Blood test for help in reintroduction

[Tina R]

Has anyone else taken a blood test, like the Alcat, to make the Whole30 or reintroduction easier? I am in the middle of my second whole 30. The first one was a fail. I felt miserable during the entire 26 days, yes I quit on day 26. I thought about doing the autoimmune protocol or the histamine protocol but the thought of giving up eggs, peppers and tomatoes for 30 days was not a fun idea. According to my blood test I am severely intolerant of avocados, asparagus and watermelon. I am moderately intolerant of lemons, bok choy, mint, orange, peach and turnip. All of these items are staples in the Whole30 program which might be why I was feeling so bad even though I gave up grains, legumes and sugar for the Whole30. Although this test is very expensive it is also very valuable. Out of the 250 foods, herbs and chemicals that were part of this test I have no reaction to only 72 Whole30 compliant foods, 13 spices and 17 nuts and oils. I am basing my Whole30 on these limited foods including a few mildly intolerant foods when needed, like olive oil. So far I feel much better then I did during my first Whole30. I also have a list of mildly intolerant foods that I can introduce at the end that should make the reintroduction process easier.

[PamH]

I am doing a full thyroid panel (with C-reactive protein and salivary cortisol) which will be interpreted for me in a few weeks when I go back to the clinic.  It is a place that specializes in perimenopause… which I am, I believe, experiencing every known symptom.  

 

If I am hypothyroid, I will be looking at which foods to avoid.  I think it includes all cruciferous veggies.  I eat a ton of those!

 

I have not done a food intolerance test but I have done many in the past with my 2 boys.

 

Good luck!

[Tom Denham]

Here is a good summary of what I found on the internet...

 

ALCAT test

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The ALCAT test is marketed by Cell Science Systems

 

The ALCAT test, or antigen leukocyte antibody test, is one that claims to measure adverse reactions to dietary substances. It was created by American Medical Testing Laboratories and is now marketed by Cell Science Systems (also known as ALCAT Diagnostic Systems) of Deerfield Beach, Florida.

 

The test is not supported by research and is not considered to be a reliable medical diagnostic tool; since it has not been appropriately validated it is not a suitable guide for therapeutic decisions.[1][2][3][4][5][6] In a position statement, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy classified the ALCAT with other forms of cytotoxic tests as inappropriate tests, saying of them

 

"These results have been shown to not be reproducible, give different results when duplicate samples are analysed blindly, don't correlate with those from conventional testing, and 'diagnose' food hypersensitivity in subjects with conditions where food allergy is not considered to play a pathogenic role."[7]

[aimless75]

I have done some IgE testing  years ago when I was having a lot of GI issues.  Found out I was allergic to tomatoes, avocados, banana, and wheat.  I steered clear of the first three but not the wheat until the past 6 months when I had another bout of issues.  I have started working with a nutritionist and we are going to do an IgG panel to check for other foods and try different supplements.  I actually think I'm sensitive to nuts and coconut, which makes paleo a little more challenging.  I also have Hashimoto's hypothyroid and anxiety issues I'm trying to stabilize with my diet, thus the WHole30!

 

I have never heard of Alcat. I'm glad it's going better for you this time!  This is Day 3 of my first one, but I did a different cleanse over the summer that was more smoothies but still omitting all same things including eggs!