Grain Free Diet

[Sharon Marie]

I would like to know more about the idea of a grain free diet. Are grains really necessary for our bodies?

[RiceGuy]

Grains don't have unique nutrients such that we can't live without them. There are plenty of other sources for the nutrients grains provide. If you find that grains bother you, then don't eat them. If you are concerned about protein or fiber, many legumes are actually far better sources.

But technically, some things which are commonly referred to as grains really aren't. Buckwheat is one of them, as it is actually a seed.

Also, though I do eat grains, I've successfully made breads and other baked things without them, so I know a grain-free diet doesn't mean you can't have bread or other baked goods.

[jackay]

RiceGuy,

I've been eating millet and quinoa. Are they both seeds? I was eating a lot of rice to replace wheat and oats and found out I am mildly sensitive to rice, too. I've started eating millet and quinoa. I prefer the millet.

[Sharon Marie]

I am thinking I have become intolerant to all grains. All the nutrition sites say that grain is an important part of our dietary intake. Thank you for your input.

I need all the advice I can get on this topic.

[missy'smom]

Maybe this site would be an interesting resource. Open Original Shared Link

[Reba32]

I am thinking I have become intolerant to all grains. All the nutrition sites say that grain is an important part of our dietary intake. Thank you for your input.

I need all the advice I can get on this topic.

"They" say that because they're paid to and because they can't think of what else to eat.

The fact is that the grains we eat these days are so devoid of all nutrients that food manufacturers have to PUT BACK all the stuff they've taken out of it in order to over process it to get it to our tables. So very little of it is actually natural, or nutritious.

[woodnewt]

I would like to know more about the idea of a grain free diet. Are grains really necessary for our bodies?

If you do searches on the net you will find quite a bit of info on the history of grains and living grain free. Best thing is really to read, read, read and study up on it and decide for yourself.

Apparently grains were only introduced into the human diet in such large quantities about 10,000 years ago upon the start of agriculture. So it's a new food to the human body. It's also something civilization relies on heavily, as it is an easy and cheap way to feed the masses in bulk. Grains (grasses) grow fast, are high calorie foods, and store very well and for a very long time. So even if grain weren't really as healthy as common knowledge says they are, admitting otherwise would be like opening a pandora's box - without our reliance on grain there would be no cheap, easy to grow food to feed the masses.

[RiceGuy]

RiceGuy,

I've been eating millet and quinoa. Are they both seeds? I was eating a lot of rice to replace wheat and oats and found out I am mildly sensitive to rice, too. I've started eating millet and quinoa. I prefer the millet.

From what I've read, the true grasses are the ones in the Poaceae family. According to Wikipedia, millet is a true grain, and quinoa is not.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

To date, I've yet to read anything which defines grains as being unique in terms of nutritional value. Nor have I read anything about them containing some specific compound that would make a person need to avoid them, but not the seeds commonly used as grains.

[GF Traveling Dude]

No, not healthy. The reason it is not healthy is that you have to take in a certain minimal amount of carbs for your body to function properly, and you won't meet that minimum eating veggies, fruits, and nuts, unless you eat those things literally all day long. Your body has evolved to live, to some degree, off carbs. Now, if your stomach has unevolved to not process so many carbs due to an event like celiac or IBS, I sympathize. There are various other options you can try. One is to avoid all processed foods, or at minimum, processed grains. Basically all bread you buy in the store is processed. 99% of the rice you find in the store is processed. Instead of a bag of uncle ben's, buy a bag of brown lundberg rice, cook it and see how you do with it. Better yet, try germinated rice, which is difficult to find but goes down much easier in an impaired stomach than even raw cooked rice.

[RiceGuy]

No, not healthy. The reason it is not healthy is that you have to take in a certain minimal amount of carbs for your body to function properly, and you won't meet that minimum eating veggies, fruits, and nuts, unless you eat those things literally all day long. Your body has evolved to live, to some degree, off carbs. Now, if your stomach has unevolved to not process so many carbs due to an event like celiac or IBS, I sympathize. There are various other options you can try. One is to avoid all processed foods, or at minimum, processed grains. Basically all bread you buy in the store is processed. 99% of the rice you find in the store is processed. Instead of a bag of uncle ben's, buy a bag of brown lundberg rice, cook it and see how you do with it. Better yet, try germinated rice, which is difficult to find but goes down much easier in an impaired stomach than even raw cooked rice.

I'm sorry, but grains are not the only good sources of carbohydrates. For instance, potato, taro, cassava, yam, numerous squashes, various fruits, and even legumes are all good sources of carbs. Take a look at the carbs in various beans, and you will see they rank right up there with the various gluten-free grains in terms of carb content (plus mare protein and fiber). And of course the starchy roots and squashes I mentioned have even more carbs than legumes.

[GF Traveling Dude]

I'm sorry, but grains are not the only good sources of carbohydrates. For instance, potato, taro, cassava, yam, numerous squashes, various fruits, and even legumes are all good sources of carbs. Take a look at the carbs in various beans, and you will see they rank right up there with the various gluten-free grains in terms of carb content (plus mare protein and fiber). And of course the starchy roots and squashes I mentioned have even more carbs than legumes.

You'd have to eat 6-8 potatoes or yams per day to match your old carb intake. If you eat 8 yams per day you'd be in the bathroom all day long. 6-8 old potatoes does not strike me as healthy. Eat a helping of beans with every meal and you'll spend all the interim time in the bathoom. Cassava might work but good luck finding it at your local Piggly Wiggly. A lot of these alternative foods just are not very practical. I have tried all this before; it really is not practical. That said, I am not totally against it. In various ways I did feel better when I was grain free, but I would not advise it to anyone. I think there are other options that people tend to look past.

[jackay]

It does seem that what I am eating to replace grains is giving me tummy aches, which I wasn't having before. I may have to try just eating one food for a couple days and then try adding a food at a time to see what I can tolerate.

[T.H.]

I'd look at it this way: if you are reacting to grains, then you're not getting your carbs anyway, because your gut is going to be so messed up, yes? So in that case (if that's the reason behind the shift), I'd say going grain free would be a healthy choice.

And it IS possible to go off grains completely, to the best of my knowledge. I say this as a person who, after going gluten free, suddenly developed life-threatening reactions to everything in the grass family. My nutritionist, under my doctor's supervision, has never once expressed concern over my carb load. But I do have to take care and make sure I eat certain foods every day.

There are three foods I can think of that we call 'grains' when we are looking at them from a culinary perspective, but they are not actual grains from the grass family. Buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth. All three can be eaten as a whole grain or used as flours to make baked goods. Buckwheat has the highest carb load - about 2 cups cooked buckwheat will give an average sized adult woman her entire carb load for the day. Quinoa and amaranth have about a fourth of that amount of carbs per cooked cup of 'grain.'

However, quinoa and amaranth are also full proteins by themselves, so healthy in other ways.

That said, a couple allergy bits of gratuitous info, in case it helps? (Again, this is only useful if you're reacting to the stuff, eh?)

--If you notice you are reacting to all grains, you may want to take a look at bamboo shoots and sugarcane; these are both in the grass family along with the grains. And if you are eating anything gluten free that is pre-made, they almost always have extra sugarcane that is less processed, so more likely to produce a reaction.

--Also, if you are trying to eliminate corn and you haven't researched that one yet? I'd definitely recommend a research blitzkrieg. It took me forever to figure out why I kept getting sick. Turns out that most foods that need a starch to keep from clumping use cornstarch to do it. Like Morton's salt, for example. And most baking powders. The corn was harder to eliminate than the gluten! 0.0

Good luck to you!

I would like to know more about the idea of a grain free diet. Are grains really necessary for our bodies?

[RiceGuy]

You'd have to eat 6-8 potatoes or yams per day to match your old carb intake. If you eat 8 yams per day you'd be in the bathroom all day long. 6-8 old potatoes does not strike me as healthy. Eat a helping of beans with every meal and you'll spend all the interim time in the bathoom. Cassava might work but good luck finding it at your local Piggly Wiggly. A lot of these alternative foods just are not very practical. I have tried all this before; it really is not practical. That said, I am not totally against it. In various ways I did feel better when I was grain free, but I would not advise it to anyone. I think there are other options that people tend to look past.

I'm not sure how you arrived at those numbers. Also, how have you determined what the carb intake of the OP (or anyone else for that matter) would be while eating grains, so as to say how many potatoes it would take to be an equivalent amount of carbs? Even when I ate gluten, I still ate far more veggies than anyone else I personally know. Still do. So my carb intake would be different from someone who eats pasta and sandwiches every day for example. Also, whole grain foods like brown rice or even whole wheat bread have fewer carbs (not counting the fiber) than white rice and white bread. I grew up with whole grain breads, cereals, etc. Not everyone eats the same.

I'm also not sure where you got the idea that beans make a person go to the bathroom a lot. If that were true, what about people throughout the middle east and far east, who traditionally eat beans as a staple? Besides, I eat beans and other legumes every day, and I haven't experienced any such effect.

Let's take a look at the actual nutrition data for a few different foods. For comparison purposes, all items listed are raw.

1/4 cup dry

Whole Grain     Calories   Fat     Total Carbs   Fiber  Protein

Amaranth	186        3.2	   32.3          3.2    7

Buckwheat 	157 	   1.4 	   30.4          4.2    5.6

Millet 	        187        2.1     36.4          4.2    5.5

Quinoa 	        162        2.5     29.3          2.5    5.6

Rice, brown     171        1.35    35.72         1.6    3.67

Sorghum 	178 	   1.45    35.75         3      5.5

Teff	        161        0.5     33 	         6      6

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1/4 cup dry

Legume          Calories   Fat     Total Carbs   Fiber  Protein

Fava Beans      128        0.57    21.86         9.4    9.79

Garbanzo Beans  182        3.02    30.32         8.7    9.65

Kidney Beans    155        0.49    28.19         7      10.36

Pink Beans      180        0.59    33.7          6.7    11

Pinto Beans     167        0.59    30.18         7.5    10.34

Red Lentils     166        1.04    28.39         5.2    11.98

Split Peas      168        0.57    29.73         12.6   12.09

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                Calories   Fat     Total Carbs   Fiber  Protein

Potato (medium) 164        0.19    37.21         4.7    4.3

Sweet Potato    112        0.07    26.16         3.9    2.04

Carrots (4)     100        0.59    23.38         6.8    2.27

Beets (4)       141        0.56    31.36         9.2    5.28

Peas (1 cup)    117        0.58    20.95         7.4    7.86

Yam (1 cup)     177        0.26    41.82         6.2    2.29

Looks like just one potato has more carbs than any of the above grains or beans. The other veggies aren't so bad either. And the carbs in beans are right up there with that of the grains anyway. So this says there would be no lack of carbs in a sensible and healthy diet without grains. Furthermore, the human body needs other nutrients besides carbs, and grains just don't offer enough of them to place them at the center of a healthy diet. Indeed, the more variety we have in our diet, the more easily we'd be able to get the range of nutrients we need. Lots of veggies are recognized for their health benefits. Broccoli, spinach, collard greens, asparagus, turnips, green beans, celery, bok choy, zucchini...the list seems endless. With so much to choose from, there just isn't such a large whole to fill with grains.

Not that grains can't be part of a healthy diet, and as I stated earlier, I do eat them. But like most foods, grains aren't so necessary with all the choices we have. For example, I hate asparagus, but I don't lack a nutrient just because I don't eat it. On the other hand, if one was to limit his/her choices to a very small number of foods, then each item becomes all-the-more essential. Too little variety, and you won't have a healthy diet no matter what the ratio of those few things.

[GF Traveling Dude]

The chart numbers are misleading in the sense of servings. For example, typically people do not limit their grain intake to one cup at a time. You'd likely eat two or perhaps three cups at once. Two cups of brown rice as a side dish is not an eye popping amount. A serving like that is equal to two baked potatoes in terms of carb count.

Moreover, while government recommendations are not the be all and end all, they provide some guidance. Specifically, they recommend 300 carbs per day. That's 8.1 potatoes.

I have tried the grain free diet. The adjustment was not tough, and it did help my stomach. But over the course of a year my adrenals wore out. It was not clear why but I understand a lower carb diet can cause that. I don't recommend and state proceed with caution.

I'm not sure how you arrived at those numbers. Also, how have you determined what the carb intake of the OP (or anyone else for that matter) would be while eating grains, so as to say how many potatoes it would take to be an equivalent amount of carbs? Even when I ate gluten, I still ate far more veggies than anyone else I personally know. Still do. So my carb intake would be different from someone who eats pasta and sandwiches every day for example. Also, whole grain foods like brown rice or even whole wheat bread have fewer carbs (not counting the fiber) than white rice and white bread. I grew up with whole grain breads, cereals, etc. Not everyone eats the same.

I'm also not sure where you got the idea that beans make a person go to the bathroom a lot. If that were true, what about people throughout the middle east and far east, who traditionally eat beans as a staple? Besides, I eat beans and other legumes every day, and I haven't experienced any such effect.

Let's take a look at the actual nutrition data for a few different foods. For comparison purposes, all items listed are raw.

1/4 cup dry

Whole Grain     Calories   Fat     Total Carbs   Fiber  Protein

Amaranth	186        3.2	   32.3          3.2    7

Buckwheat 	157 	   1.4 	   30.4          4.2    5.6

Millet 	        187        2.1     36.4          4.2    5.5

Quinoa 	        162        2.5     29.3          2.5    5.6

Rice, brown     171        1.35    35.72         1.6    3.67

Sorghum 	178 	   1.45    35.75         3      5.5

Teff	        161        0.5     33 	         6      6

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1/4 cup dry

Legume          Calories   Fat     Total Carbs   Fiber  Protein

Fava Beans      128        0.57    21.86         9.4    9.79

Garbanzo Beans  182        3.02    30.32         8.7    9.65

Kidney Beans    155        0.49    28.19         7      10.36

Pink Beans      180        0.59    33.7          6.7    11

Pinto Beans     167        0.59    30.18         7.5    10.34

Red Lentils     166        1.04    28.39         5.2    11.98

Split Peas      168        0.57    29.73         12.6   12.09

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                Calories   Fat     Total Carbs   Fiber  Protein

Potato (medium) 164        0.19    37.21         4.7    4.3

Sweet Potato    112        0.07    26.16         3.9    2.04

Carrots (4)     100        0.59    23.38         6.8    2.27

Beets (4)       141        0.56    31.36         9.2    5.28

Peas (1 cup)    117        0.58    20.95         7.4    7.86

Yam (1 cup)     177        0.26    41.82         6.2    2.29

Looks like just one potato has more carbs than any of the above grains or beans. The other veggies aren't so bad either. And the carbs in beans are right up there with that of the grains anyway. So this says there would be no lack of carbs in a sensible and healthy diet without grains. Furthermore, the human body needs other nutrients besides carbs, and grains just don't offer enough of them to place them at the center of a healthy diet. Indeed, the more variety we have in our diet, the more easily we'd be able to get the range of nutrients we need. Lots of veggies are recognized for their health benefits. Broccoli, spinach, collard greens, asparagus, turnips, green beans, celery, bok choy, zucchini...the list seems endless. With so much to choose from, there just isn't such a large whole to fill with grains.

Not that grains can't be part of a healthy diet, and as I stated earlier, I do eat them. But like most foods, grains aren't so necessary with all the choices we have. For example, I hate asparagus, but I don't lack a nutrient just because I don't eat it. On the other hand, if one was to limit his/her choices to a very small number of foods, then each item becomes all-the-more essential. Too little variety, and you won't have a healthy diet no matter what the ratio of those few things.

[jackay]

RiceGuy,

Your comment "On the other hand, if one was to limit his/her choices to a very small number of foods, then each item becomes all-the-more essential. Too little variety, and you won't have a healthy diet no matter what the ratio of those few things." really hits home to me.

I have eliminated so many foods from my diet because of testing intolerant to them. I really feel I am not getting enough variety in my diet as my doctor wants me eating foods on a four day rotation. Safe foods for me include kidney beans and peanuts. I got a bad stomach ache the day I ate kidney beans and the day I ate peanuts. I'm guessing I'm also sensitive to them. I don't think it was anything else I ate those days, but I could be wrong. I also don't think I was glutened. I know when that happens because I get bad diarrhea from that.

Right now I am relying on a good multivitamin/mineral supplement to tide me through until I can add more foods back to my diet. Unfortunately, I tested intolerant to a lots of fruits and veggies.

With the rotation diet, I eat so much of the "safe food" each day. For instance, on the day I eat sweet potatoes, I eat them three times a day. That is pretty much how it is with every food. Today I will have pork, quinoa, hazelnuts, apples, pears and cauliflower and broccoli. Today is a day that I feel I have enough variety and enough to eat. Not all days are like that. Tomorrow I will switch to a different source of protein, starch, fruit and vegetable. I miss grains since they provide a lot of calories. I'm still eating millet and quinoa and look forward to the day I can add back rice and try gluten free oatmeal.

My weight loss seems to have stabilized. I hope I can maintain my weight with my new limits.

[missy'smom]

jackay,

just a few thoughts...

peanuts and beans require alot of work to digest for anyone and especially those with GI challenges. Don't rule out the possibility that your reaction is just a mechanical issue.

How are you with fats? I am grain-free, CF, etc. etc. etc. , down to meat, non-starchy veg. fats and nuts due to diabetes and on an elimination/challenge diet for 26 individual foods(veg. meats, spices etc.) including a few major food/allergen groups. Olive oil, coconut oil, bacon fat, avacado are all sources of fat that I try to get in plenty of to make up for the calories I'm not getting from other sources, especially since I am mostly eating lean meats. When I was still able to eat beef, I switched up to the ground with a fattier percentage. Keeping protein up helps keep weight on as long as you are able to digest it. If you plan to up portions, you can do it gradually if you are concerned about digestion. I keep trying new veg. that I would not ordinarily choose and learning how to prepare them just so that I can have more variety(not so much at the moment due to the special diet, but it's part of my general ongoing plan). Purple(red)cabbage is a new addition that I like. Tried the orange califlower and have plans to try others.

[RiceGuy]

The chart numbers are misleading in the sense of servings. For example, typically people do not limit their grain intake to one cup at a time. You'd likely eat two or perhaps three cups at once. Two cups of brown rice as a side dish is not an eye popping amount. A serving like that is equal to two baked potatoes in terms of carb count.

Two cups of rice for a side dish?!? A side dish to what? When I make a whole meal, I might use maybe 1/3 cup of grain and/or legume. That and all the veggies add up, and I get enough for two large meals. I've always been a big eater too. Never have I ever seen anyone eat three cups of any grain at one time. Ever. And certainly there is (should be) a variety of other things with it to complete the meal.

Moreover, while government recommendations are not the be all and end all, they provide some guidance. Specifically, they recommend 300 carbs per day. That's 8.1 potatoes.

Nobody should eat just potatoes all day. When you have lots of variety, you'll be getting plenty of carbs from other things, thus you won't need so many potatoes, nor grains for that matter. I agree that the government guidelines leave much be desired, but even they recommend that Americans should eat fewer calories and more nutrient-dense foods, specifically referencing veggies, beans and other things.

Here's just one page, for those interested: Open Original Shared Link

While biased, the chart on that page has veggies taking up the largest portion of the diet. And the amount allotted to beans and meats is larger than that of whole grains.

I have tried the grain free diet. The adjustment was not tough, and it did help my stomach. But over the course of a year my adrenals wore out. It was not clear why but I understand a lower carb diet can cause that. I don't recommend and state proceed with caution.

I can only guess, based on your responses, that the grain-free diet you chose was not nutritionally balanced properly. Most people I know have a horrible diet, and simply removing the processed carbs would leave them little else. It reminds me of those who try to go vegetarian/vegan, but go about it incorrectly. Many only concern themselves with what to exclude from the diet, and totally ignore the things which they should include. I'm not saying that this reflects your experience with going grain-free, but there are so many people out there who live grain-free and healthy, that one has to wonder what went wrong for you. Looking at the nutritional profile of a grain-free, and balanced diet, there's no reason at all for concern about carbs.

[RiceGuy]

RiceGuy,

Your comment "On the other hand, if one was to limit his/her choices to a very small number of foods, then each item becomes all-the-more essential. Too little variety, and you won't have a healthy diet no matter what the ratio of those few things." really hits home to me.

I have eliminated so many foods from my diet because of testing intolerant to them. I really feel I am not getting enough variety in my diet as my doctor wants me eating foods on a four day rotation. Safe foods for me include kidney beans and peanuts. I got a bad stomach ache the day I ate kidney beans and the day I ate peanuts. I'm guessing I'm also sensitive to them. I don't think it was anything else I ate those days, but I could be wrong. I also don't think I was glutened. I know when that happens because I get bad diarrhea from that.

Right now I am relying on a good multivitamin/mineral supplement to tide me through until I can add more foods back to my diet. Unfortunately, I tested intolerant to a lots of fruits and veggies.

With the rotation diet, I eat so much of the "safe food" each day. For instance, on the day I eat sweet potatoes, I eat them three times a day. That is pretty much how it is with every food. Today I will have pork, quinoa, hazelnuts, apples, pears and cauliflower and broccoli. Today is a day that I feel I have enough variety and enough to eat. Not all days are like that. Tomorrow I will switch to a different source of protein, starch, fruit and vegetable. I miss grains since they provide a lot of calories. I'm still eating millet and quinoa and look forward to the day I can add back rice and try gluten free oatmeal.

My weight loss seems to have stabilized. I hope I can maintain my weight with my new limits.

Yes, some nuts and beans can be difficult for some people to digest. I don't recall if you stated earlier if you are taking any probiotics and enzymes, but those can supposedly help. Also, there are numerous types of beans, so it may simply be a matter of selecting the ones which your system tolerates.

Here's a partial list of legumes:

Adzuki Beans

Anasazi Beans

Black Eyed Peas

Black Turtle Beans

Calypso Beans, Black

Calypso Beans, Red

Canary Beans

Cannellini Beans

Cranberry Beans

Christmas Lima Beans

Fava Beans, Small

Fava (Haba) Beans, Large Peeled

Fava Beans, Large,Unpeeled (Green skin)

Flageolet Beans

French Navy Beans

Garbanzo Beans

Great Northern Beans

Jacobs Cattle Beans

Kidney Beans, Dark Red

Black Beluga Lentils

Lentils, French

Lentils, Green

Ivory Lentils

Lentils, Red

Yellow or "Golden" Lentils

Lima Beans, Baby

Lima Beans, Large

Mung Beans

Navy Beans

Peas, Green, Whole

Pigeon Peas

Pink Flamingo Beans

Scarlet Runner Beans

Split Peas, Green

Split Peas, Yellow

Pinto Beans

Small Red Beans

Soy Beans, White Hilium

Black Soy Beans

Yellow Eyed Beans

As for nuts and seeds, lots of variety to choose them there too. Have you tried sunflower seeds instead of peanuts? Roasted and ground up, they are amazingly similar to peanut butter. Also, what kind of peanut butter are you eating? I'd only recommend the all-natural kind, which is just peanuts and some salt (sometimes added oil too). But not everyone can digest peanuts. They do seem to give many people problems in that regard. There are also pine nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and various others.

About the rotation diet, it does seem like there are days when things are out of balance. The three meals of sweet potatoes in one day for example. Why not have some of the other things on that day along with them? What about green peas? They are a great protein source. And, protein offers the same calories per gram as carbs, at 4 calories per gram. Fats have about 9 calories per gram. Can you eat squashes? They offer plenty of carbs too.

It can be tough when your body reacts to so many things. But I believe some of those reactions can be due to insufficient enzymes, and/or an imbalance of intestinal flora.

Here are some good resources you might find helpful:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[jackay]

jackay,

just a few thoughts...

peanuts and beans require alot of work to digest for anyone and especially those with GI challenges. Don't rule out the possibility that your reaction is just a mechanical issue.

How are you with fats? I am grain-free, CF, etc. etc. etc. , down to meat, non-starchy veg. fats and nuts due to diabetes and on an elimination/challenge diet for 26 individual foods(veg. meats, spices etc.) including a few major food/allergen groups. Olive oil, coconut oil, bacon fat, avacado are all sources of fat that I try to get in plenty of to make up for the calories I'm not getting from other sources, especially since I am mostly eating lean meats. When I was still able to eat beef, I switched up to the ground with a fattier percentage. Keeping protein up helps keep weight on as long as you are able to digest it. If you plan to up portions, you can do it gradually if you are concerned about digestion. I keep trying new veg. that I would not ordinarily choose and learning how to prepare them just so that I can have more variety(not so much at the moment due to the special diet, but it's part of my general ongoing plan). Purple(red)cabbage is a new addition that I like. Tried the orange califlower and have plans to try others.

RiceGuy, I seem to be able to tolerate fats. I am rotating olive oil, coconut oil, butter and avocados to get some fat in my diet each day. I tested severely intolerant to beef so getting fat with that is out of the question for the present time. How are you challenging foods? I need some help with. Since I'm not completely healed, it is hard to know what foods are causing what symptoms.

I do know gluten gives me severe diarrhea which I'm not getting from other foods. When I went off beef, I felt like I was run over by a truck for two days so that told me it definitely is a problem. When I went off rice (still ingesting a small amount in a few supplements), I got a severe headache so that confirmed that is is also a problem. I haven't eliminated corn completely as it is in a medication I take. I am now down to 1/4 of a tablet and will soon be corn free.

Every other food that blood tests showed I was intolerant to, I have eliminated.

[missy'smom]

RiceGuy, I seem to be able to tolerate fats. I am rotating olive oil, coconut oil, butter and avocados to get some fat in my diet each day. I tested severely intolerant to beef so getting fat with that is out of the question for the present time. How are you challenging foods? I need some help with. Since I'm not completely healed, it is hard to know what foods are causing what symptoms.

I'm missy'smom However, RiceGuy and I are on the same page in alot of repects so I didn't post what he's already said as far as things I agree with. I'm trying to bite my tongue about the carbs. Tons of carbs = tons of insulin produced by the body to regulate ensuing blood sugars= insulin resistance, weight gain, diabetes, pancreatic burn out= sky high rates of obesity and diabetes in America.

Pardon my mini rant and stray from your question.

Beef is out for me too. I fear I will become intolerant to chicken and salmon as I eat so much of it right now!

I am following my allergist's protocol. I eliminated everything that I tested positive to, via skin testing. Eliminated all of them cold turkey for 5 weeks-they recommended 4 but 5 is what happened. Then I am re-introducing them one by one-one each week and having a serving each day. Making note of possible symptoms and reporting back every so often. Will see what possible symptoms arise and then decide whether or not to keep it in or leave it out. Right now, I'm only re-introducing things in cooked form. Later I will do separate trial of a few foods in their raw form. I'm on my 4th re-introduction this week. I was so suprized at how I felt within a few days of eliminating them all. I felt nothing that I would call withdrawl. Very interesting to hear other's experiences. I wonder if changing the balance in the diet plays into this and affects some negatively as well. I was on a very, very regimented diet prior to this so just switched a veg for a veg and a meat for a meat and kept the same quantity, timing of my meals etc. I felt very good, very calm system after eating-felt nothing at all really. Previously I felt like I was always digesting and felt "full". I am reserving the stronger reactors and those that I suspect problems with 'till the end. I started with things that I didn't notice bothering me before. I am going into this after a little over 3 years gluten-free. At 2 years in I felt significantly better but not quite where I wanted to be so started exploring and taking care of other health issues one by one. This year's project is allergies(both environmental and food) and in the process I stumbled upon what seems to be "leaky gut syndrome". I am looking into dietary enzymes to help with that. Haven't made a decision yet. Houston enzymes were recommended to me(by someone who is not a doctor but I am going to ask my allergist about them at some point. Hope that helps. It is a frustrating process that requires a great deal of patience, in my opinion! All the best to you in achieving your health goals and here's to feeling better!

[Reba32]

I survive quite nicely on a rather low carb diet thank you very much. The old myth that you need 200 carbs just for your brain to survive is just that. A myth. The Westernized government enforced food pyramids are bass ackards.

And yes, 2 cups of rice would be an eye popping side dish! Holy cats! You'd explode if you at that much rice at once!

[Janessa]

I am not grain free but I can't have corn and have problems with rice if I eat too often. I am also on a rotation diet and on the day I eat grains I try to eat them sprouted or fermented and this helps a lot especially with the rice.

I also have problems with beans and quinoa if I eat too often (maybe once or twice a month is OK) but sprouted I can tolerate them better

[jackay]

I am not grain free but I can't have corn and have problems with rice if I eat too often. I am also on a rotation diet and on the day I eat grains I try to eat them sprouted or fermented and this helps a lot especially with the rice.

I also have problems with beans and quinoa if I eat too often (maybe once or twice a month is OK) but sprouted I can tolerate them better

How do you sprout your grains?

[jackay]

I am not grain free but I can't have corn and have problems with rice if I eat too often. I am also on a rotation diet and on the day I eat grains I try to eat them sprouted or fermented and this helps a lot especially with the rice.

I also have problems with beans and quinoa if I eat too often (maybe once or twice a month is OK) but sprouted I can tolerate them better

What kind of rotation diet are you on?