Dietary Considerations
What’s healthy for one person is NOT healthy for everyone. This is so incredibly individual, yet it’s easy to get caught up in societal norms for “healthy” eating. For example, spinach is viewed by most as a superfood, but for someone who must reduce oxalate levels in order to feel healthy, spinach would cause symptoms.
If you are trying to heal a chronic illness, dietary considerations are a MUST. First and foremost, buy as much organic as your pocketbook allows. If you can’t afford to go all organic, use the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen” lists to guide your purchasing power. Grass-fed, free-range and antibiotic-free meats and eggs should be fairly accessible, even if they aren’t certified organic, although organic is definitely better, because it includes how the animal eats, everything the animal consumes is also organic typically, which effects their health and ultimately yours too.
Anything you put into your mouth, especially daily, has an impact on your wellness outcome, without failure. Don’t overlook this essential piece of the puzzle in the hopes that you can skirt by without doing the hard work of evaluating your diet. What you eat is part of foundational health. Even if you’ve tried an elimination diet in the past, scan this page to learn more about the array of dietary considerations available to you.
If you are unsure which diet is best for you to start with, you can take a mini quiz which will use your symptoms to help point you in the direction of starting with one diet over the others.
GFCFSF
This is an acronym for the gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free diet. I would go as far as to say that EVERYONE struggling with chronic inflammatory diseases must consider a trial of the GFCFSF intervention. In addition to the link above, nutritionist Julie Matthews has some great tips for GFCFSF meal prep.
There are some great books in my recommended reading that address this subject in detail, including my own book, but the gist of this diet is to reduce inflammation and prevent or halt the autoimmune process which is triggered by gluten, dairy and soy. These three food proteins (and sugar) mimic opioids in the body, triggering the opiate receptors which control addiction. So to say you can be addicted to your foods would be accurate!
And just for the record, it goes without saying that sugar should be avoided by all. It’s effects are compounding. The immune system is depressed by 75% for 4-6 hours after consumption. If you are eating sugar multiple times a day, the immune system doesn’t even have a chance to recover.
Preparation makes the LOD much easier to navigate
Low Oxalate Diet
There are so many reasons to consider trying the Low Oxalate Diet. For one, if you are dealing with a chronic candida overgrowth problem, there is a good chance you need to reduce oxalate intake. If you are struggling with an autoimmune disease typified by inflammation, especially in the joints, lower back, or eyes, physical pain anywhere in the body, or involves an accumulation of painful stones like kidney stones or gallstones, the Low Oxalate Diet may be for you.
Oxalate crystals look like little miniature fishing hooks, can you imagine what that does to the surrounding tissue? If you have joint or muscle pains, aching all over, back or neck pain, frozen shoulder, problems with pain in your eyes (feels like grit or sand), burning, red or crusty eyes, floaters in the eyes, painful or unnaturally warm urination, cloudy urine, frequent urination, chronic lower back pain, kidney pain, bladder pain, gallbladder pain, “sandy” or gritty stool, burning stool, light colored stool, black specs or white crystals in stool, IBD, chronic UTIs, air hunger, heart palpitations, peripheral neuropathy, burning on the soles of your feet, burning tongue/mouth, sinus issues, odd sensations like fullness in the ears, vertigo and dizziness, tinnitus, fluctuations in hearing, frequent rashes, ravenous hunger, chronic candida overgrowth, carpal tunnel, CFS, arthritis or fibromyalgia, you really should experiment with the low oxalate diet to see if it brings relief.
Oxalate accumulation is often a comorbidity of Autism, PANS/PANDAS, mold toxicity, arthritis, fibromyalgia, MCAD, ODD, ADHD and is often part of the complex puzzle of symptoms. Anyone who has taken an antibiotic, has leaky gut or gut problems might be dealing with oxalate accumulation, as well.
Join the “Trying Low Oxalate” Facebook group for the most up-to-date information about food lists and support for those struggling with this dietary restriction.
Another great resource for the Low Oxalate Diet can be found at this link, which includes recommended recipes.
If you are in the stage of trying to determine if you have an oxalate accumulation problem, I can’t recommend this interview enough. It is one of the most well put together and thoroughly explained information on what oxalates are, how they develop, if you are dealing with genetic links to endogenous oxalate production and how to address them. Don’t skip this video whether you already know you have an oxalate issue or if you are still trying to figure it out.
In addition to watching the video, I highly recommend this book from Sally Norton. It is dedicated to understanding what oxalates are, how they harm us, misconceptions about “healthy” eating fads and how to safely reduce your oxalate load, which is very important since reducing too fast can actually create more damage. If there is only room in your schedule for one resource right now, this should be the one!
Testing for elevated oxalic acid in the body is done with a Great Plains Organic Acid Test (OAT). It is a simple at-home urine test that can be ordered yourself through MyMedLabs online. I can also order Great Plains Labs testing, including the OAT, for you which includes a full and in-depth interpretation.
If you join my coached community group, you will have access to a simplified low oxalate food list and I can review your OAT results for you.
Failsafe Diet
The FAILSAFE diet is a diet designed to be free of additives, low in salicylates, amines and flavour enhancers. It is designed to treat sensitivities to specific man-made AND natural flavorings, colorings and preservatives in foods by eliminating problem foods and replacing them with healthy, low-chemical alternatives. It’s important to understand that if you don't exclude enough food chemicals, the diet won't work, but if you exclude everything from the start, the diet might be unnecessarily difficult.
The reactions are quite immediate typically, and are not the result of an allergy-mediated response, instead they are dose-related reactions to a food or chemical and in some cases, can be quite severe, creating aggressive and undesirable behaviors in children affected by these substances. An example of foods high is salicylate are coconut and honey. Food dyes are an example of a chemical that falls into this category. If your child responds to high phenol foods with aggression, impulsivity, hyperactivity and defiance, you might be dealing with an intolerance. In adults, the symptoms can be quite widespread, so check out the link to learn more.
Salicylates, also known as salicylic acid, are found naturally in plants. They protect the plant from pests and diseases. Salicylates can also be found in many medications, perfumes and preservatives which is why the Failsafe diet excludes these items. Both natural and synthetic salicylates can cause health problems in anyone when consumed in large doses. But for those who are salicylate intolerant, even small doses of salicylate can cause problems.
Some common symptoms of salicylate intolerance are: stomach pain, tinnitus, rashes and itchy skin or hives, asthma and breathing difficulties, headaches, swelling of hands, feet, eyelids and/or lips, bed wetting or increased urination urgency, persistent coughs, skin discoloration, fatigue, sore, itchy or burning eyes, sinusitis, nasal polyps, stool changes like constipation or diarrhea, and mental symptoms like hyperactivity, memory loss or poor concentration and depression.
Our younger son reacts severely and quickly to high salicylate products. More so when eaten or taken internally, but I don’t like to increase his total load unnecessarily so we do our best to find personal care products that don’t aggravate him. Reactions to chlorine can also be a salicylate sensitivity. In our house, salicylates create a hyperactive, aggressive and impulsive child who experiences body pains, fatigue and headaches. He also struggles with poor concentration when he is exposed to salicylate, so we see his education suffer too. He literally forgets things he previously knew!
Another really helpful site for the Failsafe diet can be found at this link, where you will find three recommended steps for starting the diet as well as additional reading about the symptoms. It briefly compares the Failsafe diet with the FODMAP Diet and suggests trying FODMAP, which is less restrictive, before going full Failsafe.
And lastly, but certainly not least, this step by step guide is chock full of tips. There is also a Facebook group list on this link.
