Food Intolerances

[TaDa!]

Although I have found I can freely eat (well, within reason, lol!) sugar alcohols, glycerins, nuts and cheese that stall others I have found some "different" things that stall me and have a few questions about the "intolerances". One thing I should add is that I have been doing Atkins as a lowcarb vegetarian + an occasional fish dish and I eat nuts, cheese, eggs, tofu mostly for proteins:

1. Wheat Early on, I found that I stall when I eat any lowcarb wheat products like Atkins Lowcarb bread, Lowcarb tortillas or the lowcarb granolas with Wheat Protein Isolate (WPI). My questions: Is this a true allergy? and Will I have to avoid all lowcarb wheat products even once I am on maintenance? I was hoping to add in some of the wheat-y lc products like lc bread or lc pasta once I reach maintenance.

2. Certain Dairy Products I find that I stall to a dead stop, literally, when I exchanged the Hood Carb Counting Milk for whole cream (2-3T a day!!) and when I tried to eat a single lowcarb dannon yogourt a day. The really weird thing - I eat cheese and heavy cream every day with absolutely no problems (cheeses I have eaten with no problems: cream cheese, blue cheese, cheddar, buffalo mozzarella, parmesan).

Again, Is this a true dairy allergy? and how could I stall only on certain dairy products and not on others!!! Again, will I be able to add these products back in once I am on maintenance?

Thanks for any help!!!

Pauline

[Atkins_Nutritionist]

Hi Pauline,
I’d be happy to help!
First, let me clarify some definitions for you.

Allergy: Allergy is characterized by a local or systemic inflammatory response to allergens. Local symptoms are:
Nose: swelling of the nasal mucosa (allergic rhinitis)
Eyes: redness and itching of the conjunctiva (allergic conjunctivitis)
Airways: bronchoconstriction, wheezing and dyspnoea, sometimes outright attacks of asthma Skin: various rashes, such as eczema, hives (urticaria) and contact dermatitis.
Systemic allergic response is also called anaphylaxis. Depending of the rate of severity, it can cause cutaneous reactions, bronchoconstriction, oedema, hypotension, coma and death.

Intolerance: Food Intolerance is an adverse reaction to food which does not involve the body's immune system . It can be caused by a metabolic reaction to an enzyme deficiency such as the inability to digest milk properly ( lactose maldigestion ), by food poisoning such as ingesting contaminated or spoiled fish, or a food idiosyncrasy such as sulfite-induced asthma.

What you have described is not an allergy or an intolerance. That’s just you trying to figure out how to include all the foods you want to have while balancing them with your dedication to meet your goal weight. You never have to avoid any type of food but it’s a trade-off-- you may stall as you figure out how to include them while still losing weight and this may take a few tries and some substituting. But if you're patient and persistence, you’ll find out what works best for you and how you can include these foods without stalling. And once you reach maintenance, you still may have to play around to see how they can all fit.

I hope I was able to provide some insight and encouragement. Good luck!

[DEBI IN OHIO]

so Happy to see u type this..........many on this board say they have an allergy to foods if they stall !!!
glad u cleared that up!

going to save this one LOL

[Atkins_Nutritionist]

Yes the wheat allergy is a real allergy. However, you must speak with your doctor if you want a diagnosis. If you are allergic you will have to keep wheat to a minimum.

As far as the diary, this is very interesting and further supports the concept of what I have been trying to get across about using Atkins as a guideline, using trial and error and modifying the approach to fit your lifestyle.

Good for you!