There were a couple of surprises. I have always known I'm sensitive to wheat if I eat a bunch of it, but it only showed as moderate as far as a food trigger. Yet, every time I eat breakfast cereal (with the exception of Rice Chex or the specifically labeled Gluten Free Rice Crispies) my IBS goes nuts. I figured it was the dairy, but switching to almond milk didn't help.
That made a quick breakfast problematic as a couple of eggs with even gluten-free toast would set me off as well. The only thing I'll eat before the drive to the office or church/Bible study is my Go Macro Bar (assorted flavors), with gluten-free, no soy, no GMO ingredients, just oats, raisins, coconut, brown rice, natural sweeteners, and nut butter. It literally is the ONLY quick to eat packaged food that I like for breakfast that doesn't trigger an IBS flare-up (and all the flavors of the bars are really filling and tasty though the coconut granola is my favorite!)
My biggest food sensitivities? (those the test said I have a "high reactivity to)
Soy (Nor surprised as many people are sensitive to it, and I knew if I ate too much meat-free soy-based products my IBS flared up big-time
But the big surprise?
Malt
Yup, an ingredient in almost all breakfast cereals and prepackaged breads (not to mention the single malt scotch I sip on weekend evenings). It's in my breakfast cereal, it's in my packaged cookies, it's in my beer with pizza, it's in the Vitamin C powder I take every single day. It's no wonder I live 10 feet from a bathroom.
Malt is hard to spot in packaging - it's usually listed as:
Malted barley (or corn, etc)
Malt Extract
Malt Vinegar
Maltodextrin (technically not a malt but may be made from wheat so I'm including it)
Maltose
Malt Syrup
Ethyl Maltitol
Isomalt
Hydrogenated Isomaltitol
Isomaltitol
Maltitol
Maltol
Malt Sugar
It looks like I'm going to be eliminating a TON of processed food and my occasional nightcap is going to have to be brandy (which is distilled from wine) instead of single malt Scotch. I also checked my favorite frozen pizza brand Connie's and it has BOTH malt and soy. On the plus side, the runner-up favorite pizza, Chicago's Home Run, is malt and soy free, so as an occasional treat (as it has wheat) I'm good.
On the moderate food sensitivity, some things I"ll have to watch out for are:
Dairy - except for mozzarella (I knew this already just from experience)
Apples - I LOVE apples :-(
Barley (which includes some brown rice syrups)
Wheat Bran (oat bran appears to be OK)
Gluten
Wheat
Chicken Eggs
Avocado (not a huge fan anyway)
Sweet Potato (regular potato OK)
Mushrooms
Moderate means I can probably have them on a special occasion but not as a regular part of my diet.
On the plus side - there are 80+ foods that are NOT triggers for me including almost all fruits, nuts, veggies, meat, honey, cocoa, tea, and coffee.
I am so glad I spent $199 for this easy at home test. Yes, it is NOT a true allergy test but it explains some of the foods I thought were "safe" were actually likely triggering my chronic IBS.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteThat's a tricky one! It has caused me to wonder though; when at father's I take some of his cereal (which I never eat at home) and I noticed I had reflux and gut twisting from it. I thought it was just the excess wheat (though don't have trouble with breads) - but I do know that particular one is very high in malt, so will be paying more attention now! Sigh... it's a minefield at the supermarket! YAM xx
Glad you found out that malt products were setting off your gut issues. Take heart though, there's always vodka and orange juice! ;-)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I got really drunk in college on Vodka and to this day the smell alone makes me ill. I am going to go explore some expensive Brandy's tomorrow!
DeleteGood information to have! You should talk to Phod's lady about soy cuz she has to avoid it too and it seems to be in everything!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley