iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll tcdhsfThtbsepresent with multiple IgG reactions. She explains that intestinal perme-
ability causes the food intolerances and eliminating the offending foods
will only help temporarily. If leaky gut is not addressed, the person will
develop new intolerances, usually to the foods eaten most commonly.
Thus, leaky gut is the root of the problem, not the food intolerance. Dr.
Campbell-McBride advises focusing on healing intestinal permeability to
resolve IgG type intolerances.
In severe cases of intestinal permeability, a rotation diet may need to
be started for remaining foods to prevent new reactions to these foods.
Foods are rotated in every four to seven days and are never eaten two days
in a row.
IgG tests are available as panels of 100–200 foods and may be helpful in
identifying additional intolerances that can perpetuate the immune system
response. These tests are somewhat controversial, however, and may give
false negatives to some reactive foods.
Other Foods Associated with Autoimmunity
Accounting for 90 percent of food reactions, the most common food
antigens are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (e.g., almonds, cashews, wal-
nuts), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.
Nightshades (e.g., tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant), beef, cit-
rus, corn, and pork may also be problematic.
As we have already discussed, PAIRs are a factor that may be present in
most cases of autoimmunity, especially in Hashimoto’s.
Gluten is the most well-researched PAIR, and it seems to cause an in-
crease in intestinal permeability in everyone, not just those with a ge-
netic susceptibility to gluten sensitivity. In some, removal of gluten leads
to intestinal healing within three months; in others, it may take up to
two years. Other foods may cross-react with gluten and cause a similar
immune response as well as intestinal permeability. These include dairy
products, chocolate, yeast, oats, and coffee.
When people cut gluten out of their diet, they often rely more heavily on
gluten-free grains like quinoa, rice, and amaranth, which may be prob-
lematic if they continue to have intestinal permeability as these can be
more difficult to digest. Grains require brush border enzymes for diges-
tion, and the brush borders may be severely impaired in advanced cases of