Question:
For the first time in my life (55 years) I am having a problem
with a food allergy. I've seen my dermatologist and have
prescriptions to alleviate the itching and swelling of the hives.
Have been keeping a food diary and a hive diary since mid
February, trying to correlate the two. When I suspect a food I
chart it with the hive outbreaks. No correlation whatsoever so
far.
I remember reading somewhere a long time ago about an elimination
diet for food allergies. Apparently you start with foods that
never cause allergies. After a few days you start introducing
new foods one day at a time until you find the culprit.
Has anyone heard of this elimination diet? Does anyone have a
copy of it? If so, would really appreciate it.
Answer:
Have you tried seeing if the hives correlate with the foods after time
delays of one to four days? If you have a month's worth of data, see
if this fits. The pattern with my hives was: first appearance about
two days after stimulus, a peak at about day four, and resolution at
day eight. The cause was whole grains. The allergists I talked with
after I discovered the pattern agreed that delays to peak of up to
four days (which is approximately full gut transit time) are possible. If you want an allergy free diet, the traditional starting point is:
lamb, rice, and pears.
It's my understanding that there are variations of this diet, depending on
your source. Some people recommend a fast to start with, for at least 3 or
4 days. In "The Whole Way to Allergy Relief & Prevention" by Jacqueline
Krohn, she also says one should be under the care of a physician during
the diet. I've been on one, and it was extremely difficult for me. I
started to feel like not eating at all. Anyway, if your interested in
checking out such a diet, I'd recommend looking at allergy books in a
library or bookstore. I've seen quite a few with such diets.
By the way, my major symptom is also hives, I had only a little relief
from the elimination diet (better than none :) ), and am still trying to
figure out the
cause!
This is interesting. I have multiple food sensitivities, only a few of
which I have been able to pinpoint. I didn't suspect fruits (except
grapes) until recently. One day when I was feeling pretty good, I ate an
apple and started to get a reaction (I get sinus congestion and
pressure). A month or so before that, the same thing happened with a
pear. Does anyone know what growers/packers/grocers put on these fruits?
Or is there some sort of naturally occuring substance in the skin that is
a potential allergen? I haven't noticed problems with unsweetened applesauce or canned pears
(in their own juice). I haven't eaten a peeled apple in years, but I
plan to try that soon on a "good" day.
Buy an organically-grown apple from a health-food store; this apple
won't have any chemical additives. If you still break out,
it's the fruit itself. If not, it's the additives. Fruit which is shipped to stores is coated with wax, to prolong its
freshness. Often the wax contains anti-fungals. Fruit which
is processed immediately likely would not be coated with wax.
