chase bc of my bloods vs anything I’m feeling.
How do you guys know you have allergies/intolerance? How did you ultimate conclude it’s worth the trouble to go gluten free? How long did that really take to conclude?
For me it’s quite simple. Over the years I have developed an intolerance to a particular food, and after eliminating it for a few months/1 year I gentle reintroduce it and everything is fine. Usually the reaction is as obvious as bloating.
I should add that I may be intolerant to lots of other foods or other things in the environment, but it’s not possible to conclusively know if my symptoms are as a result of these. For example, I have yet to discern why I am suffering with loose stools for years!
We also got to remember that the thyroid is implicated throughout our bodies thus any symptoms could be as a result of our condition anyway and could resolve once treatment is optimised.
When I think of allergies on the other hand, I think these are life long and nothing one can do can eliminate them. If one finds they have, I’m inclined to think it was a probably just an intolerant all along.
However, with that said, I think this is a tricky area and there is much to be learned still. And, often the severity of a reaction is what makes it an allergy vs intolerance.
So, in a nutshell… obvious reactions are hard to miss such as any number of instant reactions. The not so obvious ones, one can only but try eliminating things to see if things improve. With that said, I do think our bodies can be fooled into a temporary reprieve with this method also.
Tapioca flour is a marvellous substitute for eggs and gluten if you need a bit of sticky for making gluten free pancakes or wraps, little flavour and you only need a small amount to make gloop 🤗
Andie222 I also tested intolerant to wheat and eggs, also chicken. I stick to a gluten free diet, avoiding eggs can be problematic they are used as a substitute for gluten in bread and I avoid milk and cream unless they are lactose free.
I have Mesa sunrise breakfast cereal, gf and organic and add nut milk.
Try a continental breakfast of cheese or meats on gf bread or have an avocado. Pancakes made with buckwheat flower ( no wheat or gluten) or try gram flour. Oggs come in a small tetrapak and is a good substitute for eggs as is Aquafaba, the liquid in a can of cooked chickpeas, makes great meringues.
I like promise white sliced bread, but b aware a lot of gf bread has egg white in.
Rye bread is gluten free if it is the type u can buy in Holland and denmark
I think Biona brand do gf breads. It can take awhile to find things u like to eat that aren’t wildly expensive. I found processed foods should b avoided. It’s best to cook from scratch and read every label. Good luck
Hi Crimple, please will you tell me how you make meringues from aquafaba? I use it to make mayonnaise and salad cream but find it is unpredictable, sometimes whisking into a nice fluff and other times not at all. What is the secret?
Hi - I found a range of gluten free bread, rolls, wraps etc in Tesco and Home Bargains called Schar. The rolls are part baked and a good range. Also I find that if we go on holiday to Spain or USA they’re usually available there too.
I’d be wary of giving up a whole load of different food types. If you haven’t been gluten free before just start with that as most of us here really benefit from that.
I would be thinking expansively rather than restricting ie putting the effort into eating as many different vegetables and good quality protein into my diet as I can.
Also I’d be careful about swapping out anything if it means you’re going to be eating processed food. That’s really not good for you. Most gluten free breads have got tons of ingredients in them that I don’t know what they are and our bodies haven’t evolved to digest them. The one I eat occasionally is by Good Grain Sourdough though it’s £5 for 500g but it hasn’t got any chemicals in it and the sourdough starter it contains means the ingredients were fermented for a while so you’ll be able to digest it better. I would recommend it toasted, not otherwise
Eggs are soooo good for you, convenient and we’ve evolved to digest them well unless you really are intolerant. They’re a great breakfast and so versatile. Yesterday I quickly steamed some purple sprouting broccoli and chopped it up. Scooped out a soft boiled egg over it and mixed it together with salt and pepper and swirl of lemon infused olive oil and I was genuinely in heaven! Thinking to add avocado to that. Some chopped tomatoes etc etc
If I was you I would get going on gluten free and see how you feel on that. I found it really quite magical.
Hi I’ve had to change my diet due to my diet and migraines between 2015 and 2020. I’ve got lots of ideas. In Asis they have rice for breakfast with meat and veg. There are gluten free breads in every supermarket in the free from section. Eat fruit for breakfast too. Blueberries are great for seasonal affective disorder. I eat granola with seeds and fruit but if oats are out find another alternative. Quinoa maybe or chia seeds overnight bowl. Pinterest is full of ideas. Fodmap or Mediterranean diet or Japanese diet might work. Best of luck.
Hi I use rice cakes and actually now prefer them to bread. I did look at making bread that was gluten free which are okay. I often do eggs, chicken, rice, fish for breakfast. I am also dairy sensitive and there is evidence that some people can do hard cheese, it's all in the quantities. Not sure if you like tuna etc or Hummus and say beetroot but they are great options. Maybe worth looking at a few vegan or similar sites for lunch ideas. I also avoid onions and high fructose that can go with dairy sensitivities. Good luck!
Hi Andie. Just sticking in my experience as I’ve been gluten free for years. I know it can be a shock, but you get used to not having bread. Personally, the gluten-free breads, etc. cause me bother too so it’s easier not to have them at all. Problems with eggs are often about the egg white rather than the yolk, and the yolks contain all the nutrition if you can be bothered separating them? I eat loads of eggs and have these for breakfast as well as add them to other meals. I can imagine you want to avoid them at the moment. I eat meat, eggs, squashes, potatoes and fruit, and only dabble with other foods at Christmas and ‘occasions’.
I have just had a couple of months with a horrendous, crazy itchy skin rash affecting me from my chest and armpits upwards. I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of it as the doctors are only interested in prescribing steroid cream and a massive antihistamine. I haven’t been diagnosed with thyroid issues, but understand this could be a cause of 10 years plus skin rashes. I suggested looking at my hormones to the doctors, but they didn’t go for it.
I really enjoy reading the advice from others on this forum, you’re all great and offer much needed support.
Best of luck navigating a new way of eating Andie.
I am carnivore and have been for 4 years. It is the ultimate exclusion diet and provides all the nutrients that the human body needs. Try it you won't believe how much better you will feel.
Gemmab, the human race and our ancestors have been carnivore for more than 3.5million years. It comes naturally with all the macronutrients and nutrients that the body needs especially high quality protein with all the amino acids that you need and saturated fat. Protein and fat are the only 2 essential macronutrients. Saturated fat is needed as precursors to hormone production in the body.
I am 64 I don't count calories don't get hungry and feel great, I sleep well, have no gut or skin, or joint issues issues. I am metabolically healthy with a low blood pressure, well controlled blood sugar/insulin levels. I believe I am doing all I can to avoid modern chronic. I just eat high quality grass fed meat mainly beef and lamb but other thing can be included.
There are many resources that i suggest you looking at for help. I suggest a 30 day carnivore trail. You won't believe how much better you feel at the end of it.
Try Dr Anthony Chaffee, Carnivore for Beginners, Nutrition with Judy and Mikhalia Peterson whio has resolved some really acute conditions with Carnivore and is the author of the Lion Diet.
Hi snap I’m allergic to corn wheat dairy rude health do a rice cereal like Rice Krispies
I use Bob red mill wheat free flour only on Amazon dove bread flour white and seeded rolls Waitrose I eat goats cheese and sheep cheese and I have almond milk my problem is corn because all gluten’s free contain maize nush yogurt is nice it’s definitely a mind field and hard x
You ask what you can have for breakfast. I make in liquidiser a quarter bag of unfrozen fruits, half a banana a dollop of honey or maple syrup add almond or oat milk. Sprinkled with flaxseeds and chia this fills me up until lunchtime.
How about kippers for breakfast with some rice mixed with onion and peas made the night before. Or sushi. You can also buy things called corn thins or rice cakes to have with smoked salmon. Baked beans and instant mash with wheat free sausages. Rice noodles. steak or smoked mackeral. Roast chicken and chips. I do feel sorry for you as I love my food. If I was you I would be inclined to cut one thing out at a time rather than go cold turkey, it will reduce the withdraws you will probably get and give you time to get used to the changes.
Romaine hearts lettuce is a good alternative to bread for a sandwich, I also make tacos out of them. Soup is also a good alternative. (Learn how to make your own the possibilities are endless) I would try a meat and vegetable only approach and then add to this, it changes your mindset from feeling like you are missing out and gives you the chance to try new recipes also invest in an air fryer if you don’t already own one. (Sausage and bacon for breakfast is quick and relatively mess free) I hope this helps and I know how hard it is. Good luck 😊
Hi, I recently did the Yorke blood test & noticed that it red flagged many of the foods I eat all the time. I’m not sure how well respected these tests are. Lots of reviews on the net doubt their usefulness.
I was already on restricted diets Gluten free, dairy free, yeast free, alcohol free, Fodmap free so found it very hard indeed to change what I’m eating. I now have a linseed bread roll & Turkey gluten free sausages ( very quick to cook in an air fryer or the oven & good cold too) for breakfast followed by sheep’s milk yoghurt with berries.
I shop at Sainsburys & find the specialty food selection better there than Waitrose. Doves farm flours are stocked by Sainsbury’s too, There is rice pasta too & many other substitute foods.
Hardcore diet is Dr Sarah Myhill’s Paleo Keto. It’s featured on her very informative website. The linseed bread she advocates is good though the loaves are small. It’s different but acceptable. Home made though of course.She’s written books about it too.
Maybe try this for as long as you can stand it & then individually reintroduce foods one at a time to check reactions. Be aware that a food you thought was fine can become impossible after a break. The symptoms become very much stronger
. I tweaked my dairy intake by swopping to nut milks , Plenish or Rude Health are the best and using sheep yoghurt & cheese. I’m ok with these.
You might like to post about which thyroid hormone brand you’re taking. Many people react badly to Teva. The ingredients of each brands’ tablets vary considerably.
Search on Google & Pinterest for recipe inspiration. Amazon have many grain & gluten free or Keto recipe books. Lots of egg substitute recipes for Vegans.
Your list of problem foods isn’t too bad, mine’s much longer! I’m sure you’ll adapt once you start exploring & researching. If you don’t find improvements after 3 months give up but add the foods back one at a time and watch for symptoms worsening again. Hopefully you’ll find the culprit that way.
Hi which company did u get a food sensitivities test with, I had one done a few months ago by check my body health, they told me what I’m sensitive too and one of them was salmon, apples, but I’ve heard that some of these tests can’t be accurate and they only pick up on what we last eaten and say we’re sensitive to it, I can now eat salmon and apples with no problems at all, which is confusing for me, I’m also gluten free and it was hard to find foods and recipes to fit this around, but I’m managing now, I’ve found Tesco promise bread is really so much nicer to eat then these dried out ones abit expensive but worth it, they are all sorts now I make my own food but just gf and it’s becoming more easy now, gud luck xx
Hi. It was lifelabtesting. I did wonder about the accuracy but it was recommended by someone on here recently. My intolerances seem to be all my favourite foods which I eat regularly. 🙁
It’s it really strange that but if I was you I would eliminate one at a time and see if u can feel or see the difference in the items ur sensitive to, see how u go gud luck
Andie I wouldn't be guided by those tests tbh. They are not reliable. I'd go and see a gastroenterologist. You need to find out what's going on. It could actually be for example poor gut bio..... There's been a lot of research on this recently. So I'd research for gastroenterologists interested in allergies, intolerances, gut bio....They're now saying restricting babies diets is the cause of many allergies such as nut allergy because the advice has been to avoid diverse foods at a young age. They're saying this is the cause of the huge increase in allergies. Now they're saying babies should get little tasters of a wide variety of foods. I used to do this with my children when they were babies.... no allergies.
Lots of good advice and I fully sympathise with eczema as very bad in my and hubby’s family - it’s really debilitating. So when I was pregnant I did some research on the best approach to try and help my yet unborn kids to be eczema free. They are both 19 and 20 yo now and both asthma and exzema free.
This is what I did and do now and I am eczema free too apart from my two fingers and that is topical ie due to what I handle. I stopped us using washing powders, fabric softness, shower gel, shampoo or conditioner. I replaced with eco balls which clean by ionising the water, lavender bags and spiky balls in the tumble drier if you want fragrance and to soften and I use Faith in Nature products. I have saved a lot of money and it works!
The skin is the biggest organ and it is bombarded 24/7 with chemical attack from clothes, towels and bedding. Your immune system can only cope with so much. If you decide to go down this route then you will need to clean your washing machine thoroughly with white vinegar - 5L is about £3 to remove the soap residue you will be surprised how much there is. It will take a couple of months to get rid of all the chemicals in your clothes and bedding but I have friends who come to stay who have eczema and they always comment that they slept well and didn’t itch like normal!
I have also had to remove a lot from my diet recently including oats and wheat. I use millet for porridge - quinoa is good too, and you could top with dried fruit and nuts and seeds. Snack on nuts and dried mango - the good mango cheek pieces require a lot of chewing and are tangy! For lunch I make 2litres of veg soup in a batch and keep in the fridge. Current is sweet potato and I blend with different herbs or jarred sweet peppers etc to change it each day. I make hummus and can easily eat a ton of carrots with it! Again this stays in the fridge .., but not long! For evening meal I do fish or chicken with either rice/potatoes/lots of veg. I use tapioca and arrowroot flour for thickening and coating. Not looked back and I don’t miss wheat, gluten, oats etc.
I don’t eat bought bread now but I do miss my toast and marmalade so currently learning to make sourdough which will be wheat and gluten free. For baking I use the water from the chickpeas as my egg in baking. I freeze it - it’s got a name but I can’t remember what it is.
I hope you find your solution and that you get some relief soon
Thank you Wwwdot great advice. I've been using faith in nature for years and love their products. I use non bio washing tablets but might try your suggestion with the vinegar. Do you run the machine empty with the vinegar in it?
Yes I have been doing this way for 20 years now so my machine has never had powder in it. But when I converted it took a good few weeks to get to the point where there were no soap suds in the door glass on a wash.
First put on a hot wash on empty with no vinegar in a couple of times and you should see the soap suds reduce. Then do a hot wash with the vinegar. Again note the suds should be a lot less. Then repeat. And again note the suds. So about 4 washes at least to clean out. I also took the soap dispenser apart and washed that first before the above as it harbours a lot of soap residue. I put the vinegar in the soap dispenser after I cleaned it.
Like janeroar I would advise you to be very cautious and even sceptical about food intolerance test results. I did a York test earlier this year following a recommendation by a well-meaning friend and it flagged a vast number of critical food groups.
I was extremely worried and contacted them, as I was in danger of having a nutritional deficiency if I followed it.
They told me then not to worry about the amber flags so much and if I cut out the red ones for a few weeks I could try reintroducing them. What?! 🤔
I mainly tested intolerant for things I ate often, but also some things (beef and shellfish) I literally hadn't eaten for 30 years since becoming a very strict vegetarian. They tried to convince me I must have accidentally eaten these foods recently, which was absolutely NOT the case.
That set off alarm bells for me and I looked into this more. It appears these tests are useless. The only useful one is a proper gluten/coeliac allergy test.
These tests flag things that you eat regularly, which has nothing to do with you being 'intolerant'. In short, they are a waste of money.
Rather than make myself ill following their advice, I cut out wheat and cow's milk, which are 2 of the main antagonists for people. I now have no IBS symptoms and can eat good quality bread like sourdough, but not refined white flour like pastries. Many people have a wheat, but not a gluten intolerance.
I exchanged cow's milk for soy milk and had goat and sheep cheese. I am now ok with some cow cheese in my diet.
I didn't go on the ZOE plan, but did follow the principles of good whole food, lots of plant-based food and building good gut health. It seems to have worked.
Again, I'd advise not getting worried about the result of your test, as it's pure quackery, exploiting people's health anxieties and potentially downright dangerous. There's plenty of evidence to say as much if you do an internet search.
Feel free to get in touch if you need further reassurance and good luck! 😊
Thank you to everyone who has replied and for the great advice. Some of the suggestions eg. rice, potato, salmon, tuna, beef have been flagged as mild intolerance. I'm tempted to ignore this for now as it will be too much for me to exclude everything in one go. I think I should focus on the red alerts. If this is a bad idea please do say.
Hi Andie, this was me years ago I follow Monash LOWFODMAP diet. Download the App use the traffic light system to support your intolerances. It works. I was introduced to it after many tests and investigation by a very eminent gastroenterologist and working with a hospital dietitian department. I ended up with 6 pages of what to avoid and what to compensate. Later we downloaded the App which my husband uses religiously but I still prefer the hospital chart’s bespoke lists of my intolerances.
Just watch out for hidden ingredients in restaurants & processed foods. We tend to cook from scratch. Restaurants/cafes are getting better but at the moment their focus is on plant/vegan/vegetarian menus and forget us GF LF DF customers. Be brave tell them what you need and smile 😊 good luck
Totally agree with KBird but was reluctant to say as much! As I said there are serious allergy issues in both my and hubby’s family so we were concerned for our offspring. I consulted a specialist consultant at Bristol (immunologist???) and he basically said view intolerance as an overflowing bath - too much going in for immune system to cope with. He was the one who advised me to start with my skin ie washing powders, shower gels, (I didn’t and still don’t wear make up) but even things like deodorisers inflict a massive load on our immune system.
All the best with your journey and I am confident that you will find a solution.
I’ve been reading the hashimotos protocol book that has a lot of good advice and diet alternatives.
Breakfast ideas I like are things like
- smoothie
- breakfast hash with meat, veg,sweet potato
-make your own granola
- turkey patties, bacon with avocado muchrooms etc
Diary alternatives - I like Koko coconut milk and yogurt. Waitrose do a good range of coconut yogs, cream and cheese alternatives
Lunches - best thing is left over dinner with veg or salad
Dinner
Tacos or burgers with lettuce as bun
Bolognaise/chilli with cauli rice or slim rice
Stir fry with slim noodles or spiriliaed corgettes
Thai curry with slim rice or cauli rice
Cottage pie with lots of veg and topped with sweet potato mash/cauliflower/veg mash
I think the trick is to stock up on these alternatives. Plan and prep ahead so you make double and freeze or have next day (You can buy frozen cauli rice in most supermarkets)
You can try other flours and cereals , are you ok with ' nuts'?100% Buckwheat products are tasty, buckwheat despite the name is not a type of wheat . They make a nice puffed buckwheat cereal ( bit like unsweetened sugar puffs) at Holland and Barrett. They also have buckwheat flour which is good for baking and cheaper than nuts flours. Normal plain buckwheat can be used instead of pasta , and added to soups or stews.
You can also purchase 100% buckwheat crackers , noodles and pasta .
There are various companies that make breads from non wheat and gluten free sources , they are expensive but it fills that void when you need a bread fix.
Many proper naan breads and Indian snacks are made from Gram Flour only , which is a chickpea flour. Many tortilla wraps are only made from cornmeal or maize flour. You will need to check the packaging for any premade products to make sure they don't have a little wheat in them.
Naans folded and filled with hummus and salad or roasted vegetables are great for lunch.
You can also try the nut or vegan cheeses like Violife , or vegan cream cheeses to get your cheese sandwich fix.
There are really easy flat bread , wrap and naans that you can make yourself and store between greaseproof in a tin to use for sandwiches or as a side. Some are literally just flour and water , kneaded quickly together , rolled out in portions and cooked in a slightly oiled frying pan or in the oven.
You can make great salads from left overs like, rice , or wheat free pasta with veggies and sauce and various salad and normal veg , meat or fish . Just let your leftovers cool then load them up with the other stuff in a tupperware tub before you go to bed , leave in the fridge to take to work.
I like to have probiotic natural live Yoghurt ,( you can have dairy free ) with a teaspoon of local or Manuka honey with berries , nuts , various fruit like banana , melon, peach. Raw cocoa nibs add a bit of luxury. Basically just add to it the things you can eat. You can use apple and blackberry and cinnamon in cold weather. I have this as my first breakfast because it's also good for me to have to stop stomach pain with my meds.
You can actually use ground rice and/or almond flour with dairy free milk to make a porridge alternative. Good cocoa and raspberries , or apple and cinnamon are a nice addition.
It takes time with food allergies but try to think of it as a fun time to experiment with food rather than thinking you have to give things up.
The Monash University website has a lot of advice about allergies and trying not to "food stack" , which basically means putting too many foods on your plate at once that you aren't allergic to but might be mildly intolerant to.
They mainly help with research about FODMAP , but those recipes are usually ideal and adaptable to people with all different types of intolerance.
There are other really nice websites , and Pinterest , which are full of low Fodmap and Free From recipes and foods to try.
There is a reasonable UK website that sells lots of the different flours , free from products , dried fruits, herbs , spices , tinned goods, and non wheat and oat cereals etc called Buywholefoodsonline.co.uk.
The quality is excellent and delivery prompt.
It's a lot cheaper than buying the same products in the supermarket and health shops and it's delivered so you can make your order in front of the TV after work.
It takes a bit of time finding what you can buy and where at first but very soon it is quick to know what to put in your online grocery list and order just like you would have before.
Most of the vegan cheeses are made with cashew. The almond , rice and cashew milks and yoghurts are really nice ..... I know you can't have oat , and personally I'm not a fan of the taste of soya dairy alternatives.
also I agree with what the others have said try cutting it all out to begin with but add one thing back at a time, you may be able to reintroduce a lot
So to give a bit of balance to the replies on here as can see lots advice re gf alternatives … I am coming in from a concerned prospective and wanting to know what was put in place to help you with advice you now have which has what seems overwhelmed you rightly with so many can’t haves 😵💫 as it sounds like nothing was advised and that to me doesn’t sit well 🤔
What test was this?
Have you approached your GP with your symptoms?
NHS should have referred to Dietitian at least or even a gastroenterologist for further evaluation.
So many things you can’t have is so restricting overwhelming and probably dangerous to remove without proper care and advice.
Check this post just seen from a nutritionist Phoebes perspective re intolerance tests, they aren’t all they are cracked up to be … if you’ve got bamboozled with information re what you assume you can’t have now or look up how they test these things and what it actually means, what can be happening of course some maybe are problematic but do take proper advice before going ahead with this.
Re Gluten free, I would take proper coeliac test at your Drs surgery if you’re symptomatic of digestive problems they should give you this test before any other diagnosis and look on coeliac U.K. website for how to prepare for the test making sure your GP runs proper tests with knowledge of IgA deficiencies as once you start going GF it will be more difficult to test accurately regarding coeliac disease that aside many are still very symptomatic even with negative tests but you will get advice.
If you do go GF or restrict other areas regardless of future testing make sure you get back what nutritional value of the item you will now be omitting as I know GF diets can be low in certain nutrients therefore you can potentially have more problems later on with other deficiencies. All information is on coeliac U.K. website. Reliance on processed gf foods is not a healthy choice in my opinion many are full of emulsifiers and junk… many naturally gf products out there.
Ideally many in the world of nutrition agree best way to start the day isn’t with high carb/starchy cereals and getting good protein maybe from eggs but also to try switching up with various other more savoury things eg fatty fish…if yoghurt & berries along with seeds and nuts isn’t your thing.
Before putting yourself through these restrictions in first place do see your GP (that’s a job in it’s self nowadays I know) so maybe you’re restrictions will be less of a burden as proper testing may give different results… if these have been done why hasn’t your GP advised you?
My sister did one of these tests IgG tests most of what came up was things she’d actually eaten the past 48hrs which actually sits with what Phoebe mentions (instagram link)ironically … I’m not convinced they’re very accurate, so seek out proper testing especially where there are ones for Dairy and Gluten via NHS or privately from reputable labs if that is an option for you.
Coeliac U.K. definitely the go to for all testing and dietary advice, which your GP should be doing also.
As Phoebe that nutritionist mentions as do others in this area … certain conditions and bacteria overgrowths and things happening in the gut can cause sensitivity it maybe the balance in gut microbiome is off not actually the food but something else that triggers these things.
I do hope you approach your GP before embarking on this.
Hello thank you for your reply. I saw my GP months ago about my worsening eczema. She was keen to prescribe the usual creams, but offered no other support.
I believe I had a GP coeliac test 20 years ago when first diagnosed hypo. This test was done privately and I’ve only just got the results. I can pay for a dietician advice if I wish but it’s not standard. I dont think my GP would be interested in helping with this. It’s hard enough to get the standard thyroid and iron test help.
Unfortunately they are just going by guidelines and you unfortunately probably just need to keep pestering as this is ridiculous process they have to go through but after giving these creams and giving them time to work afterwards show this isn’t the answer… keep on at them ask to be referred to dermatologist they may even do the skin test if you mention it… if you’ve had this a long time and seen dermatologist this may have already been looked at … if you don’t persist with GP they won’t… it’s getting ridiculously hard to get appointments… I’m aware and how fobbed off generally we are with various things not just thyroid I can say!
Definitely recommend GP puts you forward for the DH testing at least … regarding the dietary advice please get more help before you eliminate things gut microbiome throws up all manner of problems that people blame on food but rule out infections etc first.
This may require doing various eliminations but it will be controlled and supported by your dietitian/nutritionist hopefully and be looked after properly.
Where’s there’s better tests for things do them before you consider that intolerance test is right which obviously it could be but are notoriously inaccurate .
My daughter has been referred to a Dietitian this year on the NHS via the GP.Took about three months for the appointment but it is worth asking for your GP to do that referral especially if you have eczema as well, you will be seen quicker.
The great thing about it was that they did proper intolerance tests , and the stool sampling that you never seem to get from the GP to properly test for inflammatory markers and bacterias which are missed in blood tests.
From this they can decide if you could have sero negative forms of things like Coeliac , Crohn's , Ulcerative colitis and Irritable Bowel Disease that don't get picked up in the surgery.
The Dietitian was the one whom advised my daughter on the right way to do the Elimination Diet , starting with Low Fodmap options. She got a lot of paperwork to help.
The Dietitian us also very good at giving advice about how you feel about food in general and your eating habits and teaching you ways to use Cognitive Behavioural techniques to making the right choices and being positive about any diet changes you need to do long term.
The Dietitian can also request that your GP does blood tests that they require to help with your diagnosis and see how the new diet is working so it is easier to request things like tests for Vitamin B12, Folates, Vitamin D , and they make request other things like tests for SIBO.
I'd definitely ask your GP for a referral. With any look it could be available after Christmas and help you to make a great start to the New Year.
If your current creams aren't working and your GP seems at a loss to help any more you have the right to request to be referred to the Dermatology Department for reassessment of your treatment even if you have already been diagnosed, they are meant to regularly assess your progress.
I assumed that a referral to a dermatologist or dietitian would take months/years, but maybe they are a bit quicker than the Endo department. It’s worth a try. Thank you.
It will take months , but if you are symptomatic, as you are , the referrals can be about 12 weeks.Even if it takes longer it is worth requesting the referrals now so that you are in the system and will eventually get seen and properly evaluated.
The trouble , as others have pointed out , with private testing , especially when it comes to intolerances and even nutritional or thyroid levels is that the GP or Specialist will not rely on those results to make their decision, Often this is because they are not sure about the reliability of results because of the method of testing, also , because they have to do their own tests using universally approved standards to be allowed to sign off on approve treatments.
So , even though you have your private test done and a set of abnormal figures you still need to go through the process of NHS evaluation if you want to get specialised NHS help. Therefore it's better to start the diagnostic journey sooner rather than later.
Thank you. I probably should have done that sooner, but I was sort of hoping the NHS Endo might help or refer me for testing. But my last appointment in September was switched at short notice to a very brief phone call with agreement to reschedule for 6 weeks. But since then the hospital has stopped making new appointments due to being short staffed. I don't know when things will improve so I decided I couldn't wait. Hence this test. Maybe these results will at least get the GP to take me seriously enough to refer.
To be honest , although showing the GP those results might add weight to support your request , the most important things that rate you getting a referral to both clinics us that you are suffering from symptoms, and the dietary intolerance problems could also be making the skin and thyroid symptoms worse .You have the right to ask for your GP to make these referrals , whatever , on your behalf because the treatments they are giving you are not working well enough and so they need to request a specialist opinion and advice to help you.
If you GP isn't taking you and your continuing symptoms seriously and refuses to refer you , you should see another GP at your surgery, or make a complaint to the local board . You have the right to expect appropriate health care , even if you may have to spend some time on a waiting list to get it. Take care , Bee
So many answers to this one, I confess I haven't read them all so sorry if I'm repeating anything(I'll come back and read more later!).
I've used the GF transition to also go low GI and am feeling much better for this too. It's not a cheap option either. For breakfast I have a green smoothie with protein powder (I'm picky about the brand as many have unpleasant stuff in them, vivolife seems safe from what I can tell), for lunch a salad with plenty of protein, a couple of tablespoons of cooked beans, some nuts and seeds and various veg. It's surprisingly satisfying. I roughly base my plan on the adrenal diet, let me know if you're interested and I'll search out the exact title and author got to admit I rarely buy anything gluten free from the shops, the flour seems to have a gritty texture to me which I dislike (don't like trifle for the same reason, I think this is pretty niche :D) and they can contain a lot of weird ingredients. I make my own soda bread, I use oat flour but you could experiment with others, and I've also found recipes for biscuits and cakes using this. Doves farm have some nice recipes and I would think they have ones for other flours too. Hope this helps - it's more doable than you think once you get going
Please go to GP get the tests they can offer to eliminate any symptoms you might be having, unfortunately it’s ridiculous out there at moment NHS is on its knees.
I know first hand about inadequacies that are happening and how appointments are scarce. I had a recent 2 week cancer pathway referral, fast track, and it ended up being a months wait, so went privately with absolutely no help or examination from GP.
I rang up a consultant once I got my NHS dates through complained to my GP as she knew could go privately from the get go (so delayed me further) and I was seen and examined within 2hrs of my telephone enquiry, I had brief consultation on phone after his extremely efficient secretary didn’t like sound of my situation and spoke to consultant and he rang me, then to get me in examined and 48hrs later for preop day or 2 later I had biopsies taken and put my mind at rest.
However GPs do have a place in doing things in a regulated environment which I appreciate is extremely restrictive long and tedious to go through especially now …but if you look at guidelines and have relevant information about your concerns to hand, question them, they don’t always join the dots on problems in the limited rushed few minutes we speak with them, and we all know the lack of testing in some areas doesn’t mean other areas will be the same, see another at the surgery if you’re getting absolutely nowhere at all, but they need symptoms to go on to treat, but re thyroid it’s NHS who give this advice Drs aren’t being awkward for the sake of it they are following their screens unfortunately and not taught everything if levels look ok to them it’s ok 🤦🏻♀️
However I am very dubious and cautious at this booming area of intolerance testing, praying on people’s situation as not getting help from their own healthcare providers and more so now as no appointments available and is pushing people to seek incorrect advice in some cases.
Dietitians are regulated Nutritionist don’t have to be so go with reputable ones as anyone after few week’s online training can call themselves Nutritionist, I am not slating anyone or professional or those that may have done these courses some are exceptionally good, but it’s something to be aware of.
If you suspect coeliac disease go and source accurate information regarding testing what tests can be skewed (IgA) how to prepare for testing and/or is gastroscope really necessary some go on levels if high enough now I’ve read… various tests can be done some better than others especially those with IgA deficiency it’s all on coeliac website. For obvious reasons being coeliac more than decade I know more this area and gf diet… I don’t know much about dairy intolerance and testing but know there are tests.
I know gut related imbalances cause sensitivity bacteria overgrowth, parasites other bacterial infections tip things off and many people get lots of sensitivities with these but it’s gut not the actual food.
As others have said, these tests are notoriously unreliable.
I would suggest the following (but I am not a medical professional):
1) Ask your GP to have the blood test for coeliac disease. You MUST keep gluten in your diet for 6 weeks before the blood test (coeliac UK recommend 2 slices of bread per day or an equivalent). If that comes back positive, you'll be referred for an endoscopy.
2) If it doesn't come back as positive, you might be intolerant to gluten rather than coeliac. Try going gluten free for a few weeks to see if it helps your issues. If it does, great. If not, the try removing some of the other things that came up in the test you did but one at a time, otherwise if you do feel better, you won't know which one it is. Dairy is probably the most common issue after gluten.
If you take the test you did as gospel and remove everything all at once, you're a) going to have a nightmare finding suitable things to eat and b) not know which thing it is that has (hopefully) made you feel better. It's really unlikely you're intolerant to every single thing that has come up.
By getting a blood test done for coeliac disease done, then at least you can either rule that out, or know what it is if that makes sense? But you MUST have gluten in your diet for 6 weeks, and it must be wheat based (although I followed advice on here I didn't know about the amount I needed to eat, nor did I know it should be wheat based. I was following a low carb diet so not eating bread, pasta, cake etc, and only had a tiny bit of gluten in my diet. My test came back negative, hardly surprising, but I did go gluten free anyway due to my Hashimoto's disease. I will never know if I'm actually coeliac or not, as don't want to introduce gluten back in for 6 weeks).
I agree - the only way to be sure you actually need to cut out any foods is to do the exclusion diet. As the comment above says, cut each food out for 6-8 weeks then eat a meal that has a lot of that food and see how you feel. Be aware reactions aren't always immediate and can be delayed by a few hours or to the next day.On your question about types of cheese, you may find you can't have cows milk but are OK with goat or sheep or buffalo milk and therefore cheese. I'd cut them all out and test each separately.
I have had eczema from a baby and throughout in cycles as someone also mentioned but no digestive symptoms apart from constipation (but have other autoimmune disorders that can contribute to that too) but also nerve issues regarding gluten and coeliac disease.
Also not all gluten free is wheat free, oat free barley free etc …we are in U.K. allowed the use of wheat codex starch at 20ppm (parts per million) and Barley etc in these minute quantities.
Gluten free flours, breads and cereals etc do not have to be fortified unlike regulations for regular gluten flour so vital vitamins and minerals are going to be restricted possibly eliminated if you don’t include more in diet or supplement when going gluten free.
My skin condition vastly improved with my diagnosis and gf diet… but I would still get GP to test you, print out the Dermatitis Herpetiformis and ask for that to be eliminated as you’re concerned, if hasn’t already been done.
Just throwing my 2 cents in as there has been a lot of advice so far.
Both my gastroenterologist and immunologist told me that there are no real reliable tests to find food intolerances only the Igg tests that test for allergy, and by that I mean eggs, milk etc. My immunologist ran the tests that check for allergy and even foods that I’m known to react to did NOT show up, just things like grass pollens etc. On the other hand when I went to the Allergy Show and did a test there from a blood draw it showed up all sorts of things and when I questioned them about it they could not give me any answers. I took it further and after doing many checks found that these tests are not worth the paper they are written on and the people who ran the Allergy show stopped them from being on the show ever again.
I worked with a nutritionist who did an exclusion diet. So one by one you exclude certain groups and after awhile you reintroduce them to see what’s the reaction. I ended up GF, lactose and Soy free. However after about five years symptoms returned. Further tests found I had SIBO. After treating that twice successfully, I listened to a Zoe podcast where the Dr (who was a gastro) said if you have a true GF intolerance - that’s not assuming your celiac, try eating a good sourdough bread. He said if you can tolerate that then you don’t have a Gluten issue. So rather carefully I tried it and had no reaction. I now enjoy a sourdough loaf from M&S once a week but am still careful about other gluten foods and keep them to a minimum. I have found that my gut is actually much better than it has been for a long time.
I was told that when you have SIBO it causes all sorts of food sensitivities and other immune responses and when you correct that it can improve the other issues. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it lasts but I’d strongly suggest that you ignore those tests and work with a nutritionist to exclude food groups one at a time so you can know what you are dealing with and it not be so overwhelming. I hope things improve for you.
Hi, we all have food allergies here, the hardest is onion and garlic. Its not like it used to be, there are loads of good brands out there, read labels, or use an app to check ingredients in food, those these can be really useful. the best way is to cook from scratch, cook from scratch where possible and make your freezer your best friend. Grow your own where possible. There are also loads of websites out there. We started with a notebook to put recipes into and soon picked up key ingredients and cooking techniques that were suitable for us as individuals. I think this was key to us coping in the long haul. Key ingredients for us was finding the right flour, asfoetida, with yellow peppers as texture, etc. I could sit here and type out everything we have done, but in truth every one is an individual and react differently to foods. You may be able to overcome some over time, those you can eat but limit them.
Good luck its a difficult journey, but it brings about a natural appreciation of natural foods stuff, all things ecological etc. Once you have found your mojo you will wonder how you ever worried about it as it becomes second nature. - good luck
Im sorry if repeat as been unable to read through. Its such a wide topic
Having gone through food testing although via keniesiology i eliminated gluten for a good while & worked on gut which is high profile now as if 'leaky' & crumbs escape if weak joints iv read it confuses defence system which is a wonderful system and can set up an autoimmune
For me i used a shake from Nutri advanced and left out gluten i took a decent probiotic live yoghurt etc and things started to really improve in general. Gluten free isnt so bad. And i had more of a protein breaky. Egg tom even beans bacon. Or mackeral it sounds awful but really helped and got used to it
I havnt eliminated milk id love to but weak when it comes to a decent cuppa my daughter eliminated Dairy for 3 wks & her excema cleared up beautifully
Other daughter discovered sourdough is kind which i now use too much lol
Brilliant soughdough bloomer from lidl half price of others. I slice it freeze and take out as needed
Im sure healing gut is important first call lots of good wishes
'We Can' 😊
I wonder if we are a bit addicted to some of our favourites🤔
Oh definitely addicted to favourites! I am in a definite routine and would happily eat the same things every day. That may be the cause of my problems.
Yes supposed to eat diverse as possible & all the rainbow colours ! Makes sense. It takes a good effort to change set habits but i know i get a better satisfied feeling lol I couldnt loose weight i trued slimming world and lost half pound in a month!!! I did what someone said and had cream, coconut milk cooked with coconut oil ate protein at breakfast. Good fats too nuts advicado etc. Slowly i dropped a stone, enjoyed food more just 'ate clean'. It tasted better. My treat was unsweet pop corn lol or apple crumble with dried dates topping mmmmm Thanks for your post its pulled me up
My sister is intolerant to wheat so avoids all grains. Rice crackers help me usually with peanut butter on for breakfast/extra elsewhere, nuts although I've to be careful with hazelnuts not to many. As I'm gluten free can manage the processed kind & have made own but honestly best to leave alone as so dry. Fish, meat, pea protein as well as pluses in with veg make stew/soups I am afraid it's try it & see don't forget fruit. Good luck on your journey.
A lot of the commercial gluten free foods have a lot of non nutritive ingredients in them and are filled with empty calories. i found I often fell asleep after eating them. They also often have a lot of tapioca starch in them which bothers me a lot. i try to find foods that are naturally gluten free but here are some commercial ones i have stuck with: I buy non GMO corn cereals from Vita Cost. I use df milk and add fruit. Stonewall kitchen has a great gf corn bread. GERBs wild rice from Amazon is not a rice but a seed. I add black olives, raisins, and some walnut oil to it. Tolerant has a bunch of vegetable pastas--don't overcook or they are mushy. I buy lundberg sprouted rice--supposedly it is easier to digest--maybe you could tolerate it. Feel Good foods has gf egg rolls but they have rice flour in them. i mostly try to treat breakfast as any other meal and don't have cereal all that much. My favorite is a smoothie w sweet potato, cilantro, dates, lettuces, kiwi, and whatever else is handy, using herbal tea for the liquid. i have never found a gf bread that i could have that was a good substitute for the real thing. i have found so many other foods to eat that i don't think i would eat much bread even if i could--except for crusty Italian--i still miss that!
Mix chia seeds with your choice of non-dairy milk and let it sit overnight in the fridge, allowing the chia seeds to swell and create a delightful pudding-like texture. In the morning, as you awaken to the promise of a new day, indulge in this nutritious creation topped with an array of vibrant fruits, crunchy nuts, or wholesome seeds. Also, consider venturing into the realm of taco salad recipes(sweetandsavorymeals.com/tac... for a satisfying and flavorful lunchtime treat. Picture a colorful medley of crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and savory seasoned ground meat or plant-based protein, all drizzled with tangy salsa and cooling dollops of creamy guacamole. With each bite, you'll experience a symphony of textures and flavors that dance on your palate, providing both nourishment and satisfaction. So, from energizing breakfasts to tantalizing taco salads, let your culinary journey be as diverse and exciting as the ingredients themselves.
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got to admit I rarely buy anything gluten free from the shops, the flour seems to have a gritty texture to me which I dislike (don't like trifle for the same reason, I think this is pretty niche :D) and they can contain a lot of weird ingredients. I make my own soda bread, I use oat flour but you could experiment with others, and I've also found recipes for biscuits and cakes using this. Doves farm have some nice recipes and I would think they have ones for other flours too. Hope this helps - it's more doable than you think once you get going 
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