New here? Some Best Practices

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
NF52
Support Team
Support Team
Posts: 2772
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 9:41 am
Location: Eastern U.S.

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by NF52 »

kateg wrote:Russ- I read that you posted a very long time ago about how you were able to heal a food allergy- by healing your gut. Can you describe exactly how you accomplished this?
Kate
Hi Kate,
I came across your question and while I'm not exactly sure which post from Russ you are referring to, I thought I'd do two things to help you get an answer--and provide a tip for using the forum also.

The best way to get someone to see a post from you is to quote them. Here's a link to the "How-To" section for quoting. Tools to use when posting. Since you didn't have the post to quote, you can also just "make up" a quote by using this format:
[/color wrote:insert name in quotation marksfollowed by a brief text like 'food allergy question' and then brackets [ ] with /quote inside of them. Doing that should look like this when you "Preview":
Russ wrote: Food allergy question
. Either way, Russ (or whomever) gets an email that you quoted him and will probably check it out.

I quoted one of Russ' many pearls of wisdom about how to keep this news in perspective, from last November, so he will also see your post now.

You can also use the Search function (here's a how-to for that: Searching the site for information ) to see what others have posted about food allergies or sensitivities.

Russ wrote: I am now a 56 YO male 3/4. Knowing what I know now, makes me think of what my advice would be to my 19 YO self...

1. Just eat real, whole food. Anything with processed oils, sugars and grains is not real (that includes Mt Dew and Mac & Cheese). Eat more of what's in season and less of what's not. Real food is produced in dynamic organic systems that build healthy soil. Whole food includes abundant and diverse vegetables, but also includes meats (including their highly nutritious fats, organ meats, bones, etc.). The natural flavor of food (including natural spices) is a powerful signal of healthfulness to your body.
2. Get some exercise - in the sun if possible (Vit D).
3. Avoid toxins - in your food, in your home and in your yard (just put down that RoundUp and back away). Note that today, this factor alone eliminates a bunch of mass-market food from your diet (e.g. commodity corn, wheat, soy products).
4. OK to check markers once in a while, but don't confuse markers for outcomes. Listen to your body above other data. Best use of marker data is supplementation gaps that are different in available real, whole food.
5. Fast once in a while - it's a great metabolic cleanse/reset. (search this forum for experiences in 5 day fasts)
6. Chill, relax and enjoy life with friends and family. Don't obsess over this stuff... pour your heart into your passion whatever it may be.
4/4 and still an optimist!
kateg
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:44 pm

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by kateg »

NF52 wrote:
kateg wrote:Russ- I read that you posted a very long time ago about how you were able to heal a food allergy- by healing your gut. Can you describe exactly how you accomplished this?
Kate
Hi Kate,
I came across your question and while I'm not exactly sure which post from Russ you are referring to, I thought I'd do two things to help you get an answer--and provide a tip for using the forum also.

The best way to get someone to see a post from you is to quote them. Here's a link to the "How-To" section for quoting. Tools to use when posting. Since you didn't have the post to quote, you can also just "make up" a quote by using this format:
[/color wrote:insert name in quotation marksfollowed by a brief text like 'food allergy question' and then brackets [ ] with /quote inside of them. Doing that should look like this when you "Preview":
Russ wrote: Food allergy question
. Either way, Russ (or whomever) gets an email that you quoted him and will probably check it out.

I quoted one of Russ' many pearls of wisdom about how to keep this news in perspective, from last November, so he will also see your post now.

You can also use the Search function (here's a how-to for that: Searching the site for information ) to see what others have posted about food allergies or sensitivities.

Russ wrote: I am now a 56 YO male 3/4. Knowing what I know now, makes me think of what my advice would be to my 19 YO self...

1. Just eat real, whole food. Anything with processed oils, sugars and grains is not real (that includes Mt Dew and Mac & Cheese). Eat more of what's in season and less of what's not. Real food is produced in dynamic organic systems that build healthy soil. Whole food includes abundant and diverse vegetables, but also includes meats (including their highly nutritious fats, organ meats, bones, etc.). The natural flavor of food (including natural spices) is a powerful signal of healthfulness to your body.
2. Get some exercise - in the sun if possible (Vit D).
3. Avoid toxins - in your food, in your home and in your yard (just put down that RoundUp and back away). Note that today, this factor alone eliminates a bunch of mass-market food from your diet (e.g. commodity corn, wheat, soy products).
4. OK to check markers once in a while, but don't confuse markers for outcomes. Listen to your body above other data. Best use of marker data is supplementation gaps that are different in available real, whole food.
5. Fast once in a while - it's a great metabolic cleanse/reset. (search this forum for experiences in 5 day fasts)
6. Chill, relax and enjoy life with friends and family. Don't obsess over this stuff... pour your heart into your passion whatever it may be.


Thanks!
User avatar
Russ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 566
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:33 am

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by Russ »

kateg wrote:
NF52 wrote:
kateg wrote:Russ- I read that you posted a very long time ago about how you were able to heal a food allergy- by healing your gut. Can you describe exactly how you accomplished this?
Kate
Hi Kate,
I came across your question and while I'm not exactly sure which post from Russ you are referring to, I thought I'd do two things to help you get an answer--and provide a tip for using the forum also.

The best way to get someone to see a post from you is to quote them. Here's a link to the "How-To" section for quoting. Tools to use when posting. Since you didn't have the post to quote, you can also just "make up" a quote by using this format:
[/color wrote:insert name in quotation marksfollowed by a brief text like 'food allergy question' and then brackets [ ] with /quote inside of them. Doing that should look like this when you "Preview": . Either way, Russ (or whomever) gets an email that you quoted him and will probably check it out.

I quoted one of Russ' many pearls of wisdom about how to keep this news in perspective, from last November, so he will also see your post now.

You can also use the Search function (here's a how-to for that: Searching the site for information ) to see what others have posted about food allergies or sensitivities.



Thanks!


Yep - that got me notified of the question :-).

The answer is that I will never no specifically how my life-long nut allergy disappeared. But I suspect it was a healed gut due to eating an array of diverse whole real foods. About 3 yrs after fundamentally changing my diet, upon exposure, had no reaction. Now I have to be careful because if I see a bag of honey-roasted pecans, they're like crack ;-). We mostly keep various raw nuts in the house that make for good snacking. My gut continues to behave very well, and I treat it seriously as the foundation of my health.

Russ
Russ
E3/4
Eat whole, real, flavorful food - fresh and in season... and mix it up once in a while.
kateg
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:44 pm

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by kateg »

Russ wrote:
kateg wrote:
NF52 wrote: Hi Kate,
I came across your question and while I'm not exactly sure which post from Russ you are referring to, I thought I'd do two things to help you get an answer--and provide a tip for using the forum also.

The best way to get someone to see a post from you is to quote them. Here's a link to the "How-To" section for quoting. Tools to use when posting. Since you didn't have the post to quote, you can also just "make up" a quote by using this format:

Thanks!


Yep - that got me notified of the question :-).

The answer is that I will never no specifically how my life-long nut allergy disappeared. But I suspect it was a healed gut due to eating an array of diverse whole real foods. About 3 yrs after fundamentally changing my diet, upon exposure, had no reaction. Now I have to be careful because if I see a bag of honey-roasted pecans, they're like crack ;-). We mostly keep various raw nuts in the house that make for good snacking. My gut continues to behave very well, and I treat it seriously as the foundation of my health.

Russ


Thanks Russ,
I have so many food allergies it is crazy and due to the leaky gut, they change constantly. I am very serious about healing my gut- as I too believe it is the foundation of my health. Do you mind sharing a typical day's diet? Are you taking any supplements? And do you have other advice to give?

Kate
User avatar
Russ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 566
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:33 am

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by Russ »

kateg wrote:
Thanks Russ,
I have so many food allergies it is crazy and due to the leaky gut, they change constantly. I am very serious about healing my gut- as I too believe it is the foundation of my health. Do you mind sharing a typical day's diet? Are you taking any supplements? And do you have other advice to give?

Kate
A try to make every day atypical ;-), but hereby some examples...

Breakfast - Sometimes I eat, sometimes I don't. When I do, its either a small and simple Maple Hill Grassfed full fat yogurt (I usually add blueberries), or some kind of egg concoction. Eggs always pasture-raised, and often a side-meat on weekends (pork belly or sausage) - also exclusively pasture-raised. I often throw whatever veggies are in the fridge into an omelet or scramble, but sometimes just fry the eggs in pork belly grease (I fully realize that's scary to others here, but there you go).

Lunch - Either a salad or leftovers from dinner. For salad, a large salad with sardines and whatever veggies I can find and chop from the fridge, plus added almonds. For dressing, I have most often used just both EVOO and a local balsamic, but I must admit I've grown fond of Primal Kitchens' Caesar Dressing which is avacado oil based. For leftovers, see Dinner.

Dinner - Most often a pastured meat, but sometimes seafood (mostly wild salmon), with large servings of at least 3 veggies. Mix up beef, lamb, pork, and chicken all of which I buy from producers I know personally and 99% local (I buy pretty much only wholes and halves now, so am always eating different cuts). Maybe I should note that because I know exactly where my meats come from and the care with which they are produced by good friends, I pretty much every bit of fat (just like our ancestors always did). I believe that not only the fat itself is healthy, but that's where a lot of the important micronutrients are (esp fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K). For veggies, I just try to vary as much as possible grabbing broadly from displays at the grocery store (organic where possible). Sometimes we get some good stuff at our farmer's market, but not very reliable. Don't eat a lot of starchy carbs (rice, potatoes), but don't avoid them altogether either. Not afraid to put a few potatoes into a stew or pot roast. We make our own sauerkraut, and probably include that as a veggie 2-3x per week. Most veggies complex carbs with high fiber, so although haven't tracked in a long time, am guessing in the 50-100 g/d carbs. With meats, we do a fair amount of broth and organs from time to time (mostly liver). Still can't get my family to appreciate other organs unless ground up in sausage. I will also have fruit from time to time, but mostly in season (e.g. peaches in late spring to early summer here in TX). I am generally lower carb in the winter, and higher in the summer. Oh, and I guess I should admit my one weakness - I eat copious amounts of guacamole (I make my own).... haven't you heard, it's the new ketchup ;-).

I realize that this subject is complex and we're all different, but there you go... that's where my own health journey has presently led me. Aside from the above, I just don't over think it anymore like I did for a while. Diverse real whole food is awesome and I look forward to every meal and savor every bite.

Russ
Russ
E3/4
Eat whole, real, flavorful food - fresh and in season... and mix it up once in a while.
User avatar
SusanJ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 3058
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am
Location: Western Colorado

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by SusanJ »

kateg wrote:I have so many food allergies it is crazy and due to the leaky gut, they change constantly.
What symptoms are you having?
kateg
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:44 pm

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by kateg »

SusanJ wrote:
kateg wrote:I have so many food allergies it is crazy and due to the leaky gut, they change constantly.
What symptoms are you having?
Mostly GI issues- severe constipation, pain, heartburn, heart palpitations, bloating etc. My first allergy test registered as all grains, all nuts and many fruits. I changed my diet completely- two years later started feeling ill again- retested and was found to be allergic to all lettuces, spinach, olives, avocados, etc- while the nuts came back ok and fruits (as I had been avoiding), interestingly though beans and grains I was still allergic too- except oats and corn. If I eat oats and corn now though I feel horribly sick- I look pregnant and become constipated and inflamed. Right now I am trying to focus on eating vegetables mostly cooked (easier to digest) and salads (even though I am supposedly allergic), and seafood. My goal is to start eating only 2 servings of fruit daily as I could eat an entire watermelon myself :).
User avatar
SusanJ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 3058
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am
Location: Western Colorado

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by SusanJ »

Kate, I'm going to comment on this in your introduction thread...
User avatar
Russ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 566
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:33 am

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by Russ »

kateg wrote:
Thanks Russ,
I have so many food allergies it is crazy and due to the leaky gut, they change constantly. I am very serious about healing my gut- as I too believe it is the foundation of my health. Do you mind sharing a typical day's diet? Are you taking any supplements? And do you have other advice to give?

Kate
I realize I forgot to answer the supplement question. I have a cupboard full of supplements, but don't use much anymore. Only take D3 and K2 regularly as I still don't have confident source of pastured butter. I'll take a power-dose of Vitamin A if I feel something coming on (always in combination with D3 and K2) and sometimes some C, but otherwise get from food. I do take Glycine sometimes if I don't feel I'm working in enough broth, and also sometimes take magnesium at bed time. But that's it. I think there is risk of getting things out of balance with supplements that isn't a concern for real food. That said, I can totally get behind targeted use of supplements for real concerns - especially temporarily. I would just urge caution.

Russ
Russ
E3/4
Eat whole, real, flavorful food - fresh and in season... and mix it up once in a while.
User avatar
PretzelViking
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:46 am

Re: New here? Some Best Practices

Post by PretzelViking »

Thank you, much appreciated!
Post Reply