Bad Karma, well deserved....

[Rainbow]

Very informative post JC, thank you.
Quote: "I can see the two reasons...."
Yep, so did I when I stopped it for only a few days, so I went straight back on it, hence my reluctance.

 

[Rainbow]

PS: Re the Chocolate:
I've been informed by more than one source that it's not just the sugar- you can get sugarless Diabetic Chocolate, so I wish it was just that
but also the Caffeine & Dark Chocolate contains 4 times more Caffeine than Milk Chocolate, so it's even worse
but the sad fact & biggest issue is, it's made from Cocoa Beans
& any form of beans are toxic for M.C.A.S. people, or so i'm told.
Oh how I wish it were not so!

 

[JayCS]

I've been informed by more than one source that it's not just the sugar- you can get sugarless Diabetic Chocolate

That was just the only reason why I avoid it. And most forms of sugar-alternatives are bad for "you"/me/us.

& any form of beans are toxic for M.C.A.S. people, or so i'm told.

Nope - toxic is completely off track. They can increase histamine. Histamine isn't toxic, it's a necessary hormone. Each of us needs to find out which foods are OK and which aren't, all histamine lists are subjective, that's why they vary quite a bit, and our bodies react to a variety of things in them, not just the histamine, but histamine liberators and other things.
I don't tolerate certain white beans and red beans, but I tolerate baked beans and definitely green beans. I wouldn't tell you try dark chocolate if I weren't eating it myself, as one of my 50 foods! You do realize I have MCAS myself, don't you? It makes it sound as if you are "plunging" into the web details too much, before having the basics clear.
Quite to the contrary, functional docs like Richard Hagmeyer * even recommend eliminating foods is only a first step, the aim is back to eating everything normally, reducing the overall histamine bucket with a whole load of other things than food (environment, stress/nerves etc.) and using DAO. And on my MCAS forums there are lots of people who can eat quite a bit. People like me who can only eat a bit have a combination of many food related things.
Let me put it this way: Your plunging and getting depressed and sad is probably increasing your histamine load more than cocoa beans would. Got it now?

* (who I don't recommend too much, esp. not to pay for anything, but some infos are OK)

 

[Rainbow]

JC -

I got bed-ridden with a 5 day 'Silent Migraine' after eating Baked Beans recently & yes, it's early days but I've already learned the hard way that Tomatoes & anything that contains them, are a Nemisis for me & I'd do anything to avoid going through that 5 days,
or anything like it, again.

In short, I'd love to try a piece of Chocolate but I'm scared & have already been diagnosed with P.T.S.D,
so am extra scared, just call me 'Cowardly' because right now, it's true!

Having said that, am pretty certain I will make more mistakes & some deliberate or 'experimental',
because it's early days for me & I seem to reach 'Don't Give A Damn' stage fairly quickly & too easily.

Maybe having been a rebel all my life, I just can't seem to accept 'Rules' & genuinely hope there's a way around them,
without killing myself with Anaphylactic Shock in the process because I have family, especially granddchildren'
who depend on me in every way & am trying to get some sort of strength & 'normality' back for their sake, if that's possible
& from what you say, maybe it is, which is great news.

Yes, I did realise you too have MCAS but accept, as has been said, that we are all individually unique
& the more I learn, the more confusing & challenging it seems to get.

I'm really comforted by the idea that we can 'reclaim' our 'normal' food
& I hope I have enough time left of my life to reach that dream,
especially as regards Chocolate (!)
but as yet, am still too traumatised by what happened to me (see above) when I recently chose badly - for me.

I just put it out there to get feedback from those on this forum, including your good self, with far superior knowledge born of long experience
& no way would I intentionally challenge it but I have Fibro Fog & now M.C.A.S. Fog, meaning sometimes I talk gobbledygook
or I come across wrong.

Fact is, I'm just a Novice wearing 'L' plates by comparison to others on here.

Am here to learn, so thank you again & have a good weekend

 

[JayCS]

I got bed-ridden with a 5 day 'Silent Migraine' after eating Baked Beans recently & yes, it's early days

Yeah, but baked beans are pretty far from chocolate. But a 5 day flare should always be something to stop all beans at first. Sensible, not cowardly. White and red beans are closest, I guess, and soy I'd watch out for too.
BTW my baked beans are free of certain things I'm very intolerant of, like garlic. They're all spiced differently.
Even with such a strong reaction I try to test one spoonful in between, if possible. But that's when the things are more sorted, not soon after a flare.

already been diagnosed with P.T.S.D,

Again, PTSD/trauma is something in good hands in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, without it being designed to direct tackle the trauma.

Having said that, am pretty certain I will make more mistakes & some deliberate or 'experimental',
because it's early days for me & I seem to reach 'Don't Give A Damn' stage fairly quickly & too easily.

Yeah, that's also part of the game, not just in the early days. But if you feel you ignore consequences too quickly, then it's all the better that you're 'traumatized' by your baked bean intolerance... One of the mitochondria drtalks I heard put out the term "adrenaline junkie", only doing things when it's almost too late, doing a lot of stress biological damage to their bodies and also to their loved ones. It resonated with me, I grudgingly admit. Not fully, but enough.

Maybe having been a rebel all my life, I just can't seem to accept 'Rules' & genuinely hope there's a way around them,
without killing myself with Anaphylactic Shock in the process because I have family, especially granddchildren'
who depend on me in every way & am trying to get some sort of strength & 'normality' back for their sake, if that's possible
& from what you say, maybe it is, which is great news.

Praps not quite what you were saying but: What they need is I think not us being strong and normal, there for them 24/7, but to show we can responsibly and transparently cope with our physical problems, communicate our upper limits openly. If we show them everybody needs to push thru, they'll get into the same state we already are. But recognizing our limits, not anywhere near anaphylaxis, will give more long-term strength, than overdoing it and becoming invisible to them for days or months...
Being a rebel should mean not to do the same as our society does and put self-care last, performance first, instead the other way round.
We often need to find the right frame of mind. I find it weird that I'm now out and about early, outdoors a lot, reducing screen time, like people have always said and like a lot of old people do. But in a talk someone said it's putting my lifestyle in accordance with nature, and that makes it more palatable to me. Not that I've personally always been keen to be a Nature Boy, I'd always done a lot of that, seemed enough, so working out I preferred in a gym, rather than in nature. But now I need the fresh air as long as possible. So my body is making my frame of mind adapt. But it's also my mind at last becoming aware of possibilities.

Yes, I did realise you too have MCAS but accept, as has been said, that we are all individually unique
& the more I learn, the more confusing & challenging it seems to get.

Well that's good, then, it sounded more like you were doing the opposite - fearing all beans are toxic without testing your individual reactions...