126 Diet Wise
by the American ecologists Herbert Rinkel and Arthur Coca plus my own
recommendations. Follow it exactly and there will be very little chance of a
trouble food slipping back into your diet by mistake.
If on testing you have a positive reaction, this is almost proof.
Unusual false reactions may occur, but these can be sorted out later. Even
then a reaction has some meaning; it might be that the method of storage or
preparation induced some allergy capacity to the food that was otherwise
innocent. If that is the case, then there is something useful for you to
investigate anyway. Negative reactions are not so definite; nevertheless,
you must make some assumptions, until proved wrong. Consider a food
that doesn’t react as safe. If you find yourself becoming confused, the best
answer is to go back over the ground and test again.
My recommended procedure for
individual food challenge tests
Test a food or drink only on a day when you feel well. It is no use testing
food unless you are able to notice a reaction. If you are suffering from, say,
a headache that day, how will you know if your test food causes headaches?
True, it might make the one you’ve got worse. But that is too vague and
risky. Having come this far, through care and diligence, why cut corners?
Wait for a better day.
- Test only at lunchtime. I realize that this can be difficult with
children who go to school, but there is a good reason for choosing
this meal instead of others. It isn’t always easy to tell first thing in
the morning whether the day is a good or a bad one for you, but
by lunchtime you should know for sure either way. Avoid testing at
breakfast unless you feel bright and sparkling (some people are like
that at the start of the day, believe it or not!). - Testing at your evening meal is not wise: most symptoms come
on in the first few hours, and you might have a reaction in the
night when you are asleep and miss it. This could spare you a little
discomfort, but you may be misled as to the results of the test and
become confused. - Eat only the food you are testing at the first test meal. Take a
reasonable portion, for example two apples, half a pint of milk or
two slices of bread (no butter). Sea salt may he used if needed; not