IgG results and so overwhelmed

[BethandLC]

I have recently begun seeing a ND (about 4 weeks ago) for a myriad of symptoms. As part of the diagnostic process he had me do IgG testing through ImmunoLabs. I just got my results back and I am so overwhelmed as I reacted to 28 of the 115 foods. I had no idea that I had food sensitivity issues. I really need someone to help me make sense of all this. I don't see him again until next week. With all the things I reacted to I really don't even know what to eat at all. Previously we had just shifted (last 3 months) to a NT diet and had moved everything to farm fresh eggs, grass fed meats and fowl and raw dairy. Now I find I react to everything under the sun.

Where do I start - what does long term look like for this. I am really worried about getting adequate nutrition as I have two nurslings.

If this helps at all, here are my results:

+1
Alfalfa, Almond, beef, chili pepper, egg, grapefruit, lamb, lemon, lime, cow's milk, mushroom, mustard, onion, orange, pepper b/w, pineapple, pork, pumpkin, sesame, sugar cane, tangerine

+2
cranberry, oat, radish, sunflower, wheat

+3
Baker's Yeast, Brewer's Yeast

Any help is appreciated!

[cowKIDmom]

Wondering about the results. Assuming the +1 is mild, but what about the +3? What does the test go to... +3, or ...? We did testing through Great Plains Lab and they gave actual numbers on a scale so I am just not familiar with these results.

When we got results back on two of our sons we had one son with a combined IgG and IgE total of 55 foods that he had reacted to. The other son had a total of around 15 I think, which paled in comparison. I remember how overwhelmed I felt also.

It is easier if you break it down. This is how I did it anyhow. I took my sons most reactive foods and one by one I looked up on the internet about that particular food allergen. I made two lists for each food. One list for all the alternative names that really meant that food and another list of safe foods that didn't contain that particular allergen.

Doing this I was able to eliminate all the high reactive foods in my (oldest) son's diet right away. He had sort of a boring diet for a while, but the results were so apparent in that first month and into the second. Slowely I learned "safe" foods. LIke he can have this brand of beans and this brand of cereal, ect... and we just bought the same things over and over. Going into the store and reading every single label can be very overwhelming, so I did my research on the internet and wrote down exactly the brand and type and went into the store and purchased it. Vitamin Cottage became a very necessary place for us to shop. (no whole foods close). Thankfully we weren't ones to eat a lot of processed foods. We make all our meals from scratch and we eat fruits and veggies and some nuts for snacks. We make a lot of good food and do not feel deprived. It just takes time and dedication to get to this point.

For right now focus on what you can have.

We never did really eliminate all of my son's mild reactive foods. He actually reacted to almost every food he had ever been exposed to, so this wasn't even an option. Our goal was to try to eat a balanced diet. Look into the idea of the rotation diet. So after eliminating the big offenders, we then tried to rotate everything else so that he wasn't eating anything too often. We still go by this rule. And after 6-12 months of strict elimination most folks are successful with adding offending foods back in on a rotating level without problem.

My oldest son was moderately-severely reactive to beef and yet 4.5 years later he is able to eat it without problems for example. He has added in a few other of the moderate foods on the IgG, but none of the severe ones. We can still tell when he has any accidental exposure to them.

Can you get raw goat milk anywhere near you? Check out realmilk.com
We now have milk goats because of the family's reactions to cow dairy. But we live on a ranch, so it wasn't a big deal to get a few goats, like it might be to some folks.

[rhesp1212]

I know how overwhelming this can be at first....been there, done that!! Try to focus on what you CAN have instead of what you can't. For instance...even though you can't have beef, you CAN have chicken, turkey, duck, lamb, buffalo, venison, and quail!! You can have fish and lots of other nuts and grains. For sweeteners you can use pure maple syrup instead of cane sugar, agave syrup or stevia. You can have lots of oils (other than sunflower oil) such as coconut oil, avacados, olive oil....all are excellent sources of good fats. You can have potatoes, squash, lots of fruits and vegetables (pears, apples, plums, peaches, banana, etc.) that aren't on your list and I don't recall seeing soy on your list. If you can have that it opens up lots of opportunities for you as well.

For milk, try raw goats milk (the pasturized has a really strong flavor), hemp milk, soy milk, hazelnut milk, or rice milk. Just read the lables and make sure that they aren't sweetened with cane sugar syrup....some brands sweeten with rice syrup instead.

Everyone usually gets concerned with breakfast ideas.....even though you can't have milk, eggs or oats. You CAN have buckwheat (eat as a cereal or make into pancakes, muffins, etc.), rice cereals, corn cereals, quinoa, Amaranth, teff, etc. You can bake with all of these flours as well using an egg replacer or using pureed fruits and vegetables as binders (just add extra levening to get a good rise). I have several great recipes for baking without eggs and wheat if you need some.

Sometimes it's out of our comfort zone, in that you may have to start experimenting with foods you don't usually eat. But, you CAN do this!!! With IgG, they are intolerances, not true "allergies". Most people can eliminate them for 6 months to a year and then add some back in. Definitley eliminate the strong reactive ones and after a couple months of elimination, rotate in the lesser ones.

Valerie

[kjbrown92]

Of the 115 foods, what were the negative ones? You can start with those. My kids each reacted to about 40-50 foods (and opposites on a lot of them) so I know what you mean. But listing the things we could have made it easier. And now (2 years later) it's (almost) a piece of cake.