IgG Intolerance Test.

Oh sweet comforts. How I am gonna miss you (for at least the next three months!)

About a week and a half ago I had a blood test done at the suggestion of my naturopathic doctor (ND). The fatigue and skin problems I have been having for years needed to be resolved. And I refuse, REFUSE to take a pill to temporarily fix something that my body should be able to fix on its own.

Yes. I am one of "those" people. One who believes that if you take proper care of your body (diet, exercise, meditation, religion-type of thingie, positive attitude), you can alleviate many of the ailments that bother you. Yes, there is a place for medical science. But I believe we are programmed to too easily reach for something to help us that isn't going to be long-lasting.

It's like when you lease a car. Bad investment idea. Good solution for the immediate and short-term.

So, back to my body...

I started seeing my ND for acupuncture, which I have always found incredibly helpful. But the more I started talking about some issues I was having, she suggested I look at my diet. Obviously. And before she put me on a typical healthy and well-rounded diet, she suggested that I go and have an IgG intolerance test done.

Why? Why was I good candidate to go and get this done?

Well, because for the most part, I have good practices in place in my life that should be able to detox my body of bad foods and allow me to have a balance. Hello... I practice Bikram yoga and sweat out all the crap that's in me. So I do allow myself some liberties with food. But even with the Bikram yoga, working out with a trainer for twice a week for two years straight, walking to work, drinking of water... Even with all of this, I still had issues.

The body should be responding positively to all of this. But yet, I still have skin issues. I am still tired all of the time. I've actually gained weight rather than lose it.

So you have to look at your diet. And you have to consider that maybe your body doesn't know how to deal with the food you put into your body... Even if it is very healthy.

So the IgG intolerance test was a natural investigative option. Prep my body by eating 120 different foods over the span of 10 days. Then have my blood drawn and tested to see how my body's antibodies were handling the food. I got the results from my ND today. Here they are...

SHOCKING!

Anything in red my body has a strong intolerance to at this time. Anything in yellow is borderline. The green is stuff that's a-okay.

The wheat, dairy products, coffee and chocolate don't surprise me. But what does surprise me is the red chili. It means no hot sauce. And no black pepper. And no pineapple. PINEAPPLE!

I am devastated that I can't have soy. As I love miso, soy sauce, soy milk... And how odd that green tea is bad for me... But black tea is okay? And eggs... I can have egg yolks, but not egg whites? WTF?

Another thing that surprised me was the meat. I CAN have meat. All kinds.

So, what happens next? Can I never eat these foods again?

Sure I can. I have an INTOLERANCE to them. I'm not ALLERGIC to them. They won't kill me. But until I detox them (because a lot of the foods on my "no" list I eat a LOT) out of my system, and reset my body, I should avoid them. So for the next three months I am to avoid these foods.

After three months, when they are out of my body and my digestive track is in an un-irritated state, I can start adding them back into my diet moderately to see my reactions. They may continue to cause me severe irritations, which means I should just avoid them all together. But I may be able to handle them. So we'll see.

I predict a lot of salads and grilled meats in my immediate future though. And wine. Because wine is made from grapes. :)