What do I eat if I do an elimination diet?

[navyeyelasH]

I've been ill for about 2 years, symptoms are as long as my arm GP says it's IBS.

I personally don't think it's IBS and DR thinks I'm a hypochondriac. Trying to resolve it myself and think best place to start would be try and figure out of it's something I'm eating.

But what is "safe" to eat and drink? And when do I start to reintroduce other food and at what rate. Any help much appreciated. Would a nutritionist be able to help me with this do you think?

[thumbwitch]

A nutritional therapist would be able to help you with this but tbh you might as well give it a go yourself.

Remove each food from your diet for a minimum of 2 weeks and see if you feel any change. If not, go onto the next one. Bear in mind that it could be more than one food that is upsetting you, so don't reintroduce eliminated foods at this point.

Start with wheat, a common offender. this means no biscuits, cake, bread, pasta - unless they come from the Free From section in the supermarkets.

Next - give gluten a miss - this includes rye, barley and possibly oats (although the gluten in oats is quite different - even some coeliacs are ok with it, but severe cases have to avoid it as well)

Next to go is dairy. Switch to soya or rice milk.

If after eliminating these groups, you still experience no change, it gets a bit trickier. Personally I find tomatoes do it for me - can't touch the buggers.

When you think you might have found a potential trigger, after 6 weeks without it, reintroduce it in a very small amount - your bod should react quite strongly to it (as it will have had a respite from it and be very unwilling for you to bring it back) if it is a true trigger.

It's a start anyway - HTH!

[scottishmummy]

nutritional therapist=quack.an unprotected title.anyone can set up as nutrition therapist

you need a state registered dietitcian,if dietary Ax is required

stay clear of the quacks like Holford et al.they will sell you expensive placebo (as the nutrition code of ethics permits commercial profit apart of Ax and "therapy"

[scottishmummy]

nutritional therapist implicated in a mum becoming brain damage following detox advice

[thumbwitch]

SM probably meant this link. However, the woman in question was actually drinking litres of water rather than pints. The court who made the settlement made no mention of liability.

Nutritional therapists are a very mixed bunch - if you decide to use one, go to one who has a BSc or an MSc in nutritional medicine.

[howtotellmum]

You should be able to google the "few foods Diet" or elimination diet.

I would also recommend Food Allergy and Intolerance by Prof. Jon Brostoff. He is oneof the leading experts on food intolerance etc and the book contains the list of the few food diets and how to introduce new foods gradually.

[puffylovett]

I take offence to that, scottishmummy. I've been through 3 years of intensive training, includng lots of science, to get to my qualification. I don't consider myself a quack, nor do I sell explensive 'placebo'.

I help people like navyeyelash, who get little help from their GP or their Dietician, to get better.

[thumbwitch]

s'ok, puffy - it won't make any difference to her. Let it go

[scottishmummy]

3 years of study to get a non protected title.you could just have saved money and set up regardless

BANT allows "nutritionists" to sell products with no conflict of interest so the assessment and treatment gets linked to product sale (and profit)

a dietitcian or gp train at UNI have protected titles and are not allowd to sell for financial gain

go figure

[howtotellmum]

Don't want to get embroiled in a spat between you two, but the type of training that nutrition-therapists have cannot be compared to a degree in nutrition/dietetics or a science-based degree. If they were both the same, why would anyone bother with the degree?
It also seems unethical that they can sell/promote supplements or products.

I think there is room for both, tbh. Some dietiticians are very old school, and not in favour of anything vaguely complementary, whereas often a mix of approaches can work.

I strongly recommend the book I suggested earlier, as it shows how lots of chronic conditions can be food-intolerance based.

[scottishmummy]

they are not the same.dietitcians is BSC or MSc with supervised clinical placement and results in HPC (health professionals council) registrartion - a protected titlewith mandatory CPD

Nutritionla therapist/nutritionist is un protected title eg anyone can use it.variale levels of acredittaion. limited anctions or orotection.ALLWED to sell supplemants (that is how they make mney) allowed by their membership BANT

Let?s be clear about what the words mean. Nutritional therapists are not like dietitians, and they are not like nutritionists. Nutritional therapists are solidly in the camp of alternative medicine practitioners, Don?t
take my word for it. They say so themselves.

?For nutritional therapists (who practise Complementary and Alternative Medicine) optimum nutrition encompasses individual prescriptions for diet and lifestyle in order to alleviate or prevent ailments and to promote optimal gene expression through all life stages. Recommendations may include guidance on natural detoxification, procedures to promote colon health, methods to support digestion and absorption, the avoidance of toxins or allergens and the appropriate use of supplementary nutrients, including phytonutrients.?

They love to use pseudoscientific words like ?detoxification?, and, much more dangerously, they love to pretend that they can cure diseases by changes in diet. As long as you buy from them a stack of expensive ?supplement? pills, of course. That means they are selling medicines, but by pretending they are selling food supplements they manage to evade the law that requires medicines to be safe and effective. That will not be so easy under new legislation though, and we can look forward to a few prosecutions soon.

[howtotellmum]

SM- I hope you recent post wasn't responding yo me as I am in fact agreeing with you! I have friends/contacts who are dieticians in the NHS etc and know what they have studied.

[scottishmummy]

not everything is necessarily about you,hun.i shall make points as i wish without recourse to you

[OrmIrian]

Start with wheat. I was feeling really rough last summer - dodgy bowels, stomach cramps, weight loss, bad skin - I cut out wheat and within a week I was beginning to feel better.

It seems to be stress-related for me too. SOmetimes I can cope with but understand what to do when it starts to flare up again.

[howtotellmum]

SM- " not everything is about me" I was just ascertaining whether you were taking issue with my point, about dieticians and nutritionists not being the same, or whatever, or whether it was a general point you were making.

"I shall make points as I wish without recourse to you".

It was a straightforward query, not an argument starter!

[scottishmummy]

oh cool it with the humphy faces and bold you do come across arsey

[puffylovett]

SM firstly I have worked for a woman who WAS in it purely for the profit, and it's what prompted me to actually go off and study in further depth, to ensure that I had the knowledge to help people without actually causing any damage or harm and to ensure that were supplements are used, they are used safely with respect to any contra indications. I've been trained to work extremely closely with GP's (if they will actually consider it of course - some of them refuse )

As for GP's not making any profit - maybe they don't profit personally from the drugs they prescribe, but certainly their surgeries do, do they not ? Is it any different ?

Not that I want to get emrboiled into any form of spat. But there are many of us who have chosen this discipline purely because we wish to work ethically to help people who are ill who get no other help. Yes, we have to charge - but if you looked at the overall cost overheads, maybe you'd realise that we are not raking in millions of dollars like you seem to think.

We are also currently undergoing self regulation with a view to being government regulated in some years time - an unethical and profiteering people would not be interested in that, don't you think ?

[scottishmummy]

i know i saw a BANT statement on HPC regs.about time

a legitimate profession

is not for profit
regulates,limits and controls entry to ensure standards
does not endorse selling supplements
ensures rigorous validation and accreditation
has rigorous standards
censures and strike off poor practitioners
moves towards evidence based outcome

maybe if all this happens nutritional therapy will not be regarded so sceptically

[howtotellmum]

Can you two continue this debate on another thread- it's not really helping the Op much.

SM- oh get over yourself- Arsey? Pots and kettles, come to mind my dear.

[scottishmummy]

LOL say it loud and bold and again is shall post as i wish

[navyeyelasH]

Ok this thread has gone a tad scary but thanks to all for the great advice. I think I'll do it the DIY route and then see how far I get. This might be a stupid question but there is no wheat in brown rice right?

I currently omit citric acid and sweeteners and it has helped with some symptoms but not everything so am just going to do it properly this time!

Thanks again.

[thumbwitch]

a common thought, navyeyelash - there should be no wheat in brown rice at all. Does rather depend on where it is packaged etc. as there could be minute amount of contamination but in essence rice is completely wheat-free.

Good luck!

[TeaOneSugar]

NavyeyelasH I have IBS in fact I'm off work today, after a bad night last night, do you mind me asking what your symptoms are?

As you probably know already IBS is a blanket term which covers a variety of symptoms. I have bloating, bowel spasms with back pain - like contractions, and constipation.

I find a simple diet, with lots of fruit and veg, and steering clear of anything obviously fatty or greasy helps. I have anti spasmodic pills and pain killers on hand for when I need them and find peppermint and liquorish tea also helps, Aveda do one that's fantastic but expensive.

I've tried a colonic, which didn't help, but then my GP said it wouldn't!

[thumbwitch]

TOS - has your doctor checked your gallbladder out? Just a thought...

[navyeyelasH]

teaonesugar My symptoms are quite exhaustive to be honest!

I have a near constant pain in my back, sort of feels like it's behind my last rib if that makes any sense? It radiates down into my lower back and has just started to come across the fornt of my rib cage on the right side. If you touch any part of my ribs it really hurts. When I had an ultrasound I was crying in agony. Also right side of collar bone hurts, so do wrists and some fingers but that pain is not constant like the rib area.

Used to have alternative constipation and diarrhoea now just have near constant diarrhoea never a sold poo (sorry TMI!)

Swollen bloated tummy with smelly gas (never ever ever had this before) and tummy ache and sometimes vomiting.

not much