Determining Food Intolerance, a quick and dirty method

In some ways those who are lactose or gluten intolerant are fortunate. At least you don’t have a problem identifying the triggers that set you off. I wonder if that is a factor why SCD is so successful for so many, it is a gluten-free diet.

Others like me are sunk by an eclectic group of foods that can vary from plums to kale. I can be in blissful remission in the morning and after one meal containing a poison food have bloody diarrhea that evening. This could lead to a flare unless the problem substance is quickly identified and removed from the menu.

My base heart rate is 65-68 bpm. After a nourishing meal it is about the same or slightly higher. But about 15 minutes after eating a problem food my heart races to above 85-90 bpm. I tried this more than once with certain items that seem to be incompatible with my body chemistry and the results are the same. Of course you should only attempt this while eating one food at a time.

babe
my food intolerances seem eclectic too. I never thought of heartrate as a predictor. Hmmm. I always felt quite happy eating bread, only when I took it away did bleeding stop, don't think I had a faster heartrate.

I do know that my brain want me to eat things that are definitely bad for my colon, feels like a battle between good and evil sometimes.

That is a good stretch and sounds like good progress. Pred worked earlier in the year but simply failed to do anything in August. I lost all my weight and it set the stage for my stroke, they put on the discharge papers pred+dehydration. I think I can control those two variables. Dehydration was just dumb and pred is a nice quick fix until it fails to work any longer. However I had success with that flare by switching to sulfasalazine and mebeverine - but I of course could not abruptly stop the prednisone I had been taking. I think I can steer clear of using it again. Just not worth the risk in my case.

This is why I refused Topomax for the new headaches and the Neurologist was not offended that I never even tried them. When I said 'yes but you cannot suddenly stop Topomax either' he said - 'ok then lets get new MRI/MRV's and have a look.

I consider sulfasalazine and mebeverine to be mild medications and by additionally modulating my food intake I think I can continue this way.

That's interesting and makes sense. I would expect the heart rate to go up when the body is active, and my digestive system is very active when I eat foods high in fructose.

The only way to determine multiple food intolerances is an elimination diet. You start by eating one relatively inoffensive food (this is usually rice) and slowly add in other foods one at a time. There are certain genetic and enzymatic tests for severe ones, such as hereditary fructose intolerance, but these are the exception rather than the rule.

There is no 'quick and dirty', sorry to tell you.

killcolitis...... found this on the web

The Pulse Test is another way to test your allergies. It has been noted that the first indication of an allergy is a rise in a person’s pulse. By keeping very close watch over the pulse while challenging different foods we can often determine possible allergies. By avoiding foods that cause an increased pulse rate we can aid in clearing allergies and can improve the general health of the person. There are six points to the pulse test.

1. Stop smoking, at least for the duration of the testing. Upon challenging cigarettes, they raise the pulse.

2. Take the pulse (usually on the wrist) for one whole minute, (not for 1/4 minute and multiplying it by 4, as done in the hospitals) at the following times.

a) before rising (before sitting up in bed upon waking)
b) before meals
c) three times after each meal, at half hour intervals

3. Record all foods eaten.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for 2 - 4 days.

5. Do a single food challenge for two or more days. You do this by eating a small portion of a different food every hour, starting early in the morning and continuing for 12 -14 hours. Take your pulse just before eating the food and one-half hour after.


6. Over the day we have a normal range, one which differs from individual to individual. Any food that seems to elevate the pulse by six (6) points or more should be avoided. These foods should be challenged at other times to see if you get the same results.

Many allergies involve things other than food substances, thereby making the data hard to interpret with resulting frustration. Some foods do not cause a reaction unless eaten for more than three days in a row. Some allergies do not show up for two or more days after the food is eaten.

~Source~ College of Natural Healing

Malkavian said...
There is no 'quick and dirty', sorry to tell you.

Nothing works for everyone but in my experience I notice that certain items tend to stimulate my heart to begin racing. (And I am not talking about caffeinated foods LOL).

This is in chapter 4 from the book “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about IBS” by Richard N. Ash M.D. with Winnifred Conkling, published in 2004:
“You can get a general idea if you have a food allergy by testing your pulse after eating a potentially allergenic food. Eat the food you suspect to be a trigger food, and take your pulse fifteen minutes later. If your pulse is twenty or more beats per minute higher, you probably have an allergy to the food… This is not a foolproof test but it does offer an easy way to identify certain problem foods.”

You can find the entire quote by finding this book in Google Books and look for ‘pulse’ in ‘Search in this book’ window.

Hence the usually. Rice is one of the least allergenic foods out there, which is why it is used.