What's the Matter with You: Do you have an unrealized food allergy?

My husband and I are quite a pair when we go out to eat, which isn't very often. I'm allergic to casein and soy and he's intolerant of wheat and corn. What's the difference between an allergy and an intolerance? It's a very gray area if you ask me. Allergies are an instant reaction, but can have lasting consequences of varying duration, whereas an intolerance doesn't have the instant reaction but does have the lasting impact. If my husband gets a little wheat, it tears up his insides for days. Most people hear the word intolerance though, and maybe think it's just an annoyance. It is annoying sure, but losing days of your life to sitting on a toilet is a little more than annoying. Not to mention, the long-term damage you may be doing to your gut, which is obviously not happy from what you're eating.

Gluten hate is the cause du jour to be sure. It's the hipster thing to do. That's great I suppose for people who really are sensitive to gluten, in that it's popular and the 'in' thing, so there's lots of options for eating. It's a double edged sword too. I've seen many people on the internet mocking it. If you have celiac disease, it's not a joke. But at least the general public knows what gluten is. Whereas no one even knows what casein is and looks at me as if I have three heads when I tell them I'm allergic to milk. I don't think grains are particularly good for you, and like sugar should probably be taken in moderation if they don't tear you up. However, if they cause you to have a reaction like my husband and his mother, I would personally suggest avoiding them entirely 100% of the time. How can you tell you have a problem? Do an elimination diet.

There are several types of elimination diets, and I would suggest a paleo version. Of course if you can't stand that much meat (weirdo!) then you could do a vegetable-based one, or combination. Basically, for thirty days you are absolutely fastidious that you get not a trace even of the eight common allergens. These include: milk, wheat (I'd avoid all grains, including corn), peanut, tree nuts, soy, shell fish, anchovies and eggs. If you think other foods bother you, like onions or tomatoes, you could exclude them as well. After thirty days, every three or four days, you re-introduce one of the possible food allergens in vast quantity. For example, on day thirty-one, you consume a quart of whole milk. On day thirty-six, you eat a whole bag of corn tortilla chips. You get the idea. You want to space it out, so you don't get confused about what might cause you problems, and you do one food at a time. If you feel fine, and don't have any bowel problems, then your body is fine with that food, at least for the time being. Again, not that wheat or corn are very good for you.

There are also anti-body tests that you can get, but they're not always very accurate. If you have thyroid problems, you can get the anti-body test for Hashimotos, and if you have that, it means you should avoid all grains.

As an interesting aside, my mother-in-law has Hashimotos and celiacs (the autoimmune diseases are closely related), and she used to have a fish allergy. I say used to, because she doesn't any more. After having been off wheat for several months and reading that one food allergy could be caused by another, she tried eating fish, which previously had made her mouth and throat blister. She eats fish now without any problem. I don't suggest trying that one if you suffer anaphylaxis unless you are under the direct care of a physician.

But, if I don't eat something for a long time I'll lose the ability to! That's false.  There are long-time vegetarians/vegans who will get sick from eating meat because it takes the body time to make the enzymes that digest meat, so if you have not been eating something for a very long time, it's probably a good idea to go easy on it when re-introducing it. In the case of the elimination diet, it's only thirty days, so you shouldn't have any problems. I know it's an individual observation, but I wanted to see if wheat bothers my gut after not having had any at all for nearly two years. I had a baguette, and had absolutely no problems.

My husband has given up eating wheat (and drinking beer with gluten in it much to his chagrin) and only eats corn on very rare occasion (he loves corn chips). Corn does bother him but not as bad as the wheat, for the time being anyway. Doing this has improved his gut problems significantly. If you're suffering from IBS, stomach upset, gas, problems going to the bathroom, etc. and you haven't tried an elimination diet, what are you waiting for? You will be surprised how much better you feel when you solve your gut issues. You can solve them too. An elimination diet might not be the most enjoyable thing you've ever done, but I tell you that the pay-off in the end is worth it.