lots of questions - IgG tests

[kati_kati]

Hi - we just did IgE and IgG testing for my 3 yr old DS. He does not have any super obvious GI symptoms but he had trauma at birth and has global delays. He is IgE allergic to eggs and mildly to a few other things. The IgG test came back with 'high' values for almost everything he currently eats. All the nuts on the list, all the beans on the list, and all the grains on the list were high, all dairy, and many of the fruits, a few veggies... I was shocked by all the high values. Especially given the general lack of GI issues (maybe I don't know what to look for?). He is currently vegetarian, so this is pretty problematic if we are really going to cut out all those foods. Interestingly none of the meats or fish scored high. I guess because he has never eaten those?

I guess my main questions are regarding how seriously do I take this test?

* Should we re-test with another lab? I've heard that the tests are unreliable and differ by lab. I don't want to overhaul our entire kitchen without being sure. We did the original test with Great Plains Lab which some people have expressed skepticism about (I'm not sure why).

* Is it ok to feed foods that were not tested? How can we get tested for all foods anyway, like kale and chard? They are not on the regular lists that I've found. But what if these foods are problematic too?

* If I cut out all these foods, and I don't substitute with odd beans or nuts that were not tested, it will mean that I have to feed him meat which I do not want to do unless it's absolutely the last resort. Is there anyway to stick with being vegetarian?

* Will it really be healthy to have such a limited number of allowed fruits/veggies/grains? I mean all that's left for grains is amaranth and teff... He was even 'high' for rice!

* Would it be better to go the other route and start with an elimination diet and start adding foods back slowly?

I would love any thoughts that would help me digest all of this (no pun intended)... I'll probably have more questions as I read more.

Thanks!

-Kati

[kjbrown92]

If he had no symptoms, why was he tested? He must have some symptoms of something... how does he sleep? how does he act? When we took out the intolerance foods for my DS, for instance (and I was skeptical of the test), he started falling asleep within 5-10 minutes instead of a couple of hours, he stopped being so needy emotionally, didn't need me to come back in and check on him 20 times while he was falling asleep, no longer scared of the dark, didn't have as many tantrums, started pooping more regularly, etc. So a food intolerance doesn't necessarily show up just as stomachaches. He also stopped being a mouth breather/snoring, and started growing more, and his swollen adenoids went back to normal. We did ALCAT not Great Plains, but I'd start by giving him just the foods that he tested negative for, probably for a week to see what changes come about. Then you can start adding new foods (for instance ones that weren't tested) once every 4 days. What were the ones he tested positive for? And what was negative? Maybe we can help you come up with foods that he can have...

[kati_kati]

He definitely has issues. Behavior, attention, serious language delay, etc. Sleep is erratic - he has a hard time falling asleep, kind of hyper before bedtime, and sometimes wakes up too early. I just meant he has no obvious GI symptoms. Actually we just got the results of a comprehensive stool analysis back and everything was pretty normal. But that's really encouraging to hear about the changes you saw with your DS!

Thanks for offering to look at the food list. My main concerns are that there are no sources of protein in the options 'allowed' below except for meat/fish.  I think the reason he showed no reaction to those is because he has never eaten them in his life. Thankfully he is not a very picky eater right now so that's not an issue.  A normal dinner would be something like rice with kale/lentils/carrots and tempeh or something like that.

I tried to group the list by category (veggies/fruits/grains/etc). Thanks so much for your thoughts! Here goes...

High:

Peanut, cashew, almond, pistachio, sesame

Wheat, rye, rice, barley, flax

Soy, peas, tomato

Kidney bean, garbanzo bean, pinto bean, green bean, lentil

Whey, milk, cheese

Banana, lemon, watermelon, coconut, apple

Tuna

Yeast (brewers)

Moderate:

Hazelnut, walnut, pecan, sunflower

Oat, corn, millet, sorghum

Lima bean, lettuce, celery

Yogurt, mozzarella cheese, casein

Grape, pineapple, grapefruit, orange

Garlic

Yeast (bakers)

Low:  [* means it was just barely into the low range, almost in the insignificant range]

Buckwheat

Onion, green pepper, carrot, cabbage, radish, asparagus, spinach, eggplant, sweet potato, pumpkin*, potato*, broccoli*, mushroom*

Goat cheese

Papaya, blueberry, cranberry, pear, apricot

Egg white/yolk [but he's IgE allergic to these]

Honey*

Not clinically significant:

Avocado, beet

Peach, Plum/prune, strawberry

Cod fish, crab, halibut, lobster, salmon, sardine, shrimp

Beef, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey

Cane sugar, cocoa

[kjbrown92]

How many foods did you get tested? I know I could have counted, but... When I first had DS tested, I did 50 foods, and he didn't react to about 5 of them. I called the company and asked if I could get 100 more tested without having to re-do the first 50, which they did, so we could have more foods. That way they tested more of the obscure ones. So I'm wondering if you could do that.

What do you think about adding seafood but not beef/fowl? My mother is a red-meat vegetarian where she won't eat beef, pork, lamb, but she'll eat chicken, turkey, and fish (I know, I tell her that's not a vegetarian, but whatever). So I'm wondering if you could do something like that. Avocado is a high fat, nutrient dense food, so you've got that. And of course I'd be all excited because I could keep cocoa and sugar!! But for what's not on there: amaranth, tapioca, sheep's milk, quinoa, etc. For me, if I couldn't test more foods, I would take him down to those "no reaction" foods for 5 days and see what I get with reactions (behavioral, etc.) and then either add foods that weren't tested or add the foods that were clinically insignificant. Are you doing anything for healing - cod liver oil, Magnesium/B6 (usually helps behavioral type things, and sleep), enzymes, probiotics, etc?

[kati_kati]

Thanks for the ideas! I guess I can call and ask the company. I think the test was 80 or 90 foods. I don't know if they offer any more. The ideal thing would be to specify which foods I want tested!! Oh well. I'm slowly coming around to the idea that we have to do this... and that I have to give in on the fish at least. It will be really hard. It seems silly, but food is such a personal thing I guess.

If I can't get any more foods tested, I will try what you suggested. I have to go shopping and make up a meal plan that fits the test results... I wonder about fish on the test - if they only tested tuna and salmon, what if you want to eat other fish, are they 'ok'?

We are doing some basic vitamins, probiotics and omega 3's.... and we will be adding some 'healing' stuff, but haven't yet. Thanks for your thoughts!