re-priming, please advise page

[Kinesio]

So 2 years ago I did this 100%, probably didn't eat enough vegetables and fruits but lots of meat, fatty meat and coconut milk. I definitiely gained a s*#t ton of weight but I think i was obsessing and succeeded my daily caloric needs. That's something I've learned about my body; calories DO matter. However my reasons for doing this are much different now but I want to be sure this doesn't happen again.

A quick recap, I spent 3 months in SE Asia, came back to the USA and was fine for 2 months and then developed a skin rash, then bruising then fascial swelling and hives and welts head to toe. 10 months later I've realized I have an out of control histamine response to the majority of foods and the list of what I can't eat is bigger then what I can eat. I've been to many doctors, many tests, some speculations here and there but no identification of a cause. I take high doses of anti-histamines and eat a very restricted diet.

I recently went to an applied kinesiologist with a phD in Nutrition who muscle tested me for food sensitivities, organ function and supplementation. All in all his suggestions were pretty much primal except I can't eat eggs, pork, nuts and seeds, and olives/oils or any oil really. Also there is a plethora of fruits both citrus and berries I can't eat as well as veggies such as, brussel sprouts or peas. The only dairy I eat is butter.

I'm eating more tubers and squash, plenty of fruit, not counting carbs but I don't want to gain weight from too many carbs/fats and I feel like crap on a high animal fat diet. So I'm concerned about my diet slightly. What do you think? This is truly a unique situation. I'm rereading primal blueprint for inspiration. Breakfast is the hardest meal with no eggs or nuts.

[2ndChance]

Other fats I can think of for you are some of my faves: Avocado and dark chocolate... lots and lots of salad... Sweet potatoes or other safe veggies (fried in coconut oil or grass fed butter) and as much meat as you can handle.

Take a purified Fish Oil supplement if you can, too. And I would advise against eating a lot of fruit -- maybe a max of 3 servings a day.

[Kinesio]

thank you, yes I am pretty limited. I have bad reactions to both avocado and dk choc, so sad too, up until this trip I had never had one allergy my whole life, I'm a little leary of coconut as well, some shreds in my sauteed fruit mixes have been okay but I seem to have a threshold.

I guess I have to eat a lot of meat. It is exhausting and expensive. grass-fed beef is the most nutritious. I'm cool with chicken but it seems so blah and mineral deficient compared to beef. I can eat most fish but tend not to buy it as much. I work hard, I get home and tend to have sweet potato with butter and sauteed kale and beef, quick and easy but that is about it, can't do any sauces or marinades unless I get real creative. I marinaded buffalo steak tips in apple cider the other day, it reduced to a sweet coating like balsamic vinegar. Had it for lunch on greens, fine. Had it for dinner again same day, broke out into hives. to acidic I guess. Also things sometimes, not always, take 6 hrs, digestion/blood stream stuff, I often go to bed fine and wake up with a swollen eye or something. Oh man I hope this goes away someday, been almost a year! I heard it can go away, whatever "it" is.

[noodletoy]

start experimenting with offal: tongue, liver, heart, etc. even grass-fed is much cheaper than steaks, plus it is much more nutritionally diverse AND dense than muscle meat. tinned fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel and herring are cheap, quick and vitamin powerhouses.

be careful with the starchy carbs, like tubers. the carbs add up pretty quickly.

gosh, i hope you feel better soon.

[Kinesio]

thanks noodletoy, I think sardines are my next move, good call! I don't know where to find the offal, do you call a local farmer? I am honestly not sure if I could stomach it, probably liver is doable at this stage. Which is a good idea because my traditional chinese medicine diagnosis is "liver deficient" TCM has this cool concept, one time my back was in spasm and I was advised to eat the low back of a cattle, pretty sure it wasn't a coincidence that it worked, lol.

And yes you are right, carbs add up fast. My nutritionist told me to get thru 90 days of this diet with my "special" restrictions, take his prescribed supplements and check back with him. I guess my goal is to not crash and burn on the whole diet aspect so as I get the hang of this in the next week or two I will become more mindful of my fruit and tuber consumption to offset the increase in fats, I'm just currently getting off sugar habits and oatmeal. Using more squash, since it's squash season.

This was my breakfast, sauteed in 1/2 tbs of butter, one chopped apple, 2 tbs of coconut flakes, 1tbs of raisins, blueberries on the side. Green Jasmine tea. (eating chicken for breakfast got old fast, it will be lunch or dinner anyway) So maybe having a can of sardines with some dijon on the side might be a good protein/omega addition. It really is just getting used to different concepts and letting go of emtional attachments/perceptions of foods and meal times.

Thanks again! Maybe in one month I will be having heart for breakfast. sounds so badass.

[noodletoy]

apples, raisins and blueberries is quite a sugar load for breakfast! yipes. i'd crash fast and be starving not long after.

for meat, here's a starter:

Eat Wild - Massachusetts

if there are any farmers selling pastured, organic animals at your nearby farmers market talk to them about buying off-cuts. i found a guy who will sell me this stuff for $4 per pound -- about as cheap as cafo hamburger. honestly, beef liver is too strong for me, but i make chicken liver pate often. as for heart and tongue they just need long, slow cooking. they are super high in protein and so you don't need huge portions to feel full. they are amazing nutritional powerhouses.

Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Beef, variety meats and by-products, heart, raw

one of my go-to breakfasts is bone broth with some greens and bits of meat (or eggs-- i know you can't have them though.) i keep the animal fat in the broth and add more fat with butter or coconut milk. this keeps me going for hours. over time, the bone broth is like a miracle medicine, especially for your gut. it helps provide trace minerals that are sorely lacking in modern diets too.

i see you're in mass.? can you do shellfish? oysters? scallops? clams? sooooooo very good for you, fresh, local.

Dong quai/Angelica Benefits & Information

do some googling about dong quai. it helps restore liver function and restores balance. i've been taking it about 2 months and WOW! can i feel the changes.

[noodletoy]

eta: in many parts of asia, soup IS a traditional breakfast food.

[Kinesio]

hey thanks, you are being super helpful, yea I know the fruit breakfast doesn't last long except I cover it in butter and add coconut but I'm looking to change that breakfast. Soup is a GREAT idea, beef stew in a slow cooker will be my next move. I guess I can just put a marrow bone at the bottom of it while it cooks.

Supposedly I can eat some shell fish but I am scared to try, drastic allergic reactions ruin not only my day but week or more, not worth it. My blood work and skin testing was all NEGATIVE, but I'm telling you I can't eat nuts and certain veggies and fruits without a severely swollen face. That's why I turned to muscle testing and applied kinesiology. Noodletoy you're in Boston, I see Dr. Joel Price, he has an office in Scituate and Brighton. Pretty amazing guy. Most of his muscle testing was accurate but some things I was slightly skeptical of and gut instinct said don't try it. The goal is to reduce allergens and supplement to let my body heal. My supplements are vast: Cytozyme-LV, N-Acetyl-Cysteine, Methyl-Folate-5, L-Histadine, Meridian Complex Liver and Ester C. All of these are legit and natural. All though I am fairly itchy after taking them this morning. I have to give it a few days to know for sure. Pretty wild story.

Thanks for the links. I'll read up. I was screened for parasites nothing too crazy found but the usual that most people probably have, but that was intestinal it doesn't mean I don't have something in my blood or liver, and I have had two tests for lyme disease both come back negative. My guess is it's a hidden parasite, my bloodwork always looks good though (such as CBC) or I was exposed to a virus, beat it just fine but was left with an ugly immune issue that may resolve itself over time but no doubt it drastically effects my life.

High doses of anti-histamines make you grumpy and moody. I have been informed I'm a jackass when I take them, my western doc, the allergist, just told me to take unlimited amounts so I could eat and live a normal life, well it doesn't work that way. Really bad advice. If I can eat without taking meds, have enough energy to workout, and eventually improve my health, then I can be my happy self, have a healthy relationship, work to make money and be lean and fit. Someday travel again since seeing the world keeps me sane.

[noodletoy]

actually have heard of dr. price -- am so glad he's helping.

High doses of anti-histamines make you grumpy and moody. I have been informed I'm a jackass when I take them, my western doc, the allergist, just told me to take unlimited amounts so I could eat and live a normal life, well it doesn't work that way. Really bad advice.

truly awful advice, yes. glad you are not being sheepish about this and just following cw.

i seemingly have remedied some wildly unbearable hormonal issues that plagued me for about a year, after i tried cw with disastrous results. fine-tuning my diet and using the dong quai have been absolute game changers. plus, i get to say i am "on the dong"

if you look for beef soup bones or neck bones, you'll get the meat + bony goodness and it can be cooked in a slow cooker as well.

[Oceana]

I also recently discovered that I am histamine intolerant. My naturopath knew nothing about this condition. My lab work was all fine. I also had food sensitivity testing done but unfortunately, these type of tests don't diagnose histamine intolerance. So you're lucky to have found a kinesiologist doctor to work with! There's a whole list of foods that are high in histamine and/or trigger a histamine response but there's also a lot of conflicting info out there. Berries and citrus are supposedly a no-no so instead I had some grapes which I haven't eaten much of since going primal and I had a reaction to the grapes. So I'm trying to figure out what fruit I can eat (some other fruits are on my food sensitivity list to avoid so I'm not left with too many options). I'm starting to figure out my triggers...fermented foods are definitely out and this includes dairy, also dark chocolate, almonds, dried fruit. Coffee also seems to be a trigger.

I read that B6, pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P-5-P) is good. Many B6 supplements have the inactive pyridoxine HCL form.

On a different thread, I came across a recommendation from Dr. Kruse who said "when histamine is a problem.......quercetin plus c with a side of resveratrol........it kicks the snot out of histaminergic problems".