This is the table of foods I am sensitive to and my responses to them.
| Food | Glutamic Acid | Lactose | Citric acid | Sulphites | Chocolate | Beef |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Metabolic disorder (Fast glutamate uptake/slow breakdown) | Metabolic disorder (Lactase deficiency) | Metabolic disorder (See notes) | Metabolic disorder (Sulphite oxidase deficiency due to molybdenum deficiency) | Metabolic disorder (Xanthine oxidase deficiency due to molybdenum deficiency) | Unknown |
| Symptom Severity | Mild | Severe | Mild | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Dose Response | Linear | Step | Linear | Linear | Step | Step |
| Response Time | Hours | 3 hours (full stomach) | 5–8 hours | ½–1½ hours | 5–8 hours | 5–8 hours |
| Partial Recovery Time (After Onset of Symptoms) | None – Always Functional | 1 hour | 1 hour | None – Always Functional | 1 hour | 1 hour |
| Full Recovery Time | 1 day | 1 day | 2 days | 4 days | 1 day | 1 day |
| Obvious/Natural Sources | None | Milk, Cheese, Ice Cream | Citrus fruit, pineapple, most berries, tomatoes | None | Chocolate, cocoa, cocoa butter | Duh |
| Weird Ingredient Sources | MSG | Lactose (especially in medications), milk ingredients (very common in processed foods) | Pectin, citric acid, citrate | Sulphite (including metabisulphite), saccharin, acesulfame-K, yellow #5 (potentially any colour), wine, vinegar (all except white or malt), molasses, brown sugar (contains molasses), maple syrup, cold cuts/preserved meat, dried fruits, caramel colour, bottled citrus juice, certain preserved seafood | None | None |
| Preventative Measure | None | Lactase enzyme caplets, lactose-free equivalent | Molybdenum supplement | Molybdenum supplement | Molybdenum supplement | None |
| Behaviour without Preventative Measure | Avoid | Avoid | Eat reduced quantities | Avoid | Avoid | Avoid |
| Behaviour with Preventative Measure | Avoid | As much as desired, with food | Eat moderate quantities | Eat small quantities, occasionally | Eat trace quantities | Avoid |
| Notes | Must be labelled, therefore easy to avoid | Very aged cheeses (e.g., Parmesan) are effectively lactose-free | Suspected pantothentic acid hyper-metabolism, but testing suggests not. Possibly molybdenum-related | Must be labelled in Canada after August 2009; illegal on fresh produce |
“Always functional” means that if I was experiencing these symptoms, I would be in pain, but capable of hiding it.
There are only four molybdenum-dependant enzymes in humans: xanthine oxidase, ferrodoxin, sulphite oxidase, and nitrate reductase. I suspect that I have a molybdenum processing disorder, but it doesn't really make sense. I have no symptoms of nitrate reductase deficiency (higher met-haemoglobin in the blood) and if I have xanthine oxidase deficiency, I should have trouble with a number of purine-rich foods, including pork and cheese, which I don't. Ferrodoxin might explain the citric acid sensitivity, but then how am I not dead? Admittedly, the deficiency must be small and the biochemistry must be complicated. This is my best hypothesis, but there aren't many tests I can do on my own at this point.
It's also worth noting that lactose-intolerance is wild-type and lactose-tolerance is the mutant phenotype.
This is the elimination diet I followed to determine my sensitivities. My sister also used it and discovered she is sensitive to wheat, pork, and the mint-family herb. It's a composite of many I found online. Keep a journal of what you eat, approximate times, bowel movements, and any GI discomfort.
For two weeks (though plan for three since you will probably make mistakes the first week), eat only the following foods. You should have no symptoms at the end of those weeks.
Beans – green beans, wax beans, dried beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, dried peas
Beet Family – beets, beet greens, Swiss chard
Cabbage Family – cabbage, bok choy, napa cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, rapini, broccolini, mustard greens, collard greens, kholrobi
Carrot Family – carrots, parsnips, parsley, celery, celery root
Cooking Ingredients – tapioca starch, white vinegar
Fruits – olives, blueberries, grapes, apples, pears, dates, apple juice/cider/sauce if unsweetened
Grains – Rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet
Lilly Family – onions, garlic, shallots, leeks
Nuts – almonds, sesame, walnuts, coconut, sunflower seeds (and their oils and butters)
Poultry – chicken, turkey, duck, goose
Seasonings – salt, black pepper, ginger (fresh or dried), olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, most herbs and spices
Squash – zucchini, pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash, turban squash, etc.
Fish
Lamb
Mushrooms
Spinach
Sweet potato
No sweeteners other than rice syrup. Rice milk is also acceptable if you can find one that contains only rice, water, and enzyme.
When reintroducting, eat two servings a day for two days. Basically, put some of the target food in two different meals everyday. You should experience nothing noticeable. The order doesn't matter, though some things must be tested in order. If an item is marked with a ★, then it should be the target food for testing.
| Group | Foods | Prerequisites | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | Beer | Gluten | |
| Beef | Beef, veal | ||
| Berries | Strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, blackberries, mangoes, melons | Latex, Citrus | |
| Cashews | Cashews | ||
| Chocolate | Chocolate, cocoa powder | Dairy, sugar | |
| Citrus | Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, pineapple | Avoid bottled juices as they contain sulphites | |
| Coffee | Coffee | ||
| Corn | Corn, cornmeal, corn syrup | Everything labelled “glucose-fructose” is corn syrup. | |
| Dairy | Milk, butter, cream, cheese, yoghurt | ||
| Eggplant | Eggplant | ||
| Eggs | Eggs | Some people have trouble with the volume of protein in a boiled or fried egg. Try something like egg-drop soup or scrambled eggs | |
| Gluten | Wheat★, rye, oats, spelt, kamut | ||
| Latex | Bananas★, lettuce | ||
| Peanuts | Peanuts | ||
| Peppers | Bell peppers, chili peppers | Citrus | |
| Pistachios | Pistachios | ||
| Pork | Pork | ||
| Potatoes | Potatoes | ||
| Prunes | Plums, peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots | Citrus, Latex | |
| Seafood | Shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels, oysters, squid, octopus, cuttlefish | ||
| Soy | Soy beans★, edamame★, soy oil | ||
| Sugar | Brown sugar, molasses, white sugar | ||
| Tea | Tea | Not herbal teas | |
| Tomatoes | Tomatoes | Citrus | |
| Wine | Wine, wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar |
If you feel a reaction, remove the offending food and wait about 4 days until symptoms go away and proceed to the next food. Re-test all offending foods at the end.