This diet is sometimes called the Gut & Psychology diet (GAPS) or The Specific Carbohydrates Diet (SCD), while similar diets include Primal/Paleo (eating what your body was meant to digest), or Hashi (for hypo-thyroidism), all of which (in my opinion) are WAY easier than the Allergy Elimination Diet. We're just going to refer to mine as a Healthy Gut Diet or Allergy Reversal Diet since that's my goal.
The basic principle of this diet is that adult onset allergies may be caused by leaky gut syndrome- basically that the lining of digestive tract and intestinal wall has been damaged and is allowing what would normally be discarded as is "toxic" or "waste material" to pass into your bloodstream through holes in the lining of your digestive tract. There it mixes with your blood and illicits immune response to attack the toxic waste that shouldn't be there. To reverse this damage, we want to eliminate digestive irritants- processed sugars, starches, and grains- and up healthy gut bacteria and enzymes as well as amino acids to rebuild damage done to your intestinal lining. My damage was done via klutziness= I spent 6 years on NSAIDS, steroids, and occasionally antibiotics, tearing up my digestive tract one injury at a time, and developing adult-onset food allergies to soy and antibiotics at the same time.
GOAL:
The goal is to heal my intestines completely so that I don't have leaky gut syndrome and therefore eliminate allergic immune responses. While much of this diet will be adapted as a lifestyle change, a healed gut should be able to tolerate special treats and eating shouldn't be an "at my own risk" activity anymore.
Our Healthy Gut Diet
*I am not a nutritionist or medical professional and all information contained on this blog is a record of my personal experience.
Existing supplements: Daily multivitamin, Probiotics, No Soy
Eliminate: All grains and legumes, almost all processed sugars, most starches, and most dairy
Add: Digestive Enzymes, Amino Acids(L-glutamine), and increased gelatin in diet
Why?
Existing supplements:
- Multivitamin for Hair, Skin, & Nails: Among other things, is rich in b vitamins, folic acid, and biotin which are all good for growing new cells and healing damage while promoting healthy cell metabolism.
- Digestive Advantage Probiotic Gummies: Good tummy bacteria, helps your body break down foods and sort them into what your body needs to use and what can't be used.
- NO Soy: I have an allergy to soy, and it's a legume so against the healthy gut diets regardless, but you probably didn't know that soy is also really bad for your body. In addition to phytates, lectins, saponins, and protease inhibitors, soy contains
- goitrogens/isoflavones: severely anti-thyroid
- phtyoestrogens- mimic estrogen. While some claim this is insignificant, women with estrogen related cancers are told to avoid soy and 2 glasses of soymilk a day can change the timing of a woman's menstrual cycle. It can interfere with the natural hormone balance in both men and women. Disrupt endocrine function.
- Aluminum: Soy is often processed by acid washing in aluminum tanks. Aluminum is linked to neurological disorders and not FDA safe.
- Pesticides: 90% of US soy is genetically modified to be "round-up" resistant. Who modifies it? The same people who make round-up (Monsanto)!
- http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/whole-soy-story
- http://authoritynutrition.com/is-soy-bad-for-you-or-good/
- Grains/Legumes: Basically, our bodies aren't meant to digest plant proteins found in grains and legumes. The plant has built in defenses to insure its own survival which attack the digestive system.
- Protease inhibitors: interfere with digestion of protein
- Phytates/Phytic Acid:Tie up minerals your body needs(zinc, calcium, iron, magnesium...)
- Lectins: Dissolve cell mucous membranes. Plant defense, attacks your cells
- Saponins: Dissolve gut lining. Another plant defense that attacks your digestive system. Can't be "cooked" out
- http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/Paleo-diet-reasons-to-avoid-grains.html
- Processed Sugars: Irritate digestive system
- Dairy: Cows grow much faster than people do, and the proteins found in cows milk (lactose) isn't really digestible by humans leading to severe gastric distress and inflammation. Fermented dairy will have broken down proteins and cheese is made with rennet (comes from baby cow bellies and contains the enzymes needed to digest lactose) and harder cheese is cured which denatures the proteins, but limiting dairy intake and/or switching to more digestible forms of dairy (such as goat's milk) will be easier on your digestive system.
- Digestive Enzymes: Help your body break down foods faster so they don't irritate your digestive system later
- L-glutamine: amino acids are basically your body's building blocks for binding protein and healing damage. It's what rebuilds your sore muscles after a workout, grows new skin and hair, and will help rebuild holes in your intestinal wall too. promotes healthy immune function!
- Gelatin: more amino acids! The amino acid glycine is anti-inflammatory and speeds up healing!
How it IMPACTS us:
My husband and I both embarked on this, and I think that support is really helpful. We were already a soy free household which meant we didn't eat much from a box. Though eliminating grains, dairy, sugar, and starch is a big change, I don't compromise on flavor, and we still eat delicious food. Making healthier choices does not mean making blander ones. We both eat the same things now, but the diet has impacted us differently.
For me: I eat a lot more food in quantity, but consume roughly the same to slightly fewer calories. I lost 5lbs the first week and 2 in the following 4 weeks. I walk 5-10 miles per day as a waitress. My goal is not weight loss. Pre-diet, I consumed a lot of dairy, sugar and starch(potatoes). During the first week of withdrawal, I suffered from migraines and vivid nightmares. I have noticed a marked decrease in pain from old injuries. I've always had good skin, but my skin is pretty enviably perfect now. I also had a lot of issues with gas and things just generally not digesting well. Alcohol, especially, did not digest well. Digestion in general is way improved.
For DH: My DH renewed his in-home 1-hour workout program when we embarked on this diet and his goal does include weight loss. In 5 weeks, he's lost over 10lbs and is seeing great muscle tone and definition. His skin is much clearer too. His snack of choice is apples and dates.
*Though I have given up almost all sugars and grains, I do allow myself 1-2 cocktails when we go out, 1-2 times per month. My digestive system tolerates these drinks much better than pre-diet
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