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No one likes to feel unwell, but what about when you constantly feel as if you’re not in optimal health? Symptoms like headaches, body aches, trouble concentrating, and fatigue can be caused by many medical conditions, but if you and your doctor don’t know what could be causing you, you may want to explore. a low-mold diet.
Mold is present everywhere. It’s in the air you breathe, and scarier, it’s in the food you eat. The mold itself is usually not a problem; It is the mycotoxins it produces that cause the problems. The only way to self-heal the symptoms of mycotoxin exposure is to cut inflammatory foods from your diet, which you can do by following a low-mold diet.
What is the Mold Removal Diet?
The Mold Removal Diet is designed to bring relief to people who think they are suffering from mold. If you are experiencing symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and general pain or discomfort of the muscles and joints that you cannot attribute to any other condition, you may be experiencing a chronic inflammatory response. due to mold exposure.
While many people are used to being exposed to mold in the environment (especially the nasty “black mold” associated with damp building materials), some people are able to discount the mold they are using. use. That’s because most people don’t want to think they’re eating mold or food that has been contaminated with microscopic mold spores.
But the truth is that mold can be found in a wide variety of foods. There are varieties that are as obvious as the moldy cheese in a deli box, but there are also tons of less obvious varieties – like corn, peanuts, and beer. And even if you don’t regularly eat moldy foods, you could be eating things where mold already in your system thrives.
How the mold removal diet works
A low mold diet is a simple concept, but it can produce huge results if you are actually being exposed to toxic molds. Simply put, you’ll be eliminating all commonly contaminated foods from your diet, plus those that are believed to eat mold.
If you are suffering from toxic powdery mildew, you should see a significant reduction in your symptoms after the one to two week cleaning period. This is the result of your body and immune system being healed that food containing the mold won’t shed its weight.
Depending on your mycotoxin levels, your clean-up period may be longer – just keep cutting out moldy foods until symptoms subside.
As with many diets, the low-mold diet is fairly restrictive, so it’s not meant to be followed permanently. Instead, you’ll slowly reintroduce potentially trigger foods to see how your body responds.
The idea is to find things that your body can’t tolerate and then cross those off the list in the near future.
For this process, you’ll be reintroducing a dish every 72 hours. Just re-introduce each item one at a time so you can clearly see how your body responds. If you have a negative reaction, simply stop the food and add it to your blacklist. If there is no reaction, you can add the food back into your diet.
Worried that a favorite food might fall on the banned list? There is still hope. As your body and immune system get stronger, foods that previously caused allergic reactions may no longer continue to do so. If that happens, you can reintroduce them into your diet.
However, if a particular food continues to cause you problems, you can at least familiarize yourself with what to expect and then decide if you want to deal with those symptoms at all. when you eat that food or not.
Exposure to mold and mildew: Foods to avoid
Mycotoxins are toxic compounds that molds produce. When you are exposed to these compounds, either through external contact by eating contaminated food or internal exposure due to mold growth in your body, they cause mold disease and painful symptoms. , uncomfortable.
To start a mold-free diet and avoid mycotoxin exposure, there are four foods that you need to completely eliminate from your diet. These mold-contaminated foods include sugary foods, processed foods, grains and grain-fed animals, fungi, and yeast.
Sugary foods
High-sugar foods are on this list because they are the preferred choice for mold and other bacteria that can make you sick. That’s because sugar is easy to consume and break down.
In addition to candy, ice cream, cookies, and other junk food known for their sugar content, you must also eliminate foods with naturally occurring sugars.
Some examples include bananas, cherries, grapes, pineapple, sugar cane, and watermelon. Other natural sugars that you also need to cut are honey, molasses, and syrup.
Processed foods
Processed and canned foods often contain a lot of hidden sugar. Even foods that you wouldn’t think of as sweet can be high in sugar, which is sometimes confused by other names for sugar, like dextrose, glucose, and sucrose. Examples include pasta, salad dressings, ketchup and yogurt.
To play it safe, eliminate all processed foods from your diet. Remember that later you can refer people you can’t live without.
Grains, nuts and grain-eating animals
Whole grains such as barley, corn, oats, rice, rye and wheat, and nuts such as cashews and peanuts are often contaminated with mold. This is largely due to the way grains and nuts are stored – hot, humid cellars are perfect breeding grounds for mold to come in contact and grow.
At the same time, any animals that eat contaminated grains are problematic, as they simply transfer the contamination to you when you eat those meats. If you see foods with grains on product labels (or don’t see any distinctions), cross meat off your list.
Mushrooms and yeasts
Mold is actually a fungus, so if you’re trying to reduce your exposure to mold, you should cut all mold-containing fungi and foods from your diet. This includes edible mushrooms such as mushrooms and truffles, all cheeses (especially those that are intentionally moldy) and products made from yogurt, such as buttermilk, sour cream and milk sour.
Also included in this category are any products made with enamel. This is because fermentation encourages mold growth. In addition to the foods we mentioned, such as bread, this also means that products such as beer, wine, vinegar and sauerkraut are all limited.
The Low Mold Diet: The Best Foods for Healing
It may seem like there’s a lot you need to avoid when following a low-mold diet, but there are still plenty of delicious foods you can enjoy.
As an added bonus, many of these foods are traditionally the healthiest, so you’ll fight mold and improve other aspects of your health at the same time when you consume them.
Non-starchy vegetables
Non-starchy vegetables have fewer carbohydrates (sugars) that the mold can eat. Arugula, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, garlic, peppers, and watercress are all great examples of non-starchy vegetables that you can eat comfortably.
Low-sugar fruit
Low-sugar fruit can also be eaten while you’re detoxing from mold. Some examples of safe fruits include avocados, blackberries, lemons, oranges, peaches, and strawberries.
You can also use some of these fruits, especially lemons, oranges and strawberries to make drinks; just make sure to skip the line.
Meadow-Fed and captured wildlife products
Animals are allowed to graze on open pastures or other natural areas that are not exposed to mold-containing grains.
When shopping for meat like chicken, beef, and pork, as well as other animal products, like eggs and fish, look for products that are specifically labeled pasture-raised or wild-caught.
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are plant fibers that feed the good bacteria in your system. Including foods like coconut, garlic, green bananas, and onions will improve your gut health while also eliminating mold in foods that are needed to survive.
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats reduce inflammation and promote healing, both of which are important when you’re battling powdery mildew.
Incorporate coconut milk, coconut oil, buffalo butter, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and raw seeds like chia, flax, pumpkin and sunflower into your diet to help you feel full for longer. when fighting inflammation.
Gluten-free cereals
Some people can tolerate gluten-free grains while on a low-mold diet. To see if they work for you, get rid of them, then make them some of the first foods you reintroduce.
Examples of gluten-free grains that probably won’t cause you any problems include brown rice, buckwheat, and quinoa.
Frequently asked questions
What is mycotoxin?
Mycotoxins are toxic compounds that some molds produce. When consumed by humans, mycotoxins are intrinsically toxic, causing a host of unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side effects.
How do I know if mold is making me sick?
Symptoms of mold sensitivity and mycosis can mimic other conditions. For this reason, it is important that you see your doctor if you are feeling unwell so that they can make an accurate assessment of your health.
However, if you are experiencing symptoms such as chronic fatigue, depression, difficulty concentrating, abdominal pain, muscle and joint pain, and headaches that cannot be caused by another medical condition, you may have a medical condition. mold.
How long does it take to detox from mold?
Depending on the extent of your powdery mildew, it can take several weeks to a year or longer to combat mold toxicity.
Most people feel better after going on a low mold diet, but that doesn’t mean mold has been completely eliminated. It is important that you continue your diet and slowly reintroduce foods to resolve the mold allergy.
What can I eat on a mold free or low mold diet?
There are many foods you can enjoy while following a low mold diet. These include pasture-fed or wild-caught animals and their by-products, low-sugar fruits, non-starchy vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables and vegetable juices). fresh), healthy fats like coconut oil and buttermilk, and sometimes gluten-free grains.
End
Curing a mold allergy takes time, but it can have a big impact on your health. If you have been diagnosed with a mold allergy or think your symptoms resemble mycotoxins, you can start a low mold diet to see if your symptoms improve. .
In most people, headaches, body aches, and brain disturbances tend to go away in just a few days. Much of the food you’re going to cut out isn’t healthy anyway, so you really don’t lose anything by trying.
Having trouble giving up processed foods? We have tips to help you cut your junk food habits so you can fight mold growth and lead a healthier life.
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