This journal post is long overdue. Of course, I don’t know how many of you have actually been waiting to read it or care to read it but here goes. I briefly touched on the discovery of foods I am allergic too in a few previous posts. Well, I thought it was time for me to share with you my story.
Before I get into this I was to throw up this disclaimer. I am not a doctor so please take my following words with a grain of salt. This is merely what happened to me and how I have dealt with it. If you have similar problems PLEASE see a doctor!
About a year ago I started having some really tough mornings. During my normal morning bowel movement, my stomach would start to turn and often would develop into a full blown cramping session. On several occasions, it felt as if I had gotten food poisoning. These mornings not only caused me to spend far too much time in the bathroom, they also caused me to miss early morning assignments and rides. Both lead to feelings of depression because not only was I in pain, but I was missing time with friends. On a few occasions, it was so bad that I almost puked.
I started to track the foods I was eating, figuring that had to be it. I was correct, but my choices at first were wrong. When I started writing down everything I was eating, I realized I was consuming a ton of dairy. So much, that I assumed this was the problem. I started to eliminate milk from my diet as this was the majority of dairy I consumed. I ate cheese, but not very much just a little on my tacos every now and then. At first, the removal of milk seemed to help. My bad morning seemed less frequent and farther between. Success right? Wrong. It turned out the massive amount of cereal I was eating with the milk was the problem.
As the months went on I started to notice a slight pattern eating bread. I didn’t seem to have a strong reaction to flour or corn tortillas, but when I hit up Togo’s for a monster sandwich, I would inevitably be crouched over the toilet the following morning. I figured it was the piece of cheese or the mayo on the sandwich, not the bread. As I started to consume less sandwiches, I also eliminated all mayo and most cheese from my diet. This again seemed to be helpful and my bad mornings became even less frequent. Yay! Well, not completely.
As time went on I learned to deal with my mornings, which unfortunately also turned me into a moody man for quite some time. On bad days, I would hide away in my house and keep to myself. Fearful that I would have a bad incident riding, I even stopped riding as much as I would normally. This was really getting me down and it had to stop. After a huge ride I decided to splurge and treat myself to another monster sandwich from Togo’s with a side of chips and a big soda. The next morning was so bad I got dizzy and it started coming out both ends. Graphic I know, but hey this is the shit most websites won’t tell you. It gets real up in this piece.
It was time to see a doctor. I had enough. When I explained to the doc about all of my problems, he complimented me on my trial and error, self-diagnosis attempts. Process of elimination is often one of the first things you want to do when you have problems like this. Also, writing down everything you eat, and I mean EVERYTHING really helps. If you have these problems, get yourself a journal style APP on your phone, a notepad or something and write down everything you put in your mouth. Okay, maybe not everything depending on your social activities. You know what I mean.
After giving enough blood to start a vampire colony, I waited 7 days for my allergy results to come back. Fortunately, these days you can discover a lot through simple blood tests versus the battery of allergy tests most had to endure years ago. On top of possible food allergies, I was concerned about Celiac and Crohn’s disease. My sister has Crohn’s so it could be possible that I did too and didn’t know it. (Info on Crohn’s) (Info on Celiac) My friend Carina’s mother has Celiac disease so I was concerned I may also have that after she told me about her mothers similar problems. I was worried. When I got the results back I was very happy that I did not have any diseases and all my blood counts were right on the money. Basically, my blood looked extremely healthy aside from what came back regarding foods I had a sensitivity too. On a side note, I also wanted to mention that for some people the blood tests are not conclusive enough. There are additional food allergy tests that can be done if you doctor feels they are needed. Usually, they will send you a specialist for this.
Wheat – Walnuts – Peanuts – Sesame Seeds – Corn – Soy Beans – Clams – Scallops
Yup, all that. Wow, I had no idea! I was more sensitive to some than others. The trick with food allergies I learned is not only discovering what you are sensitive too, but how much of it your body can tolerate. Some people have very severe reactions to food allergies. I am fortunate that mine is limited to only stomach pain. After reading about reactions online, it really is scary business. The doc told me the first step would be to eliminate all of these foods from my diet for 3 months. If everything goes well, start introducing small portions of each food into my diet to find out how much of each I can tolerate without a reaction. Its been three months and it was tough adjusting but not the end of the world. I think its best if I talk about how I have been dealing with each food one at a time.
Wheat – I love sandwiches so right off the bat I thought it was going to suck. It did. No more bread, are you crazy? Staying away from wheat or basically going Gluten Free was tough for the first 3 weeks. I never realize how many meal choices I made were slapped between two pieces of delicious bread. I tried to find some gluten free choices at Whole Foods and Henry’s but most of them tasted horrible. Still do. After about 6 weeks, I completely gave up trying to find alternative breads and moved on. 3 months later, I don’t find myself needing or missing bread at all. For those of you wanting to go gluten free because of the current popular trend, there are a number of great choices available at health food oriented grocery stores and sit down restaurants. You can even find GF choices at some fast food restaurants. If you like In-N-Out Burger like I do, you can order a combo Protein Allergy style and they will make you a burger with no bun on a separate grill with a clean spatula. FYI the fries are GF. Food allergies are extremely common these days and certain restaurants are setup to handle this. You don’t have to go without everything! Something else I want to mention about wheat. It is in more than you think. Celiac Forum has numerous posts from people allergic to wheat/gluten. Did you know there is gluten in Teriyaki sauce? I didn’t think so. It all depends on how sensitive you are. Some people only have to stay away from bread, some cannot even have utensils touching wheat. Give that forum link a click and learn more and start reading labels thoroughly. If you aren’t sure, ask your grocer or don’t buy it (rule #1). Also, although I am not a huge drinker, Beer is filled with wheat. I know some of you out there are cringing right now. There are some gluten free beers out there but I haven’t tried any. If you have, report back and let me know if they’re any good!
Nuts – My doctor felt like Peanuts was probably the number one thing affecting me. Not only are more people allergic to peanuts than anything else right now, I also was eating them on a daily basis. Cyclists love grabbing bars and throwing them in their bags on rides. Most of the bars contain nuts of some sort. Although high in fat, nuts are a great energy source. It saddens me to think I may never eat peanut butter again! The elimination of nuts was very easy. Nuts are easy to spot and clearly listed on every label. What you need to be careful with depending on your sensitivity is although a product may not contain nuts, the label may read, “Is made on machines that process nuts”. The less processed and packaged foods you buy the safer you will be (rule #2). To replace the bars when cycling, I have been using more gels and gummy choices like Clif Shots and Blocks. Those yummy Honey Stinger Waffles I love have wheat it them, bummer. I’m hoping when I decide to try them again I am okay!
Sesame Seeds – Like nuts, these are pretty easy to spot. Unfortunately, they are mixed into 80% of all asian food. If you like asian food like I do, you are pretty much screwed. I haven’t tried anything asian in 3 months, but I probably will soon. I have gotten used to asking waiters whats in menu items (asian places don’t like to list ingredients) and if they can make sure this or that is not included. Most of them are very willing to make your recommendations happen. Sesame seeds are also found in a number of chips and canned goods. Once again, follow the processed foods rule.
Corn – Corn is a tough one because of all the products that contain corn based options. Such as corn starch, corn flour and high-fructose corn syrup. This eliminates pretty much all regular soda from your diet. You can continue to drink diet sodas if you choose because they have aspartame to sweeten them up in trade. Corn also means eliminating most chips and you have to be very careful at Mexican restaurants. Mexicans love corn and they mix it into EVERYTHING. Even if you order no corn tortillas or corn in your meal, your meal could be contaminated. I would mention your food allergy to the waiter before ordering and make sure they can make you something on a separate grill. If not, I would pass on Mexican food unless you make it yourself. Making more food at home will reduce risk of all food allergies (rule #3). Over the past 3 months I have been able to eat corn tortillas and chips without problem. Even though my results showed a sensitivity to corn, it seems my body is okay with these choices. I haven’t tried actual corn and don’t plan to anytime soon. Corn really doesn’t do much for you and your body has a tough time processing it which is why it comes out just as it went in.
Soy beans – Soy is another food that is in everything. No more edamame makes me sad. Soy is also a product that replaces other foods that normally contain dairy, corn or wheat I have found. I am not allergic to dairy after all but because of the wheat and soy issue, this has eliminated a great deal of foods. What I mentioned earlier about reading the labels that say, “This food was also made on machines…” is very crucial with soy. So many food choices are made on machines that produce soy. Soy wasn’t tough for me to eliminate but it has made me read labels closely. FYI, soy lecithin is in just about every piece of chocolate you will find. It is used to help keep the chocolate/candy/bar together. Depending on your level of sensitivity, this may or may not be a problem for you.
Clams/Scallops – I don’t eat either of these very often so losing them wasn’t a big deal. I did ask my doc if shrimp was okay and he said yes. Woohoo! I love me some shrimp. I have had shrimp a few times over the past 3 months without reaction. Seafood or shellfish is very each to spot in foods.
Now that I have covered a little bit about the foods I have eliminated, lets go over how I am feeling and some helpful sources.
The first month I still had a few bad mornings. This was most likely due to my body still getting rid of the bad foods. My doc said this was very common and he said it could take up to 3 months. As time passed the bad mornings pretty much disappeared and were replaced were the only occasional gas or mild stomach turn here and there. After 2 months 95% of the pains were gone and as long as I stuck to my new diet, I was in good shape. Now 3 months in, I have everything under control and don’t have any issues to report. I still get the occasional weird stomach cramp here and there but nothing like before and is most likely from eating too much or too late the night before. Which is normal. I have also started drinking milk again, not a lot, but some. I did miss it.
Some of you are probably wondering what other benefits I have noticed from having a much cleaner diet. Well, I have dropped 12lbs in the past 3 months and although I haven’t measured, I know my body fat has dropped as well. My shorts are feeling bigger and I had to punch a new hole in my belt. My recovery time has improved dramatically on bike rides both during and after. I am not sore for as long and I bounce back quicker. I have even seen gains in my overall endurance. Several familiar rides where I usually bonk, I can go a little farther. On top of physical gains, my mood has improved and I haven’t been such a hermit. I still love movie time though. I am riding more often, which has also helped with my performance improvements. There is a huge trend right now claiming that going gluten free enhances performance. I cannot confirm or deny this claim because although I have seen improvements, I am more than just gluten free now. Your results may vary.
So, what am I eating? I wouldn’t say I am on a Paleo Diet now, but close. I eat a lot of meats, vegetables and fruits. I have found some great gluten free and “everything else I can’t eat free” products when I need a treat. Such as, all-fruit Dole frozen fruit bars and amazing GF chocolate chip cookies (they do have a small amount of soy lecithin in them like all chocolate does). Chipotle has become a favorite restaurant of mine because I can control everything that goes into my bowl. Baja Fish Tacos and Wahoo’s are also both great because they use fresh ingredients and all ingredients are written clearly on the menu. My friend Steph has been on a Paleo diet for some time showing huge gains in her biking and lifting at CrossFit. She is also quite the chef and posts up some amazing Paleo recipes on her website, (http://www.stephmccormack.com/) check it out!
Another great site is Sure Foods Living (http://surefoodsliving.com/). Allison posts great product reviews, recipes and links for people wanting to be gluten free because of food allergies or suffering from Celiac disease.
I mentioned this above, Celiac Forum (http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/) contains a wealth of information from people like you and me who suffer from food allergies. The forum is filled with personal stories, restaurant reviews, recipes, things to watch out for, grocery lists, grocery store options and more. Definitely don’t miss this one. Search for a favorite restaurant or food you enjoy and I bet you will find a post on it.
I hope this posts helps someone else out there who is suffering from food or stomach issues and encourages them to see a doctor and start leading a healthy lifestyle. Just because you can’t eat certain things, doesn’t mean you have to go without or be depressed. Get out there and learn about food, develop better eating habits and share your story with others. I have met some great people over the past 3 months both online and in person who have helped me and I cannot thank them enough. If you have any questions about my allergies, drop me a note in the comment section or email me at jordanmayphoto at yahoo dot com.
Remember to follow the rules!
A healthy body is a healthy mind!