A question about the logic of elimination diets in general

[almondjoyless]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but here goes.  A lot of vegetarians report that when they first go back to eating meat, they feel sick, nauseous, etc.  It's not because they have a "sensitivity" to meat; it's just because they haven't eaten it in so long that their gut biome isn't prepared for it.  Could elimination diets produce similar problems for foods that would otherwise be digestively/physiologically totally fine?  I would hate to start thinking I had a "sensitivity" to a certain kind of food when in reality it only causes problems if I go a long time without eating it.

For context, I'm midway through R2 so I'm by no means a naysayer, but this is something that has gotten me thinking.

[littleg]

I've heard the mucus theory before - that when you remove certain irritants (gluten, dairy, etc - for some people nightshades, strawberries... whatever their sensitivity may be) that the gut lining sheds its layer of protective mucus that it has built up... this may be why some people have no idea they have a sensitivity to x,y,z because their body is currently protecting them from it to the best of its ability.  If there is any truth to this I have no idea.  Therefore some people might find that when they do an elimination diet and add back in something "fine" they don't feel well...  maybe.

I'm sure there is also up and down regulating of certain enzymes based on diet that could cause an "this doesn't agree with me" response (like the vegetarians eating meat - their digestive enzymes have adapted to a higher carb diet - likely down regulating some protein digestive enzymes) - likely easing with time.  

 

Are there particular foods that you think you had a false alarm to? When I eat certain foods I wake up with stiff hands, puffy feet, etc - I think this systemic inflammatory response is not something I should just ignore (hello restaurant oils).  However, if I ate something and got a little gassy... but I liked that food and it was legitimately healthy... I'd probably see if the problem persisted (say if I were a vegetarian adding back in meat or having been dairy free for a while and testing some good grassfed, raw dairy).  

[SMB2003]

I have completed 2 Whole30s and questioned this myself.  When people constantly eat junk food and switch to more vegetables it's usually a bit uncomfortable for awhile with the increase in fiber, etc.  But does that mean its bad for you?  Probably not....  If you don't eat sugar for a long time and have a large piece of cake you might not feel well from it.  But does that actually mean you are sensitive to sugar or your body just isn't used to it.  I'm curious to see what other chime in with.

[MeadowLily]

Eventually, if you live long enough,  sensitivity to sugars of every kind has a cumulative effect.  What was seemingly handled at age 10 may not work for the 33 year old.  At 50 or 60 it may turn into full blown T2 diabetes.  Wheat, gluten free grains, including all of those alternative flours like tapioca and rice flours jack the blood sugar up, too. Gluten free millet lowers the thyroid function even if your iodine levels are adequate.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10617947 

Everything has a cumulative effect including cake and alcohol. Coming from T2, it's not a priority for me to test either one of them one more time to see if my body can get used to them again. T2 would come right back to my doorstop.