This is a list of foods that I found irritated me the most to the least. If I’ve missed any foods, please comment. I know it comes off as a random/quack list of foods, but I’ve put some thought into it, and this is how my body has reacted.
Why Vegans Feel Better:
If you eliminate the first 3 on this list you should see quite an improvement.
This is part of the reason going vegan makes people feel so much better (depending on the person of course). The first three foods are really hard on people. Eliminating dairy can really help. Going vegetarian is probably the worst thing you can do, you end up eating grains and dairy and eliminating meat. Increase your consumption of soy to replace meat and you’re in even worse shape. Not a good idea. At least going vegan eliminates dairy. They just lump meat in there and end up getting rid of the safest food. So I understand people who have changed the way they ate, gone plant-based, and felt better. Hell, the people who go gluten-free vegan and limit their sugar intake have already eliminated the top three harmful foods. No wonder they feel better. Gluten and dairy and sugar are not good. But meat can’t be lumped in there just because it’s an animal product. People need it in order to really thrive.
If you eliminate the first 7, even better. I would say the first 12 items really bothered me, but not as bad as the first 7. Go all the way to greens and meat, even better, or even just meat.
Worst to Best
- Gluten-containing grains: wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut
- Dairy
- Cane Sugar
- Soy
- Citrus fruits
- Legumes (including peanuts) and bananas and melons
- Other grains – rice, quinoa
- Figs
- Canola oil
- Potatoes
- Almonds
- Green Cabbage
- Squash
- Grapes
- Pork
- Coffee
Less immune reactive (starting from most immune reactive to least)
- Plums
- Berries
- Peaches and nectarines
- Pears and apples
- Macadamia nuts (people seem to tolerate these better than other nuts)
- Avocado
- Red Cabbage
- Coconut flesh
- Black pepper
- Olives
- Greens – lettuce, arugula, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard
- Tea – peppermint and black
- Coconut oil and olive oil
- Fish
- Chicken
- Salt
- Beef
- Water
Other:
- I can tolerate the minerals they add to sparkling water (potassium citrate, etc.)
- I can take activated charcoal. I use this before I go to bed if I drink plus this.
- I can drink vodka and bourbon and not suffer for too long afterward. I’ll be a bit stiff, and have a hangover, but that’s about it. Other alcohols have additives I react to.
Coffee showed up on my IgG test and it is the one thing I know for sure causes me issues. Cane sugar also showed up as well as dairy, spelt, and bananas. Interesting how there are similarities across the board.
Sugar is awful for the body. Dairy is a late introduction and only amongst certain ethnic groups. Grains are terrible, especially for Europeans who apparently have little or no carbohydrate tolerance (whereas Asians tend to have high carb tolerance).
And bananas are man-made.
Are you from Scandinavia, AK? I’m currently eating a paleo diet and starting to feel better. I believe cutting out grains has had the biggest effect on me feeling better. Not sure if im going to stop eating diary though. Tried cutting it out but haven’t noticed that much of an effect. Guess i have to try reintroduce it and see. I’m from Scandinavia so my body should be addapted to it but I’m not sure. Are you eating diary?
Coffee – very possibly tannin sensitivity. I never used to react to tea but after years of drinking huge amounts of black tea, I noticed it was giving me hives (particularly in my legs) and a sore stomach. Decaf was better but not by much.
Alcohol – along with additives, there is also the question of the amount of yeast left in it. I am allergic to yeast/mold and I am a lot more reactive to beer than spirits (beer tends to be high in yeast, spirits/distilled drinks contain little or none).
Curious where you would put the vinegars? And do you think vinegars are OK on the ZC diet?
Hey, I like your stuff.
I’ve been eating (roughly) paleo for a long time, but I’m having a go at just steak and greens for a while after reading your blog.
What are your thoughts on food sensitivity tests?
Will you keep trying to reintroduce veggies as time passes from your pregnancy? I’ve read before that pregnancy increases food sensitivity in women because of children’s weaker immune systems, so maybe after you have finished breastfeeding you will become less sensitive again.
I can’t remember if it was you I read it from or someone else, but they were talking about how you don’t use your microbiome to break down meat but you do use it to break down veggies, I assume there is some good that comes from eating veggies (although maybe not)? I know you’re biome changes depending on what you eat, like if you eat more sugar you get more bacteria that digests sugar, I assume it’s the same for greens for example, so what I was wondering is if you are at all concerned that if you don’t have green veggies (or any food) for long enough, you’ll lose so much of that bacteria you won’t be able to digest it again when you try to reintroduce it, orrrr when you first reintroduce it your body will have a hard time with it and give you bad reactions, but your body may adust to it and even like it if you keep eating it and your microbiome adjusts.
This is just random ideas and I don’t even know if I’m thinking along the right lines, but maybe some food for thought, pun intended 😀
I had another question, but I forget.
Good luck and keep blogging!
Charles
I had the same thoughts…
Great question, me too….
Have you tried sprouted nuts?
Great posts. I am relatively new to your blog, but I have been “meat and greens” for 9 months now after reading Gary Taubes and feeling great. But I don’t know what I would do if I had to give up my coffee with cacao butter or 100% chocolate. It’s there for me during the cravings.
I second the question on what folks think about food sensitivity tests (not ever having had one done).
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