Of all the
inflammation problems I have had, my dermatitis is always the first to appear
if I eat something inflammatory. I can begin to diagnose the problem by
following my low-sulphur elimination diet. The term "elimination"
refers to eliminating from the diet all foods that are known or suspected to
cause inflammation. The few foods remaining are the
Elimination Diet.
RATIONALE
FOR A LOW-SULPHUR DIET AS A TEST. Why are the foods on my Elimination
Diet low sulphur? Because, for me, the concentration of
sulphur in a food is the best predictor of whether I will get an inflammation
reaction. (I do not know whether sulphur is the cause of the inflammation or
whether it is a "confounder," that is, something that is always
present when the real cause is present.)
Example foods
that are very high in sulphur are mustard and clams. All animal products,
except isolated fats, are high in sulphur. Almost all nuts, beans, peas, and
grains are high in sulphur. (There are exceptions.) Example foods that are very
low in sulphur are yams, celery, and many fruits.
PROCEDURE.
If I follow the low-sulphur elimination diet, with perfect compliance, for one
to two weeks and see some improvement, then I suspect that I have eliminated
something that was causing the problem. I can then begin the long process
of adding eliminated foods back into my diet.
The standard reintroduction test
is to add one serving of the suspect food (for example, asparagus) per meal for
six meals in a row (two days). If I start on Monday morning at breakfast, the
reintroduction will be completed with the evening meal on Tuesday, and then I
eat only the elimination diet foods while waiting for a reaction, if any. If
there is no reaction by Sunday, then on Monday I will test the next food.
Even if no
inflammation reaction appears after testing a food, it is important to wait the
five days (Wednesday-Sunday) between tests— to give the body time to dispose of
the test food and its effects.
GUIDE
TO SULPHUR IN FOODS. I have not been able to find a recent,
comprehensive list of foods ranked by their sulphur content (milligrams of
sulphur in each 100 gram serving). The guide I am using is this old document,
"The Sulphur Content of Foods," by Margery Masters and Robert
Alexander McCance, now on pdf:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1264524/pdf/biochemj01022-0143.pdf
So far, it has confirmed my earlier tests and worked perfectly as a predictor.
So far, it has confirmed my earlier tests and worked perfectly as a predictor.
ALLOWED
FOODS. To follow this diagnostic diet, I eat foods from the following
list and no other foods, not even seasonings. All the listed foods are rated at
less than 25 milligrams/100 gram serving. Numbers in parentheses are the
amounts of sulphur, in mg/100 g serving. All the foods listed below should be
either organic or pure (no additives of any kind, especially no sulphur-based preservatives).
To save money, I buy pure foods, either frozen, fresh, or canned (in water or
juice) and generally avoid organics, which are very expensive. (Fruits canned in syrup can be washed.)
In my personal
Elimination Diet list, I have excluded some low-sulphur foods
that have a reputation for causing inflammation problems in some individuals.
Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, and so forth) are examples, though I am not certain about them. I have included
"nightshades" (eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes). They cause no
problems for me; but some other individuals report getting a reaction from
them. If you are unsure of your reaction to citrus fruits and nightshades, then you might start by excluding them. You can use them as test foods, introducing one
per week back into your diet. Be cautious about generalizing. I have a strong adverse reaction to grapefruit, but no reaction to lemons.
AMBIGUOUS
RESULTS. In testing a food, you might get an ambiguous result. You
might not be sure whether you are experiencing an inflammation reaction. My
suggestion is to set that food aside. Test it again months later, and test it with a
higher dose—for example, two servings per meal for six meals
in a row.
ALLOWED
FOODS. The following foods are the foods I know to be safe for me. They
do not cause inflammation problems in my skin. I eat something from each of the first three categories at every meal.
1. STARCHES:
celery root (9 mg/100 g); pumpkin, canned, pure (10); winter squash, such as
acorn, fresh or in frozen blocks, pure (10); sweet potatoes (15); yams (15);
parsnips (15); and Russet, red, or gold potatoes (boiled, peeled at dinner
table, 23).
2. VEGETABLES:
carrots (9 mg/100 g); beans, green ("French" or "string,"
9); celery (9); eggplant (9); cucumber (11); artichoke hearts (16); beets (22).
3. FRUIT
(including "salad fruit"); pineapple (3 mg/100 g); apples (4); plums
(5); pears (5); peaches (6); apricots (6); cherries (7); honeydew and other
melons (7-12); grapes (9); nectarines (10); tomatoes (10); blackberries (13);
bananas (13); figs, green (13); strawberries (14); raspberries (18); prunes
(19).
4. FLAVORINGS:
honey (1); white cane sugar (14); vinegar (19); salt (23-35?).
Suggestion: If
you want to be extra cautious, you might start with foods that are rated at 15 mg/serving or less, which would include yams and parsnips.
Burgess Laughlin
