June 2009: Received my own MRT results, and it was an eye opening experience.
All that ”healthy” stuff I was putting into my fruit smoothie every morning (yogurt, strawberries, bananas, mango) - REACTIVE! All the bread/muffins/pretzels/pizza/bagels/crackers I ate often – doesn’t matter they are whole grain…RED REACTIVE to wheat. Great Italian cook and RED REACTIVE to garlic and basil?? Afraid so. Oh, and favorite things like peanut butter and green peas…frugal eating will have to take a new direction.
It goes to show just because a food is so-called “healthy” – superfood, even - it may not be healthy for YOU.
This is just one of MANY insights gained from the process. You learn the power of food to heal, your own personal thresholds for tolerance to different foods, and how to craft a personal way of eating that balances enjoyment with maintenance of personal best.
Once you get your MRT results, you eliminate all your RED (high reactive) and YELLOW (moderately) reactive foods and chemicals. You’re guided to eat a limited diet consisting of low reactive foods to help your immune system calm down. Sometimes this means giving up things you are accustomed to eating every day. And buying unfamiliar foods that you may have no clue how to prepare (but you’ll learn).
As an example, these were my lowest reactive foods to start with: Sole, Tuna, Codfish; Quinoa, Kamut (whole grains); Lima Bean, Beet, Onion, Broccoli; Blueberry, Pineapple, Grape, Olive; Cocoa, Cow’s Milk; Pistachio, Walnut; Cumin, Leek, and Carob for flavoring.
All of which I like, which helps. Went to Whole Foods and stocked up. I tried the kamut but then remembered if reactive to wheat, it is best to eliminate kamut as well, as they are very similar antigenically. Perhaps down the road. It’s good, though.
Another rule is if reactive to 2 or more foods in a single food family, consider avoiding other foods in that family in the early phases. So had a little milk at first but now I’m leaving it out. Same with lima beans, since I’m reactive to numerous other legumes.
Here are a few meals I made in the first couple of days.
One dinner was pan-grilled sole with cooked kamut grain (kind of like a cross between brown rice and barley, sort of), and some fresh beets roasted in a bit of olive oil.
For breakfast had some blueberries and kamut with milk, quite good. Will now swap out for quinoa.
A satisfying lunch was sort of a Salmon “Waldorf” with canned fish, apples, grapes and a little olive oil to moisten – just like a good Waldorf salad should be. (No, I didn’t cheat – salmon and apples were allowed phase 2 substitutes, and I had them in the house.)
Snacked on walnuts, grapes, blueberries, and olives here and there. Smaller meals throughout the day are encouraged.
Gradually, you build a diet that satisfies and mends.
It’s important to work with dietitians specially trained in the protocol. There are individualized tweaks beyond the computer-generated meal plan that your LEAP dietitian can spot. That way, you’ll get the best outcome, the obvious goal of anyone making these changes.
When followed, the personalized diet often has people feeling better within the first week or two. See link at right for one great testimonial.
I know for myself, my daily episodes of hypoglycemia (eg shakiness, extreme hunger, needing to eat IMMEDIATELY especially protein) disappeared almost overnight and have never returned. I have better skin and energy levels, no more late day fatigue, and feel more clear-headed. This is typical for most people along with resolution of many of the sensitivity-caused symptoms they tested for in the first place.
Yes, diet change is hard, but isn’t living with chronic pain harder? If diet is a trigger in your symptoms, a directed elimination diet may be the best thing you never tried.
