Food sensitivities

I've had digestive problems for years. It got really bad a few years ago - bloating, pain and acid reflux, and symptoms associated with high blood glucose, such as itchy rashes under boobs, in groin and between fingers. that was when I adopted a low-carb, high fat way of eating. Most of those symptoms went away very quickly, especially the reflux, and as a bonus I lost some much-needed excess weight. However, I still have discomfort, which has been put down to IBS although I don't have any bowel problems such as diarrhoea. I had a raft of tests done last year (but not the camera down), with no real answer, although a CT scan did show diverticuli and "fatty atrophy" of the pancreas. Not diabetic (had HbA1C). I find that I'm now quite intolerant of high-carb and sugary food, which causes palpitations, pain and feeling unwell. So I continue on low-carb, which isn't a problem (I quite enjoy it!) but do have the occasional transgression and pay the price later.

One of my daughters almost died from a disaccharide intolerance when she was a baby and as an adult she continues to avoid dairy products as her tolerance for lactose is extremely limited. I also have a grandson who has a very severe allergy to sesame products. Until my daughter became ill in 1976 I'd never heard of food allergies or people being intolerant to certain foods and it was quite a shock to me to discover how dangerous simply feeding my daughter could be. She was fed on a formula with very low levels of lactose, called Galactomin 17, but even so she was hospitalised many times during her first few years and it was quite terrifying at the time to see how quickly she could become ill if she ate the wrong thing.

NanaK54 and NfkDumpling you are the only people I have ever come across who cannot eat garlic. OH knows pretty much straight away if something he has eaten has even a hint of garlic in it. No problem with onions.
It's a shame as I love garlic but he cannot even stand the smell of it !!

DS and I both have an aversion to fresh milk or anything very milky. This aversion goes well beyond just disliking,

Neither of us would drink it from babyhood, and if made to (those dreadful school thirds of pints) would be sick. In DS's case the aversion extends to cream but not yoghourt. I am in reverse. I can eat double cream but yoghourt leaves me feeling ill and nauseous for hours, and I avoid similar products like cottage cheese. Neither of us has any problem with processed milk, cheese etc.

No idea why and I have never met anyone else with this aversion to fresh milk but not processed.

DH has a myriad of food sensitivities which can trigger migraines. It started with chocolate, then caffeine but after he had ME in his forties they multiplied. Lard ,suet and MSG are out but the worst are some of the E numbers as they creep in to lots of thing, like the flour improvers and mound inhibitors in bread. Also sodium nitrite whic( is used in ham, bacon etc. Eating at home is fine, but as others have said, it is tricky when eating out. As he says it could be worse, could be red wine. Now that gives me a migraine!

I actually like garlic! And yes, I know within minutes if I’ve inadvertently eaten the smallest amount. Blow up and throw up! It can be a problem persuading waiters/waitresses as they obviously don’t believe it and think I’m making an excuse for not liking it. “Is there garlic in this chilli.” “No, chef doesn’t use garlic”. Start to expand and feel nauseous. “Are you sure there isn’t garlic in this chilli?” “We’ll, there is, but hardly any”. Grrrrrr!

I cannot eat onions, not since having gall bladder removed !

I used to find some red wine triggered migraine. Then a saw a news item in the New Scientist that said that there were volatiles in new wine that could cause migraine, but which, being volatile, disappeared within a couple of years.

Since taking this on board and only drinking red wine 3 years or more old. I have only had migraine once after drinking red wine - and that was when I accidentally drank a glass of beaujolais nouveau.

Thanks for that MOnica. I’ve not had red wine for many years now. Can’t wait to try some old red!

Anniebach have you tried pre and pro biotics for your IBS ? Also look up leaky gut syndrome could be the casue of a lot of problems and yet doctors never mention it .I had a stomach ulcer in the 70's and it was cured by Homeopathy ,so when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis I went back to the clinic that helped before.After cutting out some foods /drinks my symptoms were much better and after a year when I had my tests redone the disease was gone .Worth a try if you have a reputable homeopath local to you

Interesting M0nica - I was told it was the sulphites but red wine will give me a really bad headache more than white wine will.
However, not all red wine so I will note the age on the bottle in future.

Yes, this family has food intolerances and it can make it difficult if we go out as, even today, some restaurants/caterers do not seem to understand that eaten just a tiny bit of gluten can make someone very sick.

Did you hear this news story? I was shocked, it was not funny although not possibly life-threatening. However, with severe food intolerances it could have been dangerous:

metro.co.uk/2018/01/01/chef-boasts-spiking-vegan-groups-meal-meat-7195422/

I think the sulphites can cause problems, but not in my case. I have followed the no young wine rule for nearly 30 years very successfully.

These days I only drink red wine because it is the only one I enjoy and while, when I am eating out I can come over a bit precious fussing over the year a wine was made, it is worth it to be able to drink wines I enjoy, confident of no side-effects.

Read an article which said that sulphites disappear with time. A natural byeproduct of the fermenting process so virtually impossible to make wine without them although organic wines are better.

The article suggested a couple of things.
Open the wine well in advance but rather than just leaving it to 'breathe' take steps to aerate it.
Decanting helps as there is a bigger surface area so the sulphites may dissipate more quickly.

Well I tried this last night (since I wasn't going anywhere) drank a single glass and was fine.
No guarantees!!

We do have an aerator and we should remember to use it every time!

One glass if usually fine

is

MOnica I too have never been able to drink milk, or have milky tea etc. My mother used to say that she was very relieved when I was weaned! I used to take a note excusing me from milk at the start of each new school term. I also have acid reflux and find that my main triggers are onions and cooked tomatoes, so I try to steer clear of those.

My triggers appear to be cream [which others have mentioned too], milk chocolate [I can tolerate a small piece of dark chocolate but no bingeing!] and curries [although I have no problem if I make them myself as I don't add oodles of spices] - Madras curry is a very definite no no.

I used not to be able to eat dried fruit eg sultanas but I can manage a few now - but I don't risk it if I'm out anywhere.

I'm a lot better since I've been making meals from scratch so the additives in some foods could well be the problem

Help with yeast intolerance? What foods are best to eat and those to avoid? Many Thanks

Hi 65clare. I have had this problem for years so have to avoid bread that contains yeast. I make bread in a breadmaker with Orgran Breadmix which doesn't contain yeast. I also have crackers and check all ingredients on packets to make sure they don't contain gluten, lactose or yeast. But perhaps you don't have to avoid gluten and lactose. Hope you are managing ok. If I can be of anymore help please just ask.

My Tummy intolerance is white bread,I love French bread etc though and yesterday at a family dinner I ate some but sure enough...today been to the loo about 5times and got yukky tummy!.. wholemeal,etc am fine with..