beginner's questions to FID
Hi :) I have a question about the FID program. I have psoriasis and started the FID program to find out what kind of foods I am intolerant to. I started quite strictly, only eating the foods listed on the FID list in your book The Eczema Detox, but during the second week I drank a cup of herbal tea (cause I did not think it would cause damage). Now I realized that herbal teas are rich in salicylates, do I need to restart the whole program again then (and redo the whole two weeks of strict FID diet)?
Also, after finishing the two weeks of strict FID diet, in your book you describe to first do the amine tests, then the salicylate tests and then the glutamate tests. But what then? What if I do not properly realize on which foods I am reacting (my eczema is on the back of my head, so it's quite hard to identify whether it has worsened or not, since it's (fortunately!) covered with my hair)? Do I then simply continue with the strict FID program? Or leave more time between adding new foods to my diet, so that I am able to notice a reaction to certain foods? And if I do realize which foods I can eat and which not, do I then continue with the FID + the foods where my skin did not show a reaction or can I then continue with the "normal" detox program?
And then a last question, since I am a little frustrated about how short the list on the FID diet is (I know that some people have followed the FID for weeks and I really admire there will power!) and it did not become clear to me from your book: if soy and tofu are okay during FID, is soy yoghurt and other soy products like silk tofu okay to eat? And what sorts of potatoes have white flesh? Do topinambur and eddoes count as white flesh potatoes? Is pepper okay during FID (I read on another site that it's quite low in salicylates)? Is oat milk okay (on the FID list in your book, there is only soy milk and rice milk listed).
Thank you so much in advance for answering my questions! I am still a little lost, but I am motivated to do this :)
Hi Lara, thanks for your message, happy to help clarify.
Ideally, yes, the diet does need to be followed strictly for at least 2 weeks in order for the testing period to be most effective. Some people however do need to follow the FID diet for a little longer than the recommended two weeks before the skin starts calming and not randomly flaring, so this can often be a good indicator of when you are ready to go into the testing phase. The testing phase should ideally commence when the skin is starting to calm and not constantly flaring, as this can confuse results, so continue on the FID strictly (excluding teas etc), and when the skin is stable you can commence testing. :).
The testing period can look a little different depending on results, and of course, I understand this may be harder for you to determine based on where the eczema is placed. It may be best to check back in with us once you commence testing weeks so we can help you along where needed. Typically, if you were to notice an increase in symptoms during one of the food chemical tests you would stay off the foods that contain this food chemical (such as amines) and progress into the eczema detox for a month or more as the skin continues to improve. From here, you can begin to expand your diet, for example, if you found you only reacted to amines and not salicylates, you could test increasing healthy salicylate foods slowly (such as watercress and blueberries etc) and if this is well tolerated after a month or so you can then test amines to again test your tolerance. This can look different for everyone so let us know when you are at this stage so we can better assist.
Yes, the list can be a little overwhelming at the start, however, it can actually become easier as you go along and get used to the foods (and even have fun playing around with recipes). We find it is way easier to focus on the foods you CAN enjoy instead of the foods you are not allowed to help make this process easier. There are lots of great recipes in the books and in this program. It also helps to be prepared with lots of pre-made snacks and meals so you always have something to grab.
In answer to your questions, yes tofu, silken tofu and soy are allowed, they are however a food some can still react to as soy is a common allergen, so just gauge as you go along how this makes you feel, some find they are better with other beans such as chickpeas and black beans but everyone is different. The names of white potatoes can be different depending on each country so the best way to tell is to look for the ones with the whitest flesh, if you compare a few different ones you can typically find the potatoes with the whitest flesh. Opinambur and Eddoes to my knowledge have not been tested (as not all foods have been tested), so anything that is not tested we find best to exclude at the start to not confuse results. Oat milk is allowed yes, our shopping guide may be helpful so you can check what grocery items are allowed. And just be sure to check that any packaged foods contain allowed ingredients. Pepper is not allowed as it is very high in salicylates.
You are doing great! keep going, it can take a little bit to get your head around, like any new program, but we are here to help and we have some great resources on this program, on our websites and in our books. :) Katie