Chat Transcript

info: Please wait for a site operator to respond.
info: You are now chatting with 'Operator'
Operator: Thank you for contacting us! How may I help you?
Jared: when it says I am +1 to sugar cane, does that mean I can't have ALL forms of sucrose, or is it specifically sugar cane sugar I can't have? For example, I have found sugar that comes from beets and I am not sensitive to beets. So does this mean I can have beet sucrose/sugar?
Operator: Let me double-check that for you.
Operator: that would actually be fine for you to take my personal favorite sugar alternatives are Truvia and Stevia.

What the...? Did I ask for any sugar alternatives? 

I found this type of response common when chatting with BetterHealthUSA folks.  There sentences were grammatically confusing.  I don't know why they are so rushed when typing.  Are they really chatting to that many people?

Operator: is there anything else i may answer for you?
Jared: seeing as I have to do the 4 day rotation, I can only have Stevia on 1 day.
Jared: Stevia and Truvia are from the same plant
Jared: I need to know if there is a difference between cane sugar and beet sugar
Operator: Let me double-check that for you.
Operator: The labels of most brands of sugars on supermarket shelves neglect to say whether what's inside is cane or beet. In some brands, the contents can vary from day to day.
Operator: However, many in the sugar industry disregard such results, because the conventional wisdom is that beet and cane are the same -- both types are sucrose and chemically identical.
Jared: So my question becomes what was I tested for?
Jared: Cane sugar or sucrose?
Operator: sucrose is in cane sugar
Operator: and again beet and cane are the same -- both types are sucrose and chemically identical

From what I have researched, what they were telling me is correct.

Jared: I did contact Rogers sugar and they told me how to identify which of their sugar comes from beets and which come from cane sugar
Jared: So that means I can have sucrose
Operator: not derived from canes

At first this sounded contradictory to their first statement about being chemically identical. But as we know, the reason is one of sugar contamination with proteins from the source.

Jared: but I can have it when it's derived from beets?
Operator: well that is the problem beet and cane are the same -- both types are sucrose and chemically identical

Either I haven't communicated my question clearly, or this person just doesn't know the answer. Perhaps both of us are having communication issues...

Jared: but I was non-reactive to beets
Jared: and reactive to sugar cane
Operator: have you tried beet sugar
you: not yet. I wanted to discuss it with this chat service. I figured it would have encountered this issue before.

This is because originally I thought I couldn't have cane sugar derivatives or any sugar at all.

Operator: Beet sugar should be ok for you to take since your only a +1 with cane sugar, but since the sucrose is chemically identical to that of cane, if you would like there other alternatives that arent as close.
Jared: what other alternatives?

I thought I was going to get some more hints of sweeteners, not the same stevia thing.

Operator: those made from the rebiana leaves such as stevia and truvia.
Operator: there are plenty more those two are easy to find.
Jared: ah yes
Operator: Any other questions?
Jared: no, not today
Jared: thanks for looking into it
Operator: Thank you for visiting. Please contact us at anytime.

(This operator must have stocks in Stevia and Truvia).

So the lesson to learn about this experience with the people at BetterHealthUSA is that they can tell you much about nutrition and offer some decent guidance as you wrestle with your new diet, but some of your more "scientific" type questions are best left for the experts.

• Honey
• Agave Nectar
• Maple Syrup
• Stevia (Truvia is a newer brand that has come out. It is also of the Rubenia plant but manufactured differently)
• Fructose

Stevia is by far my least favourite.  It works, but sometimes it has a strange aftertaste.  I haven't tried Truvia as I don't think it is for sale in Canada just yet.

The only Fructose I have found is derived from Corn which is unfortunate because there are probably stray corn plant proteins.  So I only use this one for baking and hope the heat denatures some of the proteins. 

Remember when you use fructose that it is about 30-40% sweeter than regular sugar.  So decrease the amount of sugar in your recipes accordingly.

I've read that some molasses comes from Sugar Beets, but I have NEVER seen it on the shelf, nor have I found it online.  I suspect that some Blackstrap and Fancy will use it, but it is not labeled.  (Since the products that produce white granulated sugar are priced differently throughout the season, I suspect that companies that sell molasses use the cheapest at that point in time).

That is why I'd like to see the FDA enforce labelling of ingredients to include where they ingredients came from (or at least make this information publicly available). 

People allergic to corn have been lobbying this for quite some time.  Corn is in SOOOO many products.  To learn more, check out this great Corn Allergy website.

Now back to mollases.  While maple syrup can also be used as an alternative to molasses, I came across a recipe for Pomegranate Molasses.  It's expensive, but it seems to be a reasonable option as it mimicks the properties of molasses more than maple syrup. 

You can find pomegranate mollases recipes online.  Generally you slowly heat 100% pomegranate juice and it will to 75% of the volume.  Your wallet may say ouch, but your tastebuds will thank you.

Be careful when you buy Pomegranate Juice.  Some, actually most, juices I find on the shelf contain mostly apple juice and/or other fruit juice.

I reintroduced my +1 sensitive foods a number of months back.  I had no adverse reactions to Rice or Wheat.  I was worried about Wheat because I've been on an almost gluten-free diet, but it turned out okay.

Sugar was another that I introduced, and at first I'd be tired for 2 days afterwards.  But I think this was becuase my diet was virtually sugar free.  The sudden rush of sugars probably shocked my system a bit.

So here is the kicker, folks.  Because I keep track of the foods I eat each day, I've discovered a pattern.  That pattern is that my symptoms have NOTHING to do with the TYPE of food. 

Yup, that's right.  I've come to the realization that the ELISA blood test is sketchy.  I don't think scientists have it down to a complete science.  There is probably some truth to it, but it's not a precise test.

I'll agree that food sensitivities may have contributed to my unhealthy state, but they were not the cause of my unhealthy state. 

I even just finished going on vacation for 5 weeks and I decided my diet would go on vacation too.  Everything was fine. 

When I think back on before I got sick, I was living on adrenaline, junk food, little exercise and 4 to 5 hours of sleep per night.  This was going on for months.  When I look back on it, I could see my personality becoming more volatile such that situations I encountered during the day were treated as personal attacks and I would react.  It's no wonder my body crashed - it was under constant duress.  It may also explain why soooo many foods showed up on my ELISA test.

Would I say the ELISA test and doing all this food sensitivity research was a waste of time?  Not at all!  I learned a lot about foods and began to watch what I ate.  I haven't had heartburn since I started the new diet.  And who's to say that the food sensitivies didn't contribute to lowering my immune system or ability to handle stress?

Certainly for some people, food sensitivities may cause certain specific symptoms.  But while on this journey I've met a significant number of people who say it didn't help them at all.  I think the real answer is somewhere in between.

In the end, one of the biggest lessons I've learned is one my Doctor has been telling me all along. "People need 3 things for physical health: sleep, a wholesome diet, and exercise."

Annoyingly, Maltitol comes from wheat or corn - both of which I am sensitive to.  I tell you, it's tough to avoid food derivatives of foods you are sensitive or allergic to.

I know there is chocolate for diabetics out there, but I haven't really researched it yet.  However, I did find some chocolate which uses Beet sugar which I might be able to have.

What is nagging me is the issue of food derivatives.  I am supposed to avoid foods that come from foods I am sensitive to.  But sugar is such a refined thing that there can't be any of the parent food left in it, can there?  The answer is Yes and No.  Yes, the chemical make-up between Sugar Cane sugar and Sugar Beet sugar is identical (or 99.95% identical), but according to the Doctor at Immunolabs where my ELISA test was done, stray proteins of the parent plant can get mixed in during manufacturing - THAT'S what the issue is. 

"Jared,

Your blood is reactive to the protein component in the sugar cane and not the sucrose or sugar component. If table sugar was made from pure sucrose you would be fine eating it because it does not contain any protein. The problem is that in manufacturing parts of the whole plant get mixed with the sugar and leave a protein that your body can forma reaction to."

-Immunolabs Doctor

So it's not that I can't have sugar, it's more of an issue similar to cross-contamination. Granted, the amount of proteins is probably not in a concentration high enough to affect me as I only have a low sensitivity to it, but it's better to be safe than sorry. So I contacted Rogers Sugar to ask them how to tell which bags of sugar are from Sugar Beets and which are from Sugar Cane.

Rogers has 2 factories in Canada.  The first is in British Columbia, where they produce sugar from Sugar Cane.  The second is in Alberta, where they produce sugar from Sugar Beets.  To check which sugar you are buying, look for the product code somewhere on the bag - if it starts with an A, it is Beet Sugar from Alberta.  If it starts with a B, it is Cane Sugar from British Columbia.

You may have to shop around to find them.  At Superstore, all I could find was Sugar Cane sugar.  But Safeway had both.  Granted I had to check almost all the bags before I found it.

IgG food allergies - are they real? talks about some of the evidence to support Food Sensitivities and the accuracy of the IgG ELISA blood testing.

I personally did the ELISA test and now avoid certain foods.  I also do a pretty strict 4-day rotation diet.  Is it helping with my symptoms?  I can't say for certain.  However, at least I am eating healthier than before.  That's a plus.

Seriously.  I recently called the company that makes French's Yellow Mustard to ask them what "SPICES" means in their list of ingredients. The fellow on the phone gave me a list of things NOT in the Mustard. 

I kindly told him this does me no good as the list of ingredients NOT in mustard is much longer than what is actually IN mustard.  So wouldn't it be faster to give me the list of what IS in it?

I suspect his answer was to disclose that they don't have the "big 8" food allergens:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Soy
• Wheat

Here are some of the things he said are NOT in French's Yellow Mustard:

No dye, food colouring, non-iodized salt, fatty acid, garlic, milk, onion, shellfish, eggs, no animal byproduct, nuts, peanuts, peanut oil, cassein, paprika, MSG, white pepper, hydrolized protein. Some of these he repeated more than once....

He said their Yellow Mustard is Gluten free and contains vinegar from distilled alcohol which does not come from corn or sugar. 

Although I could be wrong, I suspect the vinegar does come from corn or sugar.  After I ate it, my symptoms became aggravated.  Economics usually prevails in big business, and the regular vinegar you normally find on the shelf is probably the cheapest and also often comes from corn or sugar (which is often from corn). 

However, in all fairness to French's, it could have also been the Chick Pea Falafel I ate with the Mustard.  I bought the Falafel from the Farmer's Market and was assured of the list of ingredients.  I think they may have put Black and White Pepper in the Falafel.  Of all the foods I am reactive to, it is Black and White Pepper.

For now, French's Yellow Mustard is on my UNSURE list of foods to eat.