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If fasting greatly reduces my inflammation, might that mean I have food sensitivities?

I have some chronic inflammation issues, mostly in my throat/neck area. Western doctors haven’t been able to identify the cause. It’s resulted in sleep apnea (at a healthy weight and young age), a chronic cough/stuff stuck in my throat feeling, and just general discomfort.

When I fast for a few days, the inflammation decreases dramatically. And comes back within a day or so of eating again.

I know fasting reduces inflammation, but this makes me think I might be reacting to a specific food or foods.

I’ve already tried elimination diets and such and have definitely identified gluten as problematic for me, so I avoid that. But I’m wondering if this inflammation might be linked to a specific type of food that I’ve yet to identify.

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Answer

I had the same experience as you. I wasn’t technically overweight, but was retaining a lot of water for some reason. When I started eating one meal a day in order to reduce inflammation, I lost 9 pounds in seven days which I know was water due to so much inflammation. I’ve now lost about 14 pounds total and I am at my goal weight. So I am not exactly sure what was causing all of that inflammation. I was training for a marathon and so I was eating a lot all day long and I think my digestive system just wasn’t getting a break. Now I still eat only four hours of the day and let my digestion rest for 20 hours. However, I also think almond milk was inflaming me so I don’t drink that anymore. And ever since I started fasting, I can no longer tolerate any caffeine. So to answer your question, yes, I think you probably have developed food sensitivities due to your inflammation, but that might be due to your digestive system that needs healing.

Answer

I find this list super helpful. All the vegetables that are trying to kill you (stay away from the red). https://daveasprey.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Dave-Asprey-Diet-and-Fasting-Roadmap-2021.pdf

Answer

I have autoimmune issues that I’ve tried countless elimination diets and doctors for. When I fast symptoms either disappear or are greatly reduced, but they come back when I start eating again. I’ve done a few 5 day fasts and cut out things like alcohol, dairy etc.

It may be food, it may be environmental. I’m very allergic to dust mites so my home is a ridiculous level of spotless with most things either wall mounted or off the floor enough to easily clean.

These things are so difficult to track down. I was on medication for so long I started having to take other medication for side effects from the first. That’s when I started looking at alternatives. Some people have reported improvements with fasting so that’s where I am now.

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