Are there any of us left without a food intolerance of some sort?

[ViolaCello]

I have been reading about food and nutrition online recently and noticed a good amount of people with intolerance issues, most often dairy and wheat. No one ever seems to develop vegetable allergies, yet if I eat a big plate of certain cooked veggies I will definitely be on the toilet within 24 hours. The poison for me is in the dose, I guess.
I have never, to my knowledge had reactions after eating wheat or dairy of any sort.
But from what I have encountered online, most of my own health niggles are presumed to be wheat allergies. If other people get them , they say it was wheat. From my nasal drip, to my trapped gas, to feeling off in general. I wonder why we don't see so many people presuming it to be potatoes, salad or seeds?

However, since reading that stuff I am now side-eyeing bloody wheat. I did 3 weeks without it and felt no different. It seems everything is presumed to be caused by foods. What if a good deal of stuff we might suffer is in the outer environment, like stuff we can't change? That's a more scary thought tbh.

I remember reading about longevity and everyone focused solely on food, but what if it is community, good sleep, creativity, or lack of pollution instead?

On another note, I have recently had a rash on my ankles and when I foolishly consulted Dr Google I found a huge amount of 'evidence' claiming this was because of wheat or dairy? (surprise surprise!) My rash wasn't raised or itchy so perhaps not, but I did notice that wheat is taking a good deal of blame for many things nowadays, especially if the symptoms are vague.

My rash could easily have been from a lot of walking in heat, or my new body lotion, or something like a virus...
I know there are some very 'tribal' attitudes towards foods these days, and people seem to want you to be in their club, almost like a religion, but it still strikes me as perplexing... and confusing!

Just want to add here that this is not a criticism, I am intrigued by it, and also wonder why there's so much of it now. People with confirmed issues have my full respect, it must be a pretty stressful thing to navigate.

Thing is I'm not trying to differentiate between them, I am more concerned with how people discover them (both) and how the impact of the internet intersects with that. The idea that many people with an umbrella style set of symptoms might jump to conclusions based on what they read online.

Presumably an allergy has more immediate effects. And auto immune is another thing altogether. I do think they are mashed up a bit on the web though, and that is my issue.

As for 'my allergies', I don't have any allergies to my knowledge, nor did I claim to.
I only experience any gut issues eating veg if I eat a large amount of it. This would likely occur if I ate the same equivalent in pork. My gut likes small meals. I do suffer issues with IBS and stress though, again, as I discovered whilst travelling.

Perhaps you could re read the thread again and locate it!

So when I was really quite ill in my 20s and had been struggling since my teens (over 20 years ago) I put myself on an exclusion diet. It was a case of do something hard, or accept intrusive medical testing. I decided to try the exclusion diet before the intrusive stuff. It seemed the lesser of two evils.

What I actually found was I managed to re-introduce everything - the things I suspected were a problem were the very last things that I reintroduced..I got rid of all symptoms and they didn't recurr. Having had 11 years of struggle then a year's process , I've now been symptom free for 20 years.
So that's how I discovered that I didn't have intolerances but also that's how I stopped eating things for a time that were making me very poorly indeed and gave my whole system to recover. Make of that what you will.

I think getting off the antibiotic rollercoaster was a big part of it.

The one piece of advice I would give for gas is to switch from white to red onions. My son suffered from IBS and was advised by a dietician to do this and I’ve found them a lot better for both of us

My DD was 8. She was a normal weight and generally seemed well except for regular stomach pains and very runny poo. She was also lactose intolerant at the time (according to the GP).

Immediately after going gluten free the stomach issues disappeared. 6 months after her coeliac diagnosis and adopting a strict GF diet she had a massive growth spurt and started sleeping through the night for the first time EVER. She also suddenly was able to concentrate properly at school and went from getting 2/10 in her spelling tests to regularly getting 10/10. She had energy and her hair and nails grew stronger. It was astounding.

The dietician we spoke to said that after 6 months of being gluten-free, we could re-introduce lactose and she has never had a problem with digesting dairy since then. I am told that the part if the gut (villi) that is damaged in a coeliac is also the part that deals with absorbing lactose. So lactose intolerance can be a symptom of coeliac disease and once the villi are back up and running she can have as much dairy as she wants.

We could have just stopped the gluten without the diagnosis but I am so glad we pushed ahead. Her life is so much better knowing what it is and having proper support. I would urge anyone with suspicions to get tested for coeliac disease. It's just 2 blood tests these days, nothing more invasive, and it could seriously change your life.

I heard that before about the growth spurts. Good to hear your daughter is doing well since her diagnosis and interesting about the link with lactose intolerance.

"Wheat has been modified so it’s not the same as people were eating 50 years ago, it’s much higher in gluten, so the fact people react is not surprising." I've talked to several fellow coeliac and we all have considered whether the rise in gluten intolerance is connected with the Chorley Wood process. Or if its just better diagnosis.

Well. Bread, pasta, cake and too much if this constipated everyone. So we all need the right food

My daughter has coeliac disease. She presented with extreme fatigue. She is now pregnant and high risk for miscarriage. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster

I'd always had odd symptoms after eating some foods, itchy lips, flushed skin, upset tummy - took a reaction to Aspirin to find out I'm salicylate intolerant. Don't avoid foods, but do ensure not to overload the body. Interestingly, being much more focused on avoiding UPFs has helped.

A painless red rash around the ankles after walking in hot weather is almost certainly due to heat. It's quite common for women and there's a name for it (which I've forgotten). I don't have any food allergies but have noticed that I often get diarrhoea after eating aubergines or black beans! I think a lot of people going gluten-free aren't allergic or gluten intolerant - they just seem to believe it's healthier for some reason.

I have been reading about auto immune and IBS recently and wonder why so many women have these issues.
Is it a western specific problem or is it simply more acknowledged now?

I wonder why these things happen to us, and are we becoming more susceptible over time?

How much of it is the food and how much of it is stress, the modern lifestyle, etc.

If I probed myself I could list a few things that might suggest a problem, but then when `I am happy and my life is less stressful, they do seem to drop off. I just don't know.

It was a red/pink blotchy rash above the boot line that didn't blanche on glass test. I had used St Tropez tanning foam the night previous and added more in tis area, but probably not connected.

It faded after 24 hours. No other symptoms.
I have heard of hiker's rash, a temporary form of vasculitis, although this freaked me the hell out as I had HSP as an 8 yr old (no complications after).

For those who don't know, HSP is a vascular immune issue that creates a rash, joint pain and gastro issues. I was in hospital at the age of 8 for 3 weeks and had blood/urine tests for up to 3 yrs after recovery.

I developed an intolerance to latex fruits (bananas, avocados) as an adult. Then had the same reaction to camomile tea. Apparently they are commonly linked allergens.

I have wondered if there are more food allergies because nobody chews their food for long enough

you mean they're 'wolfing' it all down @Wolfpinkola ?

One of my odd ones is that I feel like I struggle to breathe after anything involving limes or kiwi fruit - so I just avoid them

Sounds exactly like hiker's rash which I often get. But I can see why you were worried about it! That HSP sounds awful.

Women are more likely than men to seek medical help/diagnosis for issues like this. Men are more likely to ignore symptoms. Our society which prides itself on toxic masculinity encourages us to consider that it's a sign of weakness in men to have a condition such as these.

I read recently that children who had a lot of antibiotics often have gluten and lactose intolerances. Your gut just never recovers. I had loads of antibiotics as a kid and gluten and dairy are a problem for me. I feel a load better not eating them, but it's taken years of experimenting with elimination diets.

Your gut can recover. I was hild on lots, lots of antibiotics when under 6. They found cause then I got sick maybe once every two years and cast iron stomach. Never had D&V and eat things which absolute should have given me some food poisoning 😂Until my 30s when the white bread hit.

I was fine until my mid-twenties actually, then suddenly had all kinds of gut problems. I worked with a nutritionist, took various probiotics and prebiotics, but I still can't eat wheat any more. If you have any other tips, let me know!

@LoudlyProudlyHorrid can I ask what your husband did to increase his stomach acid? Interested as I feel food just doesn't digest very well in my stomach.

I think the biggest thing was to stop any PPIs.

He took zinc carnosine for a few weeks in an attempt to heal any damage to the gi lining.
Took betaine HCl before meals and also Swedish bitters.
Stopped snacking and started fasting from evening through to lunchtime to give his digestion a rest.
Smaller portions and tried to avoid drinking with food.

I don't think I have any but I do have to watch what I eat due to PCOS to avoid insulin spikes and brain fog.

No one ever seems to develop vegetable allergies, yet if I eat a big plate of certain cooked veggies I will definitely be on the toilet within 24 hours. The poison for me is in the dose, I guess.

DD1 had an intolerance to carrots during her early years - I was keeping a food diary at time. She did out grow it.

I've had problems with bananas in adulthood swollen lips tongoune and itchy threat - possibly oral allergy syndrome -- though DMum told we I was weaned on bananas at three months - so who knows. I stopped eating them for a decade - though could tolerate cooked bananas. Had them again when kids were young and been fine ever since with them.

I saw one of those TV shows looking at allegry department - there was a woman who truned out to be allegic to lettice - it rarer they said I think as less proteins in it but you can be allergic to anything.

I have been reading about auto immune and IBS recently and wonder why so many women have these issues.

I found my mensutral cycle seems to be adversly affetcing my gut as I head into perimenopause.

I am wondering if a food diary might also find some triggers for me.

I do need to look at my diet - and lose weight - so I am considering anti inflammatory diets - the Mediterranean diet or DASH at least looking at cook book suggestions.