Has anyone discussed this before? So many people have sensitivities to foods that they may not even know about. Anyone have any theories on how these sensitivities could be related to stalls in weight loss? Cheese, for example, can stall people. Could it possibly be related to the fact that it is common to have mild sensitivities to milk products, cheese in particular.

You can get tested for food allergies easily enough. I have been to a NAET practitioner (Natural Allergy Elimination Technique). The whole process is really quite interesting.

Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

It has been suggested to me by others that if weight loss stops, it may be because I was eating something I was sensitive to. So far things suggested are mostly cheese and flax.

Whether this has merit, or is lowcarb superstition, I'm not sure, but if people say it works that way for them, I guess I have to take their word on it.

I have read some reviews of research which pretty explicitly makes clear that "un- and partially- digested allergens in the body" severely torque metabolism in a bad way -- and might even be a contributor to weight gain, so it makes sense they might be a contributor to lack-of weight loss.

PJ

Definitely, there's a lot of people on the gluten free forums that lost weight once they got off gluten. I think dairy could do the same. It is slightly easier for me to lose weight without either in my diet. But even if it weren't, I feel so much better!

This is an excellent point, Nancy. My SIL has lost almost 50 pounds by removing gluten/wheat from her diet. It's amazing how good she looks now - so healthy!

Here's a thread about people who did just that:
http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/inde...topic=29475&hl=

Why do you suppose the people on that thread keep referring to "...as other intolerances started" -- a few of them?

What, are food allergies contagious? Do they breed and multiply?

PJ

Well, they sort of do.

Eating wheat causes intestinal permeability (look up "zonulin" if you're interested) and it is believed by many that intestinal permeability is the trigger to the body reacting to proteins it shouldn't. So if your gut is "leaky" you could be in a position to develop additional allergies and intolerances, not to mention autoimmune diseases and other crap. People with a sensitivity to gluten have the "gates" on their intestines opened longer than people without, but everyone has some leakiness due to wheat (according to a study published recently). It also seems other things can open those gates like pathogens and viruses and perhaps other foods.

Plus most folks with celiac disease are also lactose intolerant, due to the fact that the villi are damaged in their small intestines, so they can't produce the enzymes needed to handle lactose. But independent of lactose, I think a lot of folks are intolerant to other stuff in milk, like casein.

For me, I get gassy and constipated and bloated when I have dairy. It was hidden behind the IBS of the diarrhea sort I had when I was eating wheat. But it became more obvious after giving up gluten.

Enterolab.com does intolerance testing on a number of substances but you can, with good journaling skills and a disciplined elimination diet, probably figure it out for yourself. I have a feeling most of us just don't pay attention to the subtle clues our body gives us. Not that my clues were all that subtle... feeling like my intestines were going to crawl out of my body and strangle me.

Any time I have excess gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation I know it is something I've eaten. I also found out I'm sensitive to pumpkin and sunflower seeds. They give me fierce diarrhea.

I have been observed to swear almost on a stack of Bibles that sugar never affected me... Until I gave up sugar.

Said the same thing about wheat... until I gave up bread.

Raw tomatos never bothered me until I turned 30.

Never liked peanut butter but didn't know why until I tried eating it and discovered what it did to me, somewhere after 40.

Old enough now to be more careful about making public proclamations.

Minor point: strictly speaking, "allergy" has different symptoms than "intolerance." What most of us have is intolerance.

I didn't develop food allergies until I was 27 years old and I am now 45! I used to eat peanut products, chicken, and oranges all the time. So, how does one suddenly because so ill that they end up spending two years in and out of the hospital and triple their weight over the years they were sick from these food allergies? No one, I mean doctors, have been able to answer that question. Could it be the artificial crud they loaded the food with?

I have defiantly had gasto/intestinal/digestive problems before going on Atkins.

Diahrrea at least 4 times daily and most of the time, more. Gas..let's just say it was BAD. I had indigestion no matter what or how much I ate of it.

All have cleared. I was set up to have an appt with a specialist right before I started Atkins and cancelled it because I wanted to see if it would clear. The only thing I have now, which most on Atkins wouldn't call a problem, is that my bowels are still pretty loose. I've wondered if there is still a food causing this.

I am 110% positive that my problems were all related to diet. Now, its a matter of being able to hone(sp) in on the cuprit as I add foods back in. Strawberries don't cause these problems, and nuts don't. But I can't eat nuts yet I've discovered recently. Nuts are a trigger food for me. I didn't find the same problem with licking peanut butter out of a spoon, so it may be more of a "crunch and munch" issue.

This diet, Atkins, is amazing what it has done for my health. Btw, also off my bp meds. My husband, who's witnessed my many problems, is utterly amazed at the change. I think that the way Atkins is made up, it allows you to really be able to determine the culprit, as you only add one food at a time, per week. Works well.

I would call it a problem actually. We overlook these things and don't realize how they're damaging our health over the long term. Trust me, you don't want to end up with an autoimmune disease and I think that's where we often do end up with this sort of low grade intestinal inflammation going on all the time.

Yes, it is most likely a food you're eating. Keep a journal and cycle through foods and see if you can pinpoint it. It seems like the ones most likely to cause problems are: grains (especially wheat), soy, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes (peanuts). Some people are intolerant of yeast.

An intolerance usually pokes its head up when the food hits the small intestines which is like 3-24 hours after eating. An allergy happens immediately.

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, I started drinking and making kefir using coconut milk (because milk gives me problems) and it really helps my intestines. I think the good bacteria in kefir crowd out the bad stuff. They've had some positive results treating people with some autoimmune diseases with probiotics (which kefir is one, only with far, far more kinds of good bacteria than the bottled sort).

For anyone who has allergies/intolerences/sensitivities I really have to re-emphasize that NAET is a fabulous treatment. It basically gets rid of your intolerences! Amazing to think that it is possible, but it really is. I had family members who went and got rid of severe intolerences for dairy and wheat.

I used to think it was all a little wierd until I went myself. It is basically founded on the principle of letting your body re-balance itself.

I've got to toss in some skepticism here.

I really hope someone with celiac disease doesn't think that NAET is going to let them eat wheat and then have them damaging their body for years and years and potentially giving them cancer or autoimmune diseases... wow. I hope that people will insist on peer reviewed double blind clinical trial results before embarking on something like that.

Google on "NAET waste of money", "NAET didn't work", "NAET skeptic" Things that are likely to tell a side of the story you won't see if you google "NAET".

Here's a thread with a few reports from people:
http://www.healthiertalk.com/viewto...828ead8c612d8fd

I used to have constant gas and my intestines would actually hurt before I started this diet. Now the only time I have gas is when I eat vegetables. And it's usually salad or broccoli or any cruciferous that does it. I seem to be able to eat green beans and other vegetables without issue. I never considered this to be a food sensitivity, some vegetables are just gassy and it's worth a fart or two to get all my vitamins.

But though I've not been able to eat milk, ice cream or other non-aged milk products for years (massive gas), I've always been able to eat cheese with no problems. That's a true lactose intolerance, not dairy sensitivity. I will be watching out for any stalls though. If I need to drop the cheese, I will give it a try.

Very interesting thread.

You can google " 'insert word here' waste of money" about ANYTHING and you will find lots of sites arguing against whatever your word is. I understand your skepticism. I didn't believe any of it, even after I saw the amazing results from my family members. I know that NAET works for ME and for everyone I have personally talked to about it, and I think it works in different ways for different people. I have very very mild sensitivities to certain foods, so I am not really sure that I would notice any difference after being treated, but I DO know people who have been cured of their milk and wheat sensitivities.

I don't claim to know anything about celiac disease, perhaps this is a different degree of reaction to wheat than just a strong sensitivity.

Every NAET practitioner is different. Mine happens to specialize in neck/back injuries as well as allergy treatments. I have had problems with my neck/shoulders since a car accident a few years ago, and NAET has given me great relief. I had been to the chiropracter/massage theropist/ and physio and nothing helped as much as NAET did. My neck isn't perfect, but it is an improvment, and gets better everytime I go.

The downsides are that it is PRICEY (but with a good health plan here in Canada you can get a lot of the money refunded) and that it seems that it works differently for different people. I recommend it, but certainly don't proclaim that it is the cure for all of your problems.