144 Diet Wise
margarines, tangerines, other citrus cooking oil (except pure corn oil) and
all fruits, grapes, raisins, herbs, including mint, prunes, figs, fruit juices and
carbonated drinks including colas.
Latex fruit allergy
A combination unknown to me when I first started out in the 1970s but
which has emerged through time is what we call the Latex Fruit Syndrome.
A hypersensitivity to latex (raw rubber) is coupled with reactivity to the
following foods: almond, apple, apricot, avocado, banana, raw carrot, raw
celery, chestnut, cherry, dill, fig, ginger, kiwi, mango, melon, oregano, papaya,
passion fruit, peach, pear, plum, raw potato, sage, raw tomato.
If this seems surprising at first, remember that rubber (latex) comes
from a plant source: the rubber tree, Ficus elastica, which is a kind of fig.
Suspect this and try the necessary exclusions if you know you react
to rubber in gloves, elastic, rubber toys, rubber bands, adhesive tape and
bandages, condoms etc.
Gluten-free
Sensitivity to gluten, the protein that gives wheat its sticky quality so desired
in cooking, was found to be the cause of a serious illness called celiac
disease or “sprue.” The victim simply wasted away due to malnutrition,
while apparently eating normally. The wheat was damaging the gut lining
and the body was simply unable to digest and make use of the food being
swallowed. These unlucky people must strictly avoid gluten but if they do
so, they become quite well.
Gluten sensitivity seems to affect a number of other conditions;
for example, some cases of multiple sclerosis improve dramatically avoiding
it. You might like to try a gluten-free diet, to see if it helps. However, you
will need to stick to it for quite some time to be sure (six to eight weeks).
Gluten-free means you must avoid wheat, oats, barley and rye. Choose
flours such as rice, corn, millet and buckwheat instead. Those who have
a proven sensitivity to gluten and a real need for gluten-free products are
entitled to have them prescribed by their physician.
Doctors place too much reliance on laboratory tests for gluten
sensitivity (as usual) and refuse to diagnose it without the characteristic
bowel changes. If you feel well avoiding the above four foods then, so far
as you are concerned, you have a gluten sensitivity.