I have a question for everyone.  Does anyone get itchy welts after eating?  I can't figure out what it could be.  They are very itchy and if I take allergy medication they will subside, so I know it is something I am eating.  I am gluten and wheat free because I have celiac so I know it is not that.  I do eat eggs, but have my whole life?  Any suggestions?

Have you added any new foods to your diet recently?  Corn, an avoid, is one possibility - you may be more sensitive to it now.  

I'd keep a food log and track what you eat and when you get the welts (hives).

Are you on any medications?

I am on thyroid medication, but have been for a year and a half.  I do log my food.  I don't eat corn.  I generally have high protein low carbs. No grains.  I eat flax seed, eggs, some walnuts.  I do put a small amount of milk in my tea or coffee, which I know is an avoid. Maybe it is finally catching up to me.

Whenever I over eat the sugars in fruits or compliant ones my skin starts to itch and I end up with sores from scratching too much.   I have control of it when I am awake, but it is when I am sleepiing that it gets me as I don't even know that I am scratching.  

When I went to the conference a couple of weeks ago I met two women (Melinda and Karen)who were like us.   O+ nonnies and gatherers.   Melinda has the same problems with the sugars and the itching while Karen didn't.   Something in your diet is giving you the reactions you are getting so try eliminating for a few days and then adding things to see what happens.   Remember to read all your labels even if it is on products you usually buy all the time and think are compliant.   Company's tend to change to the less expensive c**p(especially corn c**p)  so they can make more money at the expensive of our health.    

Keep us posted.

Debra   

P.S.  Milk...coffee...what kind of tea?   Avoids...could be the culprit.   As nonnies...we are still very sensitive even on GTD.

Finding out what triggers any one individual is a detective search.  Keep a diary.  Some allergic reactions take time to build up, others show up almost instantaneously.

I am heavily addicted to nicotine.  I’ve quit cigarette smoking numerous times.  I now chew the expensive gum like it was candy.  So when I saw the e-cigarette on the news, I jumped on the band wagon.  The vapor is primarily water, nicotine, propylene glycol and flavor.  They come in strength of nicotine from 0 MG to 18 MG. Great I can get the feel of holding a cigarette and not look like a cow chewing my gum.  Well I’ve been using this product for a couple of weeks now and I noticed itching in my hands.  I googled the allergic reactions to the product and found that in 2% of the users those who have contact dermatitis or eczema this reaction can occur.  Propylene glycol is FDA approved as a food additive.  It is also what concert performers will use to provide smoke effects.

I have contact dermatitis.  In March a zipper affected my neck.  It then became Photo dermatitis.  Any part of my skin exposed to the sum became inflamed.  It took 2 months to clear up.  I self diagnosed myself by using google.  Looking at the pictures and descriptions, and then making a determination.  I put a post on this forum and got helpful inform oration on how to combat my problem once I figured out what it was.

Certain foods give me a rash.  Red wine flushes my face, white wine does not.  Goji berries produce little itty bitty red blisters on my body.

But the bottom line is that what causes a reaction in me may not cause the same reaction in you.  

Everybody at work kept urging me to go see a traditional doctor.  I refused.  He would just proscribe something to alleviate the symptoms, not inform me of what I should not be doing in order to prevent this in the future.  

So become your own detective.  

Definitely a good time to consider alternatives to coffee and milk.  I would definitely start there.  

Corn is very hard to avoid.  

Here's a list of names of corn:
http://www.cornallergens.com/list/corn-allergen-list.php

You are right about the scratching. I do the same thing.  I am going to start with the milk.  I generaly drink yerba mate tea or just folgers coffee.  I have eliminated most sugars from my diet, I have found I am very sensitve to them.  I don't eat corn at all, but you are right hidden ingredients can cause problems.  Do eggs bother anyone even though they are compliant?

Quoted from O so positive

You are right about the scratching. I do the same thing.  I am going to start with the milk.  I generaly drink yerba mate tea or just folgers coffee.  I have eliminated most sugars from my diet, I have found I am very sensitve to them.  I don't eat corn at all, but you are right hidden ingredients can cause problems.Do eggs bother anyone even though they are compliant?

I don't think they do, but then, I haven't eliminated them at all since they are such a good food for gatherers.   I usually have, at least, two a day.   More if I am making a smoothie and I use more of the whites than the yolks.

Debra

the allergies book might be worth reading and applying the protocols......

You keep a food journal, but nothing's turning up?  I'd definitely start an elimination diet.  Like NO dairy at all for a few weeks, then add it back in.  Then NO eggs for a couple of weeks, then add them back in.  It's worth the deprivation to figure it out.

Where do you get the welts?  I am curious because I have had these
red, raised areas on my fingers in the past, they are warm and itchy.
I have none right now.  I thought it was like an allergy to dish soap, or lemons when I cut them.  But I also drink coffee on and off.
Less now than ever, but I still occasionally drink it with my husband.  I also thought it might be candida related, because wine seemed to maybe cause them also.  But I never figured it out.  I haven't had them in a while.  They would show up on my index finger near the knuckle, but on the side facing the thumbs.  Sometimes I'd have them on my thumbs on the side facing the index finger.  

Paulam,
I have gotten the red bumps that you are speaking of on my hands as well. I just had those a couple of weeks ago. Very, Very itchy.  They have subsided however and now they are on my jaw line, neck and behind my ears and these are also very itchy.  And yes, I do get welts when I drink red wine.  That I know, and thought that it was the problem, until I eliminated it and I am still getting them, just not as bad.

I sometimes get small little itchy bumps on my face. I think it is partly from the cats but I think there is also something else involved. We're all just a different lot.  

OK, I think it is candida related possibly.  So the yeast protocol might help, as would avoiding sugars and too much fruit.  The wine leads me to believe it's the yeast/candida.... Also using polyflora would help.  I've been taking it pretty regularly and haven't had those red finger bumps in some time....

Sulfites may also be an issue with wine.  

Molybdenum supplementation may be helpful.  Peas (best), nuts and brown rice may be good food sources.  The amount of molybdenum in foods varies greatly due to content in soil composition.  

Quoted from Vicki

Sulfites may also be an issue with wine.  

People with Sulfite allergies/sensitivities may react to various foods:

Fruit juices, vegetable juices, vinegar, lemon/lime juice.
Maple syrup, jams, jellies
Dried fruit
Lettuce and fruit salads served in restaurants
prepared salads elsewhere
guacamole
crustaceans
gelatin
coconut
soup mixes
Any product listing one of these as an ingredient: sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite

Quoted from Vicki

Sulfites may also be an issue with wine.    

Wine kicks my patooty for this reason.  

Vicki mentioned hives and I've had those in the past when I ate strawberries.  I think it was from mold which strawberries are susceptible to have.  

Are you eating foods which may have molds?  You mentioned walnuts, are they a recent addition?  Those and other nuts can have mold if not stored properly.  They are best kept refrigerated (at home and at the store you buy them from).

And...if you soak your nuts in water overnight it helps get rid of the mold.   And...also makes them yummilicious.   I don't soak too many at a time anymore.

Debra

I believe it may be nuts. I had a salad with beef and pecans last night and got huge welts on my forehead and temples.  I have an appt tomorrow morning so I will know for sure after.  Can't wait to put the mystery to rest.

What kind of appointment did you have today?

My general understanding is that welts are an allergic reaction- especially since yours clear up with antihistamines. If a food is giving you headaches, muscle aches, shortened temper, itchy ears, or any other "atypical" kind of reaction, then you might be dealing with a "sensitivity" rather than a true allergy, and this may not show up on lab tests.

It's possible that you're allergic to more than one food. Nuts, or at least pecans, seem to be a problem- but it might not be the only one. Dairy is another probably culprit. Eggs are a common allergen, especially egg whites, but since it's good for Os in general that wouldn't be my first choice to remove- only if cutting out nuts and dairy doesnt' solve the problem completely.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

..... you might be dealing with a "sensitivity" rather than a true allergy, and this may not show up on lab tests..

very good point. I never thought of it that way. guess that's why alot of stuff that Dr D says we shouldn't have, didn't show on the allergy test I had done. makes sense.

A lot of allergy tests are notoriously inaccurate.  

Quoted from Ribbit

A lot of allergy tests are notoriously inaccurate.  

I agree. I feel like it was a complete waste of $300!!!

Just another way of looking at it:

The skin is an elimination organ. Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.  

And not only the body. The emotions also. (n'est-ce pas Tomatilla?)  

Body brushing

Quoted from Karen Vago

Just another way of looking at it:

The skin is an elimination organ. Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.  

And not only the body. The emotions also. (n'est-ce pas Tomatilla?)  

Debra

So I had the tests done and I do have allergies.  My arms swelled with nuts, peanuts(legumes), shell fish, and eggs, but not as bad as the others. I will avoid  eggs for a while and then try them again. I love eggs. Also Strawberries, rasberries, and few other things gave me a reaction. I think breakfast is going to be the toughest. Maybe cottage cheese?  It is really a bit overwhelming, but I know it will all come together in time.

How about turkey sausage or bison burger with sauteed onions in olive oil for breakfast?  

]How about turkey sausage or bison burger with sauteed onions in olive oil for breakfast?


I will try it. Do you make your own turkey sausage?

Yes, I do.  Here's the recipe - feel free to modify to make it compliant:

Shelton's Ground Turkey (sold frozen) is the best!

1 pound ground turkey
1/8  teaspoon anise seed
1/4  teaspoon garlic -- minced
1/8  teaspoon thyme
1/2  teaspoon oregano
1/4  teaspoon fennel seed
pinch coriander
3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt depending on personal taste

Mix all ingredients well. Shape as desired.   Cook 5-6 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the sausage comes to 165°F.

Sometimes it is not the eggs but the feed that they give the chickens that will bother people.

A women at work is allergic to chicken here in the US, but back in the Mexico she can eat the chicken without having a reaction. Something about the food they give the chickens bothers her, not the chicken meat.

Quoted from O so positive

S I think breakfast is going to be the toughest. Maybe cottage cheese?

Sadly cottage cheese is an avoid, unless you happen to be a Gatherer and follow GTD. I know it's an avoid for Hunters. Not sure what other GT's you can be if you're an O. I think there's one more and I wouldn't know the value for that.

Vicki, a BIG thanks for that sausage recipe!!!    HUGS!!

Andrea, that's interesting about it being the chicken feed. I could def see that tho.  

Another good breakfast for milk free and gluten free grind brown rice and and cook like a hot cereal.  Add flax seed meal. season with OK herbs and molasses and agave nectar.  I even add egg whites.

Quoted from Andrea AWsec

Sometimes it is not the eggs but the feed that they give the chickens that will bother people.

A women at work is allergic to chicken here in the US, but back in the Mexico she can eat the chicken without having a reaction. Something about the food they give the chickens bothers her, not the chicken meat.

I can easily believe that.

The trouble is we get caught up in the test results and end up eating less and less.

O so positive, do you eat organic? You will have less poisons in the body and less for your immune system to fight against.

I muscle tested allergic to "regular" eggs, but fine with organic eggs.  If I eat regular eggs more than a couple of days in a row, I will start burping sulfur.  Organic eggs don't do that to me.

Thank you all for your advice and recipes.  I will steer clear of everything for about 6 weeks and then try the organic eggs.  I really hope that is the answer.  I love eggs. I am already missing them.

Yes I agree with Karen Vago, it could just be a detox reaction, since you are elimating all the bad foods from your diet, you body is getting a chance to heal and is starting to get rid of stuff you have been accumulating for years...I have been in the detox stage for the past year, not very fun.  Detox cleansers help, I am overdue for one.

Quoted from C_sharp

People with Sulfite allergies/sensitivities may react to various foods:

Fruit juices, vegetable juices, vinegar, lemon/lime juice.
Maple syrup, jams, jellies
Dried fruit
Lettuce and fruit salads served in restaurants
prepared salads elsewhere
guacamole
crustaceans
gelatin
coconut
soup mixes
Any product listing one of these as an ingredient: sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite

Can I assume that most of this list concerns "prepared" foods, or are there some natural foods such as maple syrup that contain sulfites?

Does anyone know what is it about coconut and crustaceans?

thanks Lola...

What I wanted to know is whether this list is all about "commercially prepared" foods, or if some foods are naturally high in sulfites? The links don't say anything about sulfites, so I couldn't discern. (thanks... you must have a prodigious memory to keep coming up with all these links!)

Quoted Text

People with Sulfite allergies/sensitivities may react to various foods:

    Fruit juices, vegetable juices, vinegar, lemon/lime juice.
    Maple syrup, jams, jellies
    Dried fruit
    Lettuce and fruit salads served in restaurants
    prepared salads elsewhere
    guacamole
    crustaceans
    gelatin
    coconut
    soup mixes
Any product listing one of these as an ingredient: sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite