Ken, thanks for the kind and encouraging words.

It's not easy for sure, but given the stakes, I'm up for trying this ridiculously restrictive diet for 1 year and trying to heal my gut and possibly push this thing into remission. I'm not sure it's probable though, given everything I'm reading about non length dependent SFN, though it has been known to happen.

Basically, I can't eat so many things that going out is not an option for me. To give you an idea how restrictive my diet is like: I can't eat spices from seeds, fruit, any sugar based sauces (which is practically all the sauces you find on meets out there), certain vinegars, and so on and so forth.

I'm hoping to reintroduce some fruit, very little, handful of berries a week to begin with, very little nuts and seeds and possibly eggs or egg yokes in a year from now, but even then eating out will be very risky. I've had to hold back from eating Christmas dinner out with the in laws and their extended family at a delicious restaurant next week, but I guess I'll have a nice quiet night to myself. It's difficult, but I really have no one to blame but myself for my poor lifestyle choices. Well, maybe it was genetics, but unlikely. Likely, my poor lifestyle for years and years precipitated this.

I'll live though: there is much suffering in this crazy world, and I'm among the most fortunate, I know. But being a foodie like yourself and not being able to indulge at the newest restaurant with my wife, family and friends is not easy.

Thanks again!

90% coacoa candy bars? I snack these as sugar is the 4th or 5th ingredient and it doesn't register on the old glucose meter. Also your symptoms will change over time. At some point you might start a journal and log the day that you tried something "bad" and then wait for 3 or 4 days and see if you have any info to write down. I had an aversion to Potatoe Salad as I would always eat too much and burn for a few days. I have tried it after about a year has gone by and It didn't treat me bad.Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Thanks, Ken. Glad you can enjoy those treat. Well, let's say cocoa is very high in phytic acid, which is something we can't break down and so is a known irritant for people with gut and/or autoimmune. It's the same reason why I don't consume nuts and seeds among other things. At some point, say a year down the road, perhaps I'll introduce some very limited quantities.

Yes, that's the idea, you're right. I will keep a journal, I've been meaning to, but will for sure soon. And I'll definitely do so when I start to reintroduce things in a year or so. I plan to begin with nightshades, eggs and seeds and nuts, all of which I've excluded right now and for the foreseeable future.

Yeah, not surprised about the potato salad given that it's very high on the glycemic index. But glad you can enjoy some now. I'm hoping once I heel my gut, or hopefully do so, I can enjoy more things. And who knows, perhaps one day I'll be able to have things I don't thing are healthy here and there without a reaction, but I'm not sure I'll ever risk it with things like gluten, dairy and alcohol. We'll see. And thanks again for the encouragement. All the best to you too!

I eat eggs occasionally, but only ones that are from grass fed, free range chickens. I know the owner of an organic farm and have literally met the chickens. I also eat nuts on occasion, but I slow cook them for 24 hours in a warm oven. According to Sally Fallon in a book called "Nourishing Traditions" this makes them more easily digested. It works for me. When you're ready if you need more info PM me. I was on a Paleo Diet but just recently switched to Keto.

Question from a prior post, What do you use for liquid in your vegie smoothie?

Hi Pinkeynose,

If you can handle eggs and nuts, then by all means. Listening to one's body is key as I'm sure you know. Egg whites are problematic, which is why I avoid them. When I do reintroduce eggs after a year, I'll begin with the yokes. Here's a decent idea of the issues: http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/06/w...ocol-eggs.html. You may already know this and you're just fine with it, and as I mentioned that matters most. Of course, that they're local, and you know the source, is essential. For the first year, I want to avoid any possible irritants, and I can tell you that by reducing my diet to what it is now, it has even calmed me down more. Long chain proteins are just difficult on the gut and I've really done a number on mine for years. Even when I do introduce them, I'll be eating one or two a week, not much more.

As for nuts, there isn't too much good evidence on that method or the one I used, namely, soaking for 7 hours or so, but you find relief from it and so did I, so I think it must reduce the phytic acid. All those traditional cultures and our guts can't be wrong, right? Again, with nuts and seeds, because of the phytic acid, I've decided to take them out for now, for a year. I will say that I was eating lots of them raw and almond butter for months until recently and my SFN and gut were improving, but taking them out entirely has seen my IBS symptoms improve even more and it's very noticeable. I hope I can reintroduce them at some point...looking at my wife take spoons of almond butter in after dinner is not easy!

Every morning I have a veggie smoothie, right. I was using almond milk, but now that I'm fully on the autoimmune protocol, I use water. I know, it's boring, isn't it? I usually throw in a few ice cubes, some water, maybe a little spice, some herbs, maybe mint, an avocado or two, a spoon or two of coconut oil and lots of greens, whether kale, arugula, spinach, chard, etc. If you can handle coconut milk, then use that. If you want to avoid the added processing, throw in some coconut flour and mix it in with the water first. It makes it tasty. In case I have SIBO, I took out the coconut flour - it's high in inulin and as soon as I did, and stopped eating coconut bread, my IBS symptoms improved considerably, making me believe even more so that I do have SIBO. One thing to try and that I've been meaning to, is to add bone broth as the base. I usually just drink up a glass of that separately afterward, but I've been thinking of doing that.

And please feel free to PM me anytime, and I'll be in touch at some point too, I'm sure. Thank you.