Food Intolerances in Fatigue Syndromes

Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome (C.F.S.), myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.), fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases have at least one food intolerance that they may or may not be aware of and many have several. In order to heal, you need to eliminate all the foods which are having a detrimental effect on your body.

Sometimes you may have identified these foods over a lifetime of trial and error, but sometimes a ‘masked’ food intolerance can be the unseen cause of headaches; menstrual problems; frequent infections; depression; mood swings; sinusitis and a host of other common complaints.

Foods that you are intolerant to will promote a stress reaction within the body causing a temporary ‘high’ and so people often become addicted to the foods to which they are most intolerant. Consciously or unconsciously they may make sure they eat them every day or nearly every day. So any food you feel you cannot live without should be high on the list of foods you suspect you may be intolerant to.

It is worth pointing out that when you withdraw a food to which you are sensitive you may feel really rough for a few days before you start to feel better and then if you eat the food again you may also have a more obvious or extreme reaction to it than was previously the case.

Wheat   

Wheat in particular is known to be addictive and to cause mood swings, depression and cravings and the majority of people are thought to be intolerant to wheat to some extent. The gluten in wheat is often the true allergen and is present in varying amounts in wheat, rye, barley, triticale, kamut, spelt and oats.

Gluten-free alternative grains include: rice, corn, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, teff, gram flour, potato, chestnut flour, amaranth, soya flour, seed and nut flours.

Dairy products

Dairy products most commonly cause constipation and/or the production of excess mucous. Whilst a small percentage of Caucasian people are dairy intolerant, the majority of people of Mediterranean and most people of African and Asian descent are.

You must avoid all foods containing milk and its products – some of which are more obvious than others. The obvious foods to exclude are milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, dried milk, milk powder, skimmed milk powder, non-fat milk solids, milk-based drinks, buttermilk, cream, sour cream, crème fraiche, yoghurt, butter and all kinds of cheese including cottage cheese and cream cheese.

As a straight alternative to milk – soya milk, rice milk, nut milks and oat milk are all acceptable and are available at many supermarkets and health food stores. Some people also find that they can tolerate goat’s or sheep’s milk which have smaller protein molecules and are more digestible.

Click for the article Gluten- and Dairy-Free Recipes for Fatigue Sufferers.

The nightshade family

In third place in the intolerance stakes are the nightshade family of fruits and vegetables. This includes potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum peppers, chilli peppers (and powder), aubergines, paprika, tobacco and cape gooseberries. If you know that you are intolerant to one member of this family, it may be that you need to cut out the other members also.

Food families

If you have a problem with a particular food, it is worth examining the lists below to see what other foods are related – and what foods from other families could be used as a substitute(s).

Further resources

For detailed information about the role of diet in recovering from fatigue, please refer to chapter 14 of Chronic Fatigue, M.E., and Fibromyalgia: The Natural Recovery Plan.

You might also be interested in the following:
	Meal Suggestions Special Diets Gluten- and Dairy-Free Recipes What Happened to Wheat? Gluten Intolerance Coeliac Disease: An Undiagnosed Epidemic Salicylates Nightshades & Fibromyalgia Cooking Without Gluten and Dairy
	Gluten Intolerance and Coeliac Disease, Testing for Gluten Intolerance and Identifying Food Intolerances listed under Supplements & Nutrition in the Audio Hub
	Wheat and Gluten Allergies The Five Most Reactive Foods Part 1 and Part 2 of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Diet
	Or for all media use the Search facility at the top of the page
Food intolerances: Article summary This article examines the issue of food intolerances - particularly to dairy and wheat products and the nightshade family of vegetables and fruit - in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.     Click the icon if you would like to republish this article
To receive a FREE report and the newsletter fill in your email details in the box on the top left. The Natural Recovery Plan Information sheet. Copyright Alison Adams 2010. All rights reserved Dr Alison Adams Dentist, Naturopath, Author and Online Health Coach www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com