From Chris J.
Subject: Thank you Hi Chris, I am so glad you found my parsley chapter informative. Thank you for the positive feedback!
Yes, we are all very unique creatures, and what helps one person can send other into agony. You might want to keep a food diary for a while to see how you are responding to various meals.
Unless you had a ton of parsley, I suspect it may more likely be all the fiber you had that cleaned you out, so to speak. Fiber is a great thing but it takes some getting used to. And some types of plant fiber are easier to digest than others. For example, you had edamame, or soybeans:
Soybeans can be particularly troublesome for some, for they contain short sugar chains that, should they make it all they way to your colon, are digested vigorously by colonic bactieria, which in their own small way emit an astonishing amount of gas, which we must deal with in a larger way.
For food sensitivities, you have to be a real detective, and the data you get on yourself can be confusing: there are so many variables to test, and you are just one person with no control group!
Don't jump to any permanent conclusions too quickly. The best scientists and detectives are always kicking the tires of their own beliefs and testing them until they know they are well supported by evidence. It may be a good sign that your doctors can admit they do not know. I would be less trustful of those who claim to have all the answers.
Doctors recommend (I am not an MD, just a PhD scientist) for assessing food sensitivities omitting just one particular suspected food item for a few weeks, and then reintroducing it to see if it really does make you feel sick. The most common culprits for food sensitivities are:
cereals based on wheat and corn, dairy products, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, and shellfish.
Your doctors can also take some of your blood to test for wheat gluten sensitivity, which is surprisingly common. This test is not 100% accurate, but can be confirmed with endoscopy.
Keep taking care of yourself and hang in there,
Holly |