Food Allergies, Neuropathy, and Blood Sugar Control on a Low Carb Diet

Ditch the food intolerance and speed up weight loss

Many things can interfere with the success of a low carb diet:

• celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity 
• thyroid problems
• appetite control
• food addictions
• binge disorders

These are just a few of the possibilities.

Recently, I’ve been looking at food sensitivities and allergies since systemic inflammation and the resulting water retention factor heavily affect the vertigo and balance problems I have.

Lately, I started itching, and I break out with a rash on my arms, along with some weight gain, whenever I eat beef.

What is a Food Allergy?

Technically, the term food allergy describes an IgE antibody response launched by the immune system against a specific food protein judged to be an invader.

These antibodies interpret the offending protein molecule to be a threat, so they use mediators, such as histamine, which cause allergy symptoms. The following are the primary organs affected by food allergies:

• The skin
• gastrointestinal tract
• and respiratory system

Allergy Vs Food Sensitivity

When I was younger, most allergists did not believe in food sensitivities. They only believed in food allergies that brought forth these IgE antibodies.

Skin-prick tests were popular back then and considered the Gold Standard, but after going through testing for everything the allergist could think of, most of the tests came back normal. The only allergy I actually have is to dogs, and the reaction was considered minor.

When I didn’t test positive to:

• foods
• pollens
• animals
• and dust 

the allergist told me that even though I had symptoms that were indicative of allergy, my problem wasn’t food.

“I believe your problem is chemical,” he said. “But I can’t test for chemicals. You’ll just have to go home and figure it out for yourself.”

He couldn't bring himself to suggest that I might be sensitive to certain food, rather than allergic. Sensitivity wasn't an option for him. It literally did not exist.

So food allergy is when you have IgE antibodies go on the attack against particular allergens. This reaction can be tested for and treated.

Food sensitivity, on the other hand, is when you get wacky symptoms after eating certain foods with no clear diagnosis as to why.

What is an Elimination Diet?

The only option available to those with food sensitivities back then was an elimination diet, so that's the type of self-testing that I’m used to.

If you don't have health insurance, and can't afford to pay as you go for allergy or food sensitivity testing, elimination diets continue to be the only course of action you have.

My husband and I did go through our county medical department in Utah in 2009 and managed to receive partial funding to get our arteries checked out, heart monitored for irregularities, my gallbladder removed, and my fallen bladder repaired.

But our portion of the bill put us in so much debt we couldn’t afford to take on any new, additional medical expenses.

Even though we both had un-diagnosed symptoms, we walked away from that experience without actually finding out what was wrong with us (celiac disease).

An elimination diet is where you eliminate the foods you think might be causing the problem, OR you cut out almost everything you’re eating right now for a few weeks, and then reintroduce foods back into your diet -- one at a time.

When you go for a while without a food that you are sensitive to, and then reintroduce that food into your diet, your body overreacts.

This exaggeration of symptoms makes it fairly easy to tell what your body does or doesn't want you to eat.

However, after experiencing a dramatic improvement after going gluten free, hubby and I didn't go back to eating gluten. I didn't see the point in challenging the body like that.

Original Atkins Diet Functioned as an Elimination Diet

In the 1970s, the Atkins diet functioned as an elimination diet. This was the way it was set up.

In fact, in the late 1990s, Dr. Atkins told those of us on the Atkins newsgroup that the initial design allowed only a little bit of salad because most of his patients had gastrointestinal problems and the lack of fiber helped the intestines to begin healing.

In those days, 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables was not returned to the diet until week 3. And they were returned one vegetable at a time – just one -- not all in one group like they are today.

Connection Between Beef and Dairy Products

After trying a few things out, I started to see a strong correlation between the:

• vertigo
• balance issues
• neuropathy
• blood sugar issues

and the beef and dairy I was eating, so I did a little bit of research and found a connection between those sensitive to dairy products and those sensitive to beef.

I talked about that discovery in the following post: Dairy Sensitivity, Beef, and the Atkins Induction Plan.

Since eliminating beef and dairy, I’ve tried to eat beef a couple of times, but reacted to it in the same way I did before I eliminated it back in early May:

• severe itching
• and a skin rash

I also bought some organic Monterey jack cheese when I was in Las Vegas over the Thanksgiving holiday, visiting a friend, and reacted with the same neurological symptoms I used to get within only 20 minutes:

• ear swelling and pain
• vertigo
• tinnitus
• off-balance
• slurred speech
• and brain fog

Later on that evening, I also got intestinal inflammation and pain. All that from a single slice (an ounce, or maybe less) of organic cheese.

What Happened When I Eliminated Dairy and Beef?

Eliminating all dairy products and beef corrected my wacky blood sugar issues within a couple of weeks, without me having to do anything else.

My guess is that symptoms improved because food allergies and sensitivities cause inflammation.

Inflammation makes you less sensitive to insulin, so if you remove the cause of the inflammation, insulin resistance improves or corrects itself.

New Food Sensitivities Popped Up

Now, I’m not saying that pre-diabetes went away.

At least, not right now, because when we took a trip to Colorado, while we were there, I got seriously glutened from the friends we took the trip with.

We ate at Taco Bell a couple of times, and I got seriously glutened. I didn't know that Taco Bell puts wheat in their ground beef.

So much for trying to live on taco salad.

Eating out when gluten free is always risky, even if you think you are choosing gluten free and dairy free food because most folks don’t get it – even when you take the time to thoroughly explain it to them.

We didn't have a car because we rode with others, so I ended up living on Fritos and diet Coke for the rest of the trip. There was no where to eat in the local area expect for gas station food.

This obviously wasn't a good choice for my blood sugar, I know. Not good for the Neuropathy, either. But at least my intestines and the neurological problems remained safe.

Today, I'm happy to report that while I used to have to limit myself on maintenance to a mere 15 grams of carbohydrates per meal, or less, I can now achieve normal blood glucose levels eating 30 to 40 grams of carbohydrates per meal – except for breakfast – provided I stay completely away from gluten and casein.

Even better, my weight is now extremely easy to maintain. 

I’m still sitting at 160 pounds, as the extra weight I gained from the beef hasn’t melted away, but the weight fluctuations have disappeared. This means less vertigo and falling, and no neuropathy or other neurological problems, even at that higher carbohydrate intake.