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What should I eat if I can't consume Legumes or Gluten


Kon
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So through trial and error, I'm beginning to realize that eating legumes and gluten worsens my acne condition (maybe they cause it). So no greenbeans, peas, beans, grains, most processed foods, soybean oil, nuts, etc etc..

 

So this makes finding food to build muscle a bit difficult. I don't consume dairy either.

What are your suggestions on foods to eat that will help me build up and add muscle?

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You pretty much eliminated every vegan protein source except for grains, nuts, brewer's yeast ( used as a protein drink ) and protein drinks.

 

Have you gone to an MD and/or a dermatologist to make sure that you really are allergic/intolerant to those foods or if there is another issue, that can be treated, going on?

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I haven't, but I've suffered from acne for over eleven years now, and recently I stopped eating gluten and legumes and my acne has cleared up significantly. When I try reintroducing them, my acne gets worse.

I haven't been eating dairy either, because I want to see if that helps too, but I might try reintroducing it to see if I can consume it because I'm trying to find foods to eat. All grains have some form of gluten in them, so I've cut all grains out (unless I can find some that might not effect me). Nuts also make my skin oily, so I don't eat them either (peanuts are legumes). Maybes it is the peanuts or traces of peanuts that effected me. Maybe the tree nuts are alright for me (I'll need to test this if I can find a produce that has no traces of peanuts).. If a product has traces of gluten or legumes, it seems to effect my skin. Sometimes I'll buy a product like frozen broccoli and then notice on the package it having traces of gluten labeled (due to the manufacturing process)...

Anyways.. I need to find more choices to pick from because at the moment it is limiting.

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Quinoa and Amaranth... they are seeds not grains. Pumpkin, squash, sunflower and hemp seeds. Avocado and coconut are fruits with a higher protein than most other fruit.. but they are also fairly high in fat so you may not want to eat too much of them in a day.

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I don't really want to spend several hundred dollars on getting tested. Especially when the results aren't always accurate, and also if they'll just ask me to do the same things I'm doing now, which is eliminating suspect foods. Eliminated gluten and legumes has worked so far, and I'll continue to monitor my symptoms. Considering that humans never use to eat legumes and highly glutenous foods far back in history suggests to me that it's healthier to remove them. Foods have become more glutenous in recent history due to changes in agricultural practices.

 

There's no standard test used to confirm or rule out a food allergy. Your doctor will consider a number of things before making a diagnosis. The following may help determine if you're allergic to a food or if your symptoms are caused by something else:

 

Description of your symptoms. Be prepared to tell your doctor a history of your symptoms — which foods, and how much, seem to cause problems — and whether you have a family history of food allergies or other allergies.

Physical examination. A careful exam can identify or exclude other medical problems.

Food diary. Your doctor may ask you to keep a food diary of your eating habits, symptoms and medications to pinpoint the problem.

Skin test. A skin prick test can determine your reaction to a particular food. In this test, a small amount of the suspected food is placed on the skin of your forearm or back. Your skin is then pricked with a needle, to allow a tiny amount of the substance beneath your skin surface. If you're allergic to a particular substance being tested, you develop a raised bump or reaction. Keep in mind, a positive reaction to this test alone isn't enough to confirm a food allergy.

Elimination diet. You may be asked to eliminate suspect foods for a week or two, and then add the food items back into your diet one at a time. This process can help link symptoms to specific foods. However, this isn't a foolproof method. Psychological factors as well as physical factors can come into play. For example, if you think you're sensitive to a food, a response could be triggered that may not be a true allergic one. If you've had a serve reaction to a food in the past, this method may not be safe.

Blood test. A blood test can measure your immune system's response to particular foods by checking the amount of allergy-type antibodies in your bloodstream, known as immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. For this test, a blood sample taken in your doctor's office is sent to a medical laboratory, where different foods can be tested. However, these blood tests aren't always accurate.

Oral food challenge. During this test, done in the doctor's office, you'll be given small, but increasing amounts of the suspect food. If you don't have a reaction during this test, you may be able to include this food in your diet again.

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Broccoli monster is correct saying that eliminating gluten and all legumes from your diet is a pretty big thing.

 

Vegans should be consuming at least 3 servings of foods per day that are high in the amino acid lysine... (ie. lysine is the limiting amino acid in plant food).

 

Legumes and seitan are usual options to meet that requirement . Other than that your options are quite limited : quinoa, amaranth and seeds (pumpkin, squash, sunflower, sesame)

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Plenty of plant foods have lysine. Spinach, Kale, turnip greens, potatos, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, okra, mushrooms, etc..

So I'm not sure what you mean.

I don't really have a choice anyways as far as legumes and gluten. It negatively effects my body- this is fact.

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I know this is a vegan board, but I'm willing to eat eggs whenever I start exercising more (taking break from gym currently).. I know I can't consume legumes and gluten due to the negative side effects they have on me, so if eggs help me stay healthy, then I'll eat them. So if there's a lysine problem, then that is solved.

I was wondering what foods other than eggs would help build muscle (excluding legumes and gluten). So I have quinoa to try, but I need to wait a bit before I introduce it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been eating some quinoa for the past few days now. I haven't noticed any negative effects yet.

I had realized a week ago that one of my spices included a type of garbanzo bean (chana dal was the ingredient name). Which I suspect was causing my skin to flare up. I have eliminated it and my skin seems to be improving.

I won't be 100% sure until another week or two passes (these symptoms have a habit of emerging in cycles sometimes).

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  • 4 weeks later...

okay.. so since my last post, I've been eating quinoa and pineapple (to help digest proteins that may be difficult for me)..

I tried eating eggs and it made my skin oily and break out, so I stopped and my skin has returned to normal. Although I also ran out of pineapple and quinoa when that happened.. I'm suspicious that quinoa and pineapple might be helping my skin.. who knows.. Why would quinoa help my skin?

I still get acne, but the pimples are tiny- as if there is less inflammation occurring. I feel like there might be one thing still bothering my system, or if it's not that, perhaps it's just my body trying to balance something.. It's confusing.

I'm planning to add more fruit to my diet to see if it helps..

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(1) There is a superfood called (in English) "Job's Tears". It is somewhat annoying that this is the only name we've got for the plant in question, and if people at the health food store don't know what you're talking about, they'll be confused. However, it is high in protein, and it is NOT a legume (and it is gluten-free).

 

They were eaten in medieval Europe (i.e., they are not an exotic/foreign food) but have dropped out of the modern diet in most of the western world. They continue to be eaten in Asia, but they are a "low status" food there (i.e., not associated with wealth).

 

This is what they look like before they are boiled (i.e., in their dried-out state, as commonly sold).

 

http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/image-files/barley-compared.jpg

 

The top half of that image shows Job's Tears, in contrast to a type of barley they're often confused with.

 

When they're boiled sufficiently, they're soft, puffy and white. They are used in some soups, but if you're eating this as a source of proetin, you'll want to eat whole bowls of it (as if it were rice).

 

(2) In terms of self-diagnosis, there's a huge leap of inference being made in what's causing your condition. In your situation, I would not be comfortable assuming that the link to legumes was one of causation rather than correlation.

 

There is absolutely no way that the same health effect would be caused by foods as diverse as lentils and eggs. So, you've already started to produce evidence that contradicts your own initial theory.

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Acne is a symptom: it can be symptomatic of more than one thing.

 

In most cases (not all) one component of the condition is infection (or repeated infection) of the glands that excrete oil between the layers of your skin.

 

Obviously, factors such as how you wash your face, etc., really do matter (not a sarcastic question: are you using vegan soap yet?).

 

If you're eating a type of oil that you can't digest well (i.e., without actually being allergic to it) that will/can cause/exacerbate acne.

 

Although most people don't want to deal with it, issues such as how often you change your pillow-case, and how often you touch your own face (e.g., during periods of the day when you haven't washed your hands) really do matter. This is stuff that (normally) only actors and models pay attention to --and they normally do get made fun of for it by their friends. However, it gets results.

 

I hope that you became vegan for ethical reasons, and that you'll return to it for ethical reasons (i.e., not eat eggs again).

 

I don't know if you'll ever be able to speak to a dermatologist. If not, you can get books out of the library on the subject for free.

 

The science of skin isn't any simpler than (e.g.) the science of teeth --but we're taught to regard dermatology as "D.I.Y." (i.e., "just buy this magic skin-cream…") whereas dentistry is the domain of specialized professionals. That's a cultural perception, not a scientific attitude toward the facts.

 

In many cases, Acne is a real health problem, and it may be an infect that needs to be treated medically --or, at least, that would benefit from medical treatment. You can read up on it, and you can (indeed) join forums on the subject.

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I began taking some vitamins about 4 days ago, so maybe it'll help.

I've tried black beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans, blackeye, and lentils. I think the lentils were the least offensive, but they still caused me to break out- when I stopped eating them, my skin improved.

anyways.. I guess I'll keep an eye on things.

I upped my omega3 consumption, and it seems to be helping (unless it is the vitamins).. Reason I'm using omega3s is because I've read that having your omega3 - 6 ratio unbalanced can make it difficult for your body to metabolize stuff, and it helps with the skin.

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makes sense. that tends to be my opinion about vitamins. I was raised a vegetarian, and been a vegetarian my whole life besides vegan/fruitarian, and over the span of my life I've rarely taken vitamins- I got all my nutrients from variety of foods.

I had these vitamins sitting around because they were a gift, and I hadn't used them all yet, so I decided to see if it would help. As far as the omega3s, I'm getting them from flaxseed oil.

I do live in a more industrial area near chicago, so polution may be a problem. But I've also lived in areas with little industrialization and still had problems.

We'll see..

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