Reactions, reactions — ALCAT Testing, food sensitivities and evil coconuts

For the food intolerant like myself, it can get a wee bit challenging to eat within the boundaries of what we know is good for us and what will harm us.

I cut out a large list of foods for 3 months following an ALCAT test, and now is the time to slowly reintroduce. As much as the information in the test itself is useful, the accompanying info on how to remove and reintroduce foods is very limited. If it wasn’t for my own experience I would be lost.

The Method

I have read all the documentation I could find over and over to understand the method. According to the literature, after removing foods for three months I can start to reintroduce the foods in the mild irritant category. So I thought, great! I miss coconut so much, that will be the first one. Last Wednesday I had a home-made coconut milk chicken curry. I enjoyed every bit. The thing I was not ready for was the strength of reaction! I had failed to focus on the note that says, after limiting foods for 3 months you will now be extra sensitive. I was NOT prepared!

Enter the symptoms

ALCAT test results. These are the baddies

I recognized the symptoms, but after feeling great for three months I forgot quite how crap they were. IgG food sensitivity is a slow burn. The body reacts between 4 hours and 4 days from ingesting the food. I was fine on Thursday. On Friday, I was grumpy and anxious. On Saturday, my eyes and lips were a bit sore. Sunday it hit. The food aka toxins that my body was wrongly attacking began to leak out of my eyes. The only way to describe it is like acid tears. Sunday and Monday continued in the same way, as well as a grumpy and anxious mood. Tuesday the mood has lifted and the eyes are getting better. All from ONE coconut milk curry.

The future

So according to the documentation I leave this offending food out for 3 weeks. and pick something else to reintroduce. If the reaction is non-existent or tolerably mild, I can have again in 4 days on rotation. The idea being that the gradual reintroduction helps to build your system back up to tolerate the food stuff again.

I must say navigating this stuff is hard. I have been through an elimination diet and I have been Gluten free for years. But it’s hard to navigate by yourself. Right now I am writing myself a food rotation plan and matching recipes I have or finding substitutions. There is a lot of work involved. But thanks to that negative reaction from the evil coconut, I am more determined and see more the value in this work and the effort involved.