flare questions

[bevfromwa]

At almost exactly a year after Enterolab tests,I am doing so much better because of adhering to GF, DF & SF as strictly as I know how--well, who knew to ask, after asking what kind of oil french fries are cooked in (canola) "what are they dipped in?". I guess "Brew City Fries" should have clued me to beer batter.

About a month ago friends had us to dinner. She is a great cook, extremely careful about my problems, in fact is a food demonstrator and studies this stuff. Everyone else had ice cream, but she made a special desert for me of frozen Logan or Marion berries and fresh blueberries. Nummy, but they were loaded with seeds, and I reacted the next day. I think the seeds basically sliced and diced my colon--the only possible thing it could be. Then, an extemely stressful period of working on a tax appeal, facing a deadline for a hearing, still don't have a decision as to why they think our house is gold plated and 6 neighbors with newer, bigger, more deluxe houses got reductions. I am cutting out anything I could think of that can be causing this, and am slightly better, but not where I was.

My question is, I notice many react to tapioca, and seems that it is in a lot of things I eat, including Dee's GF flour mix which goes into breads, etc. So how would you determine it you are sensitive? Take some tapioca flour/starch, make a paste like library paste and eat it? Don't ask me to eat pudding, I gag on puddings! Of course many more things could be causing me a problem, I have read so many posts where after 6 months other allergies come to the surface. That was why I had all the tests offered, and hardly know where to start on other stuff. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Beverly

[Joefnh]

Beverly, I know for me I have found that I am sensitive to the tapioca in the GF mixes. I figured this out using the process of elimination, as I tried some tapioca bread and then some none tapioca bread. Sure enough the GF mix with the tapioca caused the MC to flare up a bit. As you are aware of now any stress also multiplies MC's affects.

I would try just dropping the tapioca products first. By doing this one ingredient at a time will help you more accurately figure out whats bothering you.

Another thing I noted and others have mentioned is once we remove the main offenders like gluten and soy, the lesser intolerances start to show up.

--Joe

[Kari]

Hi Beverly,

I agree with Joe's suggestion of removing ALL tapioca and then monitoring what happens. In addition to other foods popping up over time as you avoid the worst offenders, I've noticed that there also seems to be a threshold of the offending ingredient involved when reacting.

For instance, about 6 months after removing gluten and subsequently many other foods, I had a nasty flare. I believe it was caused by guar gum, which I was getting in coconut milk almost daily over a couple of months' time. Finally, my system "freaked out" when I drank it by itself on an empty stomach one morning (usually had it in cooked foods, such as stew, or with fruit/cereal). I got instant overwhelming nausea, with the accompanying gurglings and the big D. I should also mention that I had noticed a gradual deterioration in my BM's, building up to the full fledged flare.

Anyhow, don't get discouraged, you will figure it out. I know only too well the feeling of helplessness that comes along with a flare, as you start to question everything you put in your mouth all over again. As I'm sure you already know, it takes lots of patience and willpower to stick with the detective game :). Hope you get to the bottom of it and feel better real soon.

Love,
Kari

P.S. If you have not had MRT testing done, you may want to consider it as it will help you narrow down further specific food sensitivities. There is lots of info on this topic in the MRT testing forum.

[Gloria]

Hi Beverly,

You may be interested in this thread where I asked how to test for tapioca intolerance:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10703

I think the easiest way to test it would be to make the Chebe bread that Matthew refers to, but the recipe called for eggs, and I can't eat eggs.

I finally tested it by making tapioca pudding (which you mentioned you don't like). It took a while to find tapioca without soy, but I found some at Whole Foods. As Kari mentioned, I didn't have a severe reaction immediately. It took about a month of eating the pudding every three days before I broke out in itchy sores on my head. It took a little while longer for me to realize it was the tapioca. I gave up everything I suspected and added each food back one at a time to test them. Maintaining a food diary was extremely helpful.

Good luck with figuring this out, and congratulations on being better for nearly a year.

Gloria

[MaggieRedwings]

Morning Beverly,

I am one who reacts to tapioca flour and just "whittled" things away until it dawned on me.

FRENCH FRIES - Just a heads up that most if not all french fries, unless they are homemade by the restaurant, come frozen and will have flour dusted on them to keep them from sticking together when frozen. I rarely, if at all, eat french fries out. Forget the oil they come in just remember the flour they are packed in.

Love, Maggie