No beef, buffalo, duck, eggs or dairy?!? :( :( :( SAD CAVEGIRL. page 3

[tarek]

I would try cutting out known problematic foods before cutting out all of that -- all dairy, nightshades, and any unsprouted nuts/seeds/grains/legumes. You may very well have developed an egg intolerance, so you might want to try eliminating them for a while.

Cut cacao and coffee back to a minimum if you do those at all.

[KimInGA]

I would try cutting out known problematic foods before cutting out all of that -- all dairy, nightshades, and any unsprouted nuts/seeds/grains/legumes. You may very well have developed an egg intolerance, so you might want to try eliminating them for a while.

Cut cacao and coffee back to a minimum if you do those at all.

Just to make one reply to multiple questions ...

Yes, I get lots of magnesium. Take it every night to help with sleep. I take as much as my body with tolerate without having any, errrr, "gastrointestinal distress".

Yep, I've had thyroid checked out. Along with a whole panel of other things like parathyroid, iron, copper levels, and dozens of other things. The only thing that came up was elevated liver enzymes ... like not incredibly high, but consistently a little high. Doctor hasn't been able to figure out the "why" though.

Right now I'm cutting out all dairy, nightshades, legumes, grains, eggs and seed oils. I know that these items are pretty common causes of food intolerances. To be on the safe side, I'm also cutting out anything that the test said I was Severe/Moderate for, such as black pepper, bananas, beef, strawberries, green beans, etc.

I guess I figure that worst case, I'm going to limit the types of veggies/fruits and replace beef with seafood for 3 months. Is there any way that will harm me? I'm thinking no. I was worried at first about getting my 3:6 ratio all out of whack, but if I replace beef with scallops/mahi-mahi/lamb instead of more pork and chicken, I should be ok right? Really I'm willing to try just about anything, if it could possibly help with any of the following: congestion, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, bloating. I would say that every day, at least 3 of the 5 are impacting my quality of life ... and after over a year I can safely say that "just primal" is not fixing it.

I will let everyone know how this goes. If it turns out to be a waste of time, that's fine. But if I actually see improvements by eating according to the ALCAT, then I'll be sure to share the details. I think a lot of us found our way to primal eating because of food intolerances (most commonly gluten).

[jkr]

Are you planning to address your likely low stomach acid and/or poor pancreatic enzyme production? I can guarantee you these are part of the problem. Just removing random foods from an unreliable test most likely isn't going to get you better, unless you are focused on healing, not just removing the potential problem. Again, are you on any herbs?

[KimInGA]

Are you planning to address your likely low stomach acid and/or poor pancreatic enzyme production? I can guarantee you these are part of the problem. Just removing random foods from an unreliable test most likely isn't going to get you better, unless you are focused on healing, not just removing the potential problem. Again, are you on any herbs?

I take serenagen, which is a traditional Chinese herbal blend. It improves sleep. It's not the cause of any of my problems, which long predate when I started to take it. My insomnia actually got worse when I switched to a primal diet, and this did help. Ingredients: Rehmannia Root, Schisandra Fruit, Jujube Fruit, Dong Quai Root, Chinese Asparagus Root, Ophiopogon Root, Asian Ginseng Root, Chinese Salvia Root, Poria Fungus, Polygala Root, Platycodon Root

Regarding poor pancreatic enzyme production: I read a list of symptoms and only one out of them (bloating) applied. I'm not hungry soon after meals. I don't have difficulty gaining weight. I don't have excessive food cravings. I never get indigestion or nausea after meals. I rarely get diarrhea now that I don't eat gluten. I don't see any undigested food passing through. I'm not anemic and don't have any other nutrient deficiencies. My doctor tested everything related to the liver after seeing the slightly elevated liver enzymes, and did not see anything. Are you assuming that I have poor pancreatic enzyme production ONLY because I have bloating?

The symptoms for low stomach acid seem to be far more diverse. Heartburn or indigestion? Never in my entire life. Undigested food passing through? No. Bloating/gas immediately after eating? It happens, but at seemingly random times, not right after meals. Acne, nutrient deficiencies, dry skin, hair loss, cracked fingernails? No, no, no, no and no. Autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue, food allergies? Yes (Reynaud's), yes and yes (allergies being different than sensitivities - - I am allergic to certain fake fruit flavors). So I suppose this does seem more likely than poor pancreatic enzyme production, although I don't know why it would go to the top of the list.

On the other hand, when I look into symptoms of food sensitivities, I find all four: headaches, fatigue, bloating and insomnia. I'm trying to be logical here. The old, "when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."