Thursday, February 16, 2017

Day to Day Strategies - #3 Coping Tips for Menu Planning

COPING TIPS - menu planning, recipes and food:
I mentioned in the Facebook Group, what I think is an important reminder for day to day coping with the challenge of meal preparation and planning, but I want to make sure people see it, so am giving it a blog post space ... feel free to add your comments - either here or in the group

One important piece of advice - Never be afraid to search the internet for recipes, and see how you can adapt them to a low Ni version! That's what I have been doing. Arm yourself with the INDD list and don't just dismiss recipes that might have questionable ingredients. I have always eliminated various ingredients and made substitutions based on what I thought might have been a reactive ingredient for me. Eg - substitute shallots for onions, reduce garlic, if you think it gives you issues. Substitute fresh herbs for dried ones, and so on.

Of course, don't go searching for recipes that have legumes, soy, whole grains, or chocolate as your base, or main ingredients! Be bold and adventurous - try "new" vegetables. Make soups and stews with our Ni safe foods! Embrace it. Really, what choice do we have? There are tons and tons of adaptable recipes out there!

Nickel levels in fats and oils ... a very incomplete working document




Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Day to Day Strategies for Coping with the SNAS Diet


These steps form an important part of our daily dietary and lifestyle routines:

First and foremost, the low-nickel diet doesn't replace the need to avoid or reduce your exposure to nickel in your environment.
  • Avoid stainless steel cookware, use parchment paper in your bakeware.  Ideally, cook with glass, ceramic, cast iron, carbon steel, and ceramic lined metal pots and pans. 
  • Be aware of nickel content in your stainless steel cutlery.  If you are highly reactive, use plastic cutlery and and ceramic knives. 
  • Get your tap water tested - to be safe we need to stay at < 2 parts per million.  For the general population, it is pegged at 5 ppm. 
  • Avoid contact with laptops and cell phones.  Use silicone covers, otter boxes, wear cotton gloves or vinyl gloves. 
  • Become familiar with nickel content in your cosmetics, hair products and lotions and potions.
  • Use simple laundry products
  • Be aware of door knobs, hand rails, appliances. Think about how much nickel is in those nice stoves, fridges, microwaves, kettles, toasters that are made of stainless steel. 


Besides avoiding the highest nickel foods from the various lists,or going on a full nickel-poor diet, a couple of things should be considered "mandatory" as they might help you manage: 



These supplements should be taken every day:



1.  Vitamin C (at mealtime)

2.  Probiotic - preferably Lactobacillus Reuteri strain, or Lactobacillus Rhamnosus
3.  An iron supplement, or preferably eat animal protein and other high iron foods
4.  Vitamin D


How to approach the use of these supplements and incorporate in you diet:

  1. make sure you take vitamin C with every meal.   Capsule, tablet powder or liquid
    • powder and liquid form are easiest to absorb.
    • The studies recommend 500 mg per meal, but it can vary from individual to individual.  It binds with the nickel in food, so we can excrete it instead of digest it and ultimately ending up in our blood stream.
    • I now take 1000 per meal most of the time. But I have severe reactions that the C has really helped to keep at bay, and it helps me keep increasing my healthy food intake.     
    • If you "slip up" take a little extra vitamin C after your meal.  
    • Some folks have sensitive stomaches, so look for a brand that is buffered.  
    • Vitamin C is also a natural antihistamine.
  2. take a good quality probiotic - 
    • L. Reuteri and L. Rhamnosus strains have been studied and considered most effective for SNAS.  
    • This is proven to help via several studies to help increase the resilience of the gut micro biome, and in turn offer protection against dietary nickel.  It helps reduce the likelihood of skin symptoms, and helps with GI symptoms.
  3. Take an iron supplement and B12 if needed, every day.  
    • If your iron stores are good, you should still consider eating good quality, high iron animal protein, for iron as well as other micronutrients.  
    • Iron is a nickel chelator as well. 
  4. Take a Vitamin D3 supplement every day.  
    • Studies have shown that most North Americans and northern Europeans are low in vitamin D levels from lack of sunshine in winter and use of sunscreens in summer (vitamin D is metabolized through exposure to sunlight.  
    • Further studies are showing that those of us with low vitamin D are also gut compromised and immune compromised, so we seem to need it for efficient digestive processes, and as a boost to our immune systems.  
Also important:
A. Drink lots of water - at least 2 litres a day.  Or more. 
B. Include some dairy, especially plain, natural Greek yogurt, plain kefir, or ricotta cheese - dairy is a nickel chelator.  If you cannot tolerate dairy, omit this step, but consider increasing your probiotic. 
C.  Whenever possible, try to get as many of your nutrients from food - eat daily those foods that are high in vitamin C, iron, B12 and vitamin D.




revised 08-04-2017

nichelina & co
coachgilda@gmail.com


Strategies for Eating Out with Systemic Nickel Food Allergy



First and foremost - whenever possible avoid fast food places and franchise chains. Focus on small, independently owned restaurants. Ask to speak to owner or chef, state your allergies and ask lots of questions. 

And do all of these if necessary ...
1)   take an antihistamine combo (H1 & H2 - like Zantac + Zyrtec) before and after the meal. Check with your GP or allergist re: what is advisable for you and your particular basket of health issues.
2)   with the meal, take at least 500 to 1000 mg of vit C if you can tolerate it – it will help with chelation of Nickel.  Some folks tolerate only smaller doses.  Start at 250 mg, and see how you fare.  
3)    take your vit C with meals every single day ... not just when you go out.
4)    take a good probiotic with L reuteri strain every day
5)    take an extra dose of the probiotic when you eat out
6)    drink lots of water, even more than usual when you go out
7)    on the day you eat out, take an antihistamine like benadryl or atarax at bedtime.
8)    take an extra dose of vitamin C at bedtime
9)    have a dairy-based dessert or bedtime snack for extra chelation

I did all of this on vacation last year x 2 weeks ... this was before I knew that SNAS was at the root of my massive flare-ups. I was fine the whole time for the first time ever when travelling ...

NOTE:  

  • Not everyone needs to do step #1.  Some folks report that antihistamines don't help their symptoms much.  
  • What is important to keep in mind is a healthy gut micro biome.  Digestive enzymes may be needed and there is research showing that DAO supplements or Quercetin can be helpful.  Talk to your health practitioner to see what might be helpful.  You may find that you need to take these in step #1, to be able to eat out.  




January, 2017

Getting Started on the Low Nickel Diet, Part 1 - The Basics


The "Italian Nickel Detox" Diet 
(revised 20-03-2017)

CLICK HERE FOR THE DIET
If you have been diagnosed with or suspect you have Systemic NickelAllergy Syndrome (SNAS), it is important to understand that it is connected with, or is a consequence of Allergic Contact Dermatitis - and one of the most effective treatments is to implement a low-nickel diet.  Systemic reactions to nickel can be closely connected with the naturally occurring presence of the element - nickel in our foods, or to the presence of added nickel through preparation, manufacturing, packaging and cooking methods. 
The low nickel diet can significantly reduce the following symptoms of nickel allergy or intolerance - dermatitis, hives, eczema, rashes and i(often extreme) itching.  Other symptoms include headaches, migraines, asthma, IBS, colitis, joint swelling and pain, tinnitus and more.  These symptoms often occur with a number of other conditions, so SNAS is often difficult to diagnose as a result.

In order to achieve symptom reduction, it is important to avoid certain foods.  The low-nikel diet recommendations fall under 3 general categories:
·                Foods that naturally contain Nickel : beans, peas, nuts seeds chocolate, and more;
·                Foods that do not contain nickel, but that come into contact with certain processing and baking procedures : flour milling, acids (tomato products, lemon, citrus) cooked in stainless steel cookware, canned food;
·                Foods that absorb the Nickel from soil in which they are grown (dark leafy greens, root vegetables),or the waters in which they are caught or bred: the tap water that comes in contact with nickel in the plumbing pathways and pipes.
FOODS TO AVOID
It's easier to start with the top nickel-loaded foods - and to eliminate them right away.  And consider that most other foods will be relatively safe in a balanced diet.
Many foods (including many that are normally considered very healthy otherwise) contain traces of nickel,that contribute to, or trigger reactions for those of us who are allergic or highly intolerant, while causing no such reactions to otherwise healthy individuals.  The top nickel-loaded foods include:
1.            Chocolate and cocoa powder: these are the foods with the highest concentration of absolute Nickel, caused by the long refining processes and constant contact with steel machinery. Cocoa powder has a nickel concentration of 9.8 ug per gram!
2.            Cashews : despite their purported health benefits in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, these nuts are among the highest in Nickel and therefore must be eliminated
3.            Beans and legumes , especially lentils
4.            Green leafy vegetables :  such as spinach, lettuce, kale and certain cabbages should be avoided.
5.            Whole wheat flour and whole grains have a high concentration of Nickel
6.            Peanuts, almonds and walnuts and seeds : flax seeds, sunflower seeds
7.            Soy : including tofu, soy sauce and soy beans
8.            Shellfish : shrimp, oysters, clams
9.            Meat and canned fish , like “tinned beef or pork” or canned tuna, salmon, herrings etc.
10.        All canned products : green peas, chickpeas, legumes in general, fruit, peeled
Other foods to avoid or reduce with a lower concentration of nickel:
Raw tomatoes, onions, carrots, beer, red wine, eggs, asparagus, parsley, peppers, potatoes, yeast.
These foods can be eaten sparingly, but it is suggested to avoid in the early stages of the low nickel diet.
In addition to the foods to avoid, some important suggestions:

DAILY HABITS - What to include:
·                Eat foods rich in Iron -  to counteract the absorption of nickel;
·                Take Vitamin C  - also counteracts nickel absorption
·                Use cookware suitable for those suffering from allergies to heavy metals:  ceramic, glass, carbon steel, cast iron.  For stainless steel,  the 18/10 acronyms, 18/8 and 18/0  on the pans reflect the ratio of nickel alloy in the material.  Stainless steel it is an alloy composed of iron, chromium, nickel and other metals. The first number indicates the percentage of chromium present in the alloy, the second shows the percentage of nickel. If you are allergic to the latter material, it is therefore necessary to choose pots and pans in stainless steel 18/0, ie totally free of nickel.
·                do not use aluminum foil in the kitchen
·                drink a lot of water

This should all help get you started on the low-nickel way of life, and you are encouraged to keep exploring and learning more.



WANT TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE DIET?   CLICK HERE!