Difference between allergy/intolerance and reaction to something new? page

[Peace x]

Hi Everyone.

How can you tell the difference between your body is having an allergic reaction (or is intolerant to a food) and when it is just reacting to a new food that it hasn't eaten in several years?

The reason I ask this is because after several years of raw veganism, cooked veganism and vegetarianism my body is struggling with the reintroduction of eggs, fish, goats yoghurt and cottage cheese.

I'm not sure whether to just persist with the changes and hope my body will adjust in time or whether these foods are not benefitting me. Can anyone shed some light on this please?

Peace x

[Neckhammer]

Well, in general I might recommend not adding all those in at once. Eggs are usually a great way to start so perhaps just that for a while.

Spend a few days on one addition before adding in the next one. If you don't acclimate to that one thing after a week then try removing it in favor of something else for a while. I might make dairy the last addition since it's quite often the biggest culprit....I know goat yogurt so reduced lactose and shouldn't be as big of a casein issue, but cottage cheese is a huge casein hit.

I believe some people who have been vegan for quite a while have trouble digesting high protein foods due to low stomach acid so you may consider that if you can't seem to get things on track.

Best of luck!

[Crabbcakes]

Perhaps further - along with adding in only one animal product at a time, try adding it in incrementally larger amounts, starting from a rather small one.

I have done a couple of 10+ day fasts on nothing but fresh lemonade, and when I added back solid food all in a rush once, it all hurt, even though it was completely safe food my system had eaten just 10 days before. I think this is comparable. Next time around, I did it gently over a couple days and - much better. As long as you aren't exhibiting symptoms that are way out of line, like hives, shortness of breath, swelling of limbs, and all that, take it slow and easy. There is no real rush here.

[Peace x]

Hi Neckhammer

Thanks for your advice.

I started adding one new food at a time back in November so thought I'd be seeing some improvement by now. If anything it's got worse. Maybe even that was too quick and I should just go back to eggs daily (at least four) which seem to digest well, and try fish twice a week instead of daily ?

Peace x

[Peace x]

Hi Crabbcakes

Thank you for your advice.

I've had hives, swollen limbs etc from mushrooms - apparently I'm highly allergic to them!

Most of the problems I talk about here are digestive - abdominal bloating and pain, cramping, sluggish bowels, constipation, nausea, along with brain fog and fatigue. So is it just a case of being patience and gentle persistence?

Peace x