Just a quick reminder in case you missed this over the New year weekend. You can still listen to the webinar replay from last week: Live Case studies, Q & A, and Special Diet Strategies for Anxiety – with myself and Julie Matthews
Tune in to hear live case studies on how we use special therapeutic diets and bioindividual nutrition strategies with complex clients who have anxiety, other mood issues and various related health problems.
I was my own case study and shared my own oxalate issue in detail (for the very first time) so you can learn in detail about this special diet and how these healthy foods that are high in oxalates caused me excruciating foot pain.
Here is the summary:
- In 2013 I was on my feet speaking often 3 full days in a row at conferences
- Exhibiting at conferences like American Public Health
- Terrible foot pain (+ sharp hip pain in that same year)
- burning pain (like hot coals) and sharp (like shards of glass)
- standing on them and while lying in bed
- one event: had to crawl back to bed from the bathroom
- My travel food was all high oxalate foods:
- Smoothies with berries (I took a blender when I travelled)
- Nuts to snack on
- Kale chips
Here is are the high oxalate foods:
And this is how I figured out the issue and what I did about it (with a few dietary changes):
- Heard Julie present at WAPF conference
- Light bulb: pain and oxalates!
- Picked Julie’s brain about my feet pain and oxalates
- Consult with Julie – I went salicylate free and oxalate free
- It was the oxalates – I knew in 2 weeks!
- Pyroluria connection – I have pyroluria and low vitamin B6 is a factor with oxalates
- My oxalate results on OAT – nothing showed up
- If I am exposed by mistake
- I feel irritable
- A sense of growing pain in my feet (in about 30 minutes)
- I always have calcium citrate on hand – sorts me out in a few minutes
- Concerns about everyone consuming green smoothies and baking with nut flours (oxalates and copper issues)
- Decided to do the Bioindividual Nutrition Program to really learn about these special therapeutic diets
- Julie is THE person to teach this!
During the webinar Julie shared her expertise on low oxalate diets and the lab testing, and shared a new powerful case study from her practice – Luka’s story is just heartwarming!
Julie also discusses the science behind these cutting edge therapeutic diet approaches which also include low phenol, low amine, low glutamate and low FODMAPs – and how so much of this can be applied to anxiety, depression and other chronic health conditions.
Here is a slide that covers leaky gut or intestinal permeability and anxiety – and special diets to consider:
The Q&A was excellent (thanks to all of you who attended live and asked questions).
You can register here for access to the replay (this is geared towards practitioners is open for all to listen in and learn + would be great to share with your practitioner if you’re not one)
Julie shared more about the BioIndividual Nutrition Training winter enrollment for practitioners. If you are a practitioner and already know you want to do the BioIndividual Nutrition Training training here is that link to check it out and register.
I highly recommend the training! As I mentioned, it helped me personally and now I use this information with the anxious women I work with and their families. I have also found the connection and sharing amongst the community of practitioners to be an invaluable aspect of joining the program.
PS. Even if you’re not a practitioner, many non-practitioners choose to listen in to these types of calls in order to learn. Feel free to do the same or to pass on to your practitioner so they can learn and then further help you. I also like to share this type of call with my entire community because I know many of you are aspiring health coaches, nutritionists and nutritional psychologists.
PPS. Julie also offers a version of this training to mom’s who want to learn for themselves and their families. Feel free to reach out to them at info [at] bioindividualnutrition.com if you’re interested.
Hi Trudy,
I just listened to the webinar talking about oxalates. I was shocked and delighted to hear the mention of the connection between high oxalates and Vulvadynia. My friend has suffered with this for 18 months with little improvement. She has painful feet so I am wondering if there is indeed a connection for her situation. Could you please explain a bit more of the vulvadynia/ oxalates connection ? I would like to give my friend the information.
Thank you
Kim
Here is an oxalate resource for your friend http://www.vulvalpainsociety.org/vps/index.php/treatments/the-low-oxalate-diet and the studies http://www.vulvalpainsociety.org/vps/index.php/research/published-research#Amitriptylinestudy. You’ll see medications listed – I would opt for tryptophan instead of antidepressants and GABA instead of GABApentin (assuming these are low – based on the amino acid questionnaire https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-mood-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/). Since acupuncture is often helpful, I’d also consider DPA for endorphin boosting and hence pain reduction. Physical therapy is listed and finding a good pelvic floor PT to be part of the team would be key too.
Your friend is fortunate to have you looking out for her! I’d love to hear how she’s doing in a few weeks if she uses any of these approaches
Thank you so much. I passed on the information and my friend is so very grateful.
Hi Trudy,
The GABA calm by Source Natural lists sorbitol as an ingredient. Is there another effective GABA product that you recommend that does not contain sorbitol?
Also, I read in your book L-Tyrocine is another amino acid that is recommended. I read in another book that a combined L-acetyl – l-Tyrocine is more effective. Thoughts?
Thanks,
Kim
Kim
Yes I list some other excellent GABA products here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-pyroluria-supplements/
I have only used tyrosine and not N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine but I’ll look into this. Have you found it to be more effective? If yes, may I ask how?
Thanks for the GABA supplement information.
I have not tried N-acetyl L-tyrosine yet as I was having difficulty finding it without sorbitol. I did find a product yesterday and will try it as soon as it is delivered. https://www.drkeesha.com/shop/dopa-plus/
I want to thank you for the all the information you provide. My son experienced a health crisis in October and after being told by two MDs “to ride it out”, I was desperately trying to figure out what was happening to him. It was a webinar you did that grabbed my attention a month earlier and I went back to my notes, bought the book and studied looking for an answer. As a result of taking L-tyrosine, my son’s situation began shifting for the better. It wasn’t the only thing but it was the key piece to him being able to function in daily life. So thank you so very much.
I listened to the webinar, thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for posting it, it was very informative! I am curious if there is a dietary component to the joint pain associated with temperature change, if something gets depleted in cold weather. We just experienced a cold snap in our area and 2 people in the family are suddenly experiencing joint pain which feels a lot like the pain I get when I eat a trigger food.
Wondering what foods you are using to substitute the high oxalate foods in your diet. Seems like by the time I eliminate things that might be bothering me that I will be eating nothing, Very sensitive gut and having a hard time figuring out the causes. We eat a lot of high oxalate foods and my husband and I are both having varying degrees of foot and hip pain.
So many of these foods are so good for you otherwise. Does sprouting make a difference on the nuts and seeds? Or fermenting on others?
HI Trudy, It seems my post got missed above I had a couple questions on the deletion of so many good for you foods and if you had replacement suggestions or if sprouting made a difference in the oxalate levels.
Thanks!
Barb
Sorry about that – I keep busy on the blog! I’ll have to check but I doubt sprouting makes a difference
Hello Trudy,
Great webinar!
Wondering why you couldn’t just eat the high oxalate foods and take calcium citrate (before, with or after)? I’m like Barb Rowe ^^(the question above) – I’ve eliminated so many foods not sure what else is left after eliminating nuts and greens. Also is it all greens? or just kale/spinach I got the list from the yahoo group and they say lettuce is low, I eat baby salad greens for lunch and dinner almost daily would these be included?
Good question Michelle, I was wondering the same about calcium citrate?! 🙂
Michelle
I’d first want to know what kind of reaction the person was having to eating high oxalate foods and how they feel off them. But when I hear this I think eat junk and take antacid or eat gluten and take DPP-IV enzymes or don’t warm up before exercise and take advil for the pain – and would not support any of these approaches. It’s your body giving you a clear message that something is wrong and it needs to be addressed. I’d want to get to the root cause of the oxalate issue and address that.
Example if I eat a handful or 2 of sprouted pumpkin seeds everyday it seems to keep my hot flashes to 1 or none a day – I was having more than 10 hot flashes everyday before adding the pumpkin seeds. But I know from November when I stopped eating almond butter for breakfast and my sever knee pain disappeared that I more than likely have an oxalates problem (at that point I didn’t even know it had a name just that the pain went away). I also eat salads for lunch and dinner (not kale). So I know I’m still getting oxalates but these items are servering other purposes. Occasionally I will get pains in my fingers (joints) at that point I’m wondering if I could take the calcium citrate?
I get your point! I do – but I haven’t had any dairy in 10 years, and it’s been 2 years completely grain free, nothing processed, only coconut or avocado oil, and my only sugar is in citucel. I keep fruit to a minimum only banana and occasionally red grapes in my chicken salad because of the sugar -now according to the oxalates I shouldn’t have red grapes…. I’m running out of food to eat
Are you taking new clients?
Fascinated by your responses to pumpkin seeds and almond butter.
I believe pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, nuts high in copper, zinc is associated with progesterone and copper associated with estrogen.
Makes me wonder if there is also a zinc/copper and progesterone/estrogen piece here.
Michelle
I hear you! I’m in the same situation and it’s less than ideal! I asked some practitioners in the Bioindividual Nutrition Group and had some different thoughts – one person felt like I do and says none if they are causing symptoms and another person suggested having small amounts of medium oxalates foods and have calcium citrate before and it may be ok. I’d monitor pain symptoms. I’d also start looking for foods you can have too – be adventurous!
Thanks for the info Liz – I knew the nuts were high in copper but I didn’t know the copper was associated with estrogen??? I actually thought the pumpkin seeds were associated with estrogen not progesterone – But I certainly do think there’s a progesterone/estrogen piece to the puzzle. But not sure my joint pain fits in with that piece? I was thinking the joint pain went with the oxlates??
Michelle
I suspect it’s the oxalates affecting joint pain
Hi Trudy. Thanks for all your wonderful research and information!
I remember one of your blogs and videos on oxilates and pain. I am going to experiment with no seeds nuts ( I eat a ton of almond butter) berries and now am at a loss of what to eat! Can you suggest a diet that is low oxilate.
Is kale and spinach on that list? I thought I saw that. And does this include pumpkin seeds? Yikes! And I thought I was eating quite healthy but do want to see if this makes a difference in my pain. Maybe you can share what you are doing now…..
Thanks!
Shayndel Kahn
Shayndel
A Paleo diet without the berries, nuts/seeds and leafy greens like spinach is a good start. The site http://www.lowoxalate.info lists all the low, medium and high oxalate foods. Keep in mind that pain can also be due to gluten issues (also high in oxalates), low omega-3s, low endorphins and even low serotonin/low GABA.