If you have not heard of Dr. Terry Wahls’, let me give you a brief intro. She is a functional medicine practitioner who cured herself from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a highly-debilitating illness. Recently, she was the featured guest on Sean Croxton’s Underground Wellness radio show (listen here). I was intrigued by this episode because I read that sulfate intolerance was one of the issues discussed. To listen specifically to the sulfur issue, skip to 23:00.
Some key takeaways:
- People with sulfur intolerance often begin avoiding sulfur veggies (that would be me!!)
- Dr. Terry Wahls stated that people who cannot handle sulfate actually need more of it. (wait, what?! you want me to feel miserable?)
- Risk factors for sulfur intolerance: family history of brain, heart, or autoimmune issues.
- Exposure to glyphosate disrupts glutathione production and sulfur pathways.
I have always been a fan of listening to my body. When I noticed that sulfur foods caused my small intestine to retain fluid, I reduced my intake of those foods However, Dr. Wahls qualifications and opinion on this matter make me want to research this issue further so that I am making the best choices for my health.
Interesting! I find I’m super sensitive to certain sulfur veggies and am hoping I won’t have to avoid them long-term. Curious to see if you will be able to introduce any back into your diet eventually.. 🙂
Hayley,
Thanks for commenting! I am finding that more and more people have issues with sulfur. There is definitely something to it and I plan on continuing to search for answers.
Plenty of sulfur can be found in certain animal foods. If the high-sulfur plant foods cause problems, maybe do listen to your body and look to animal sources of sulfur.
Hi, this looks like super interesting information but the link is no longer working. Can you elaborate on what Wahl’s says? Thanks.
Breia-lyn Mackin
Hi Breia-lyn, thanks for letting me know it wasn’t working! I’ve updated the link so you can now listen =) But the short answer is that sulfate supports detoxification in the liver and is important for making neurotransmitters.
Were you able to successfully increase your intake of sulfur rich foods? Every time I increase sulfur rich foods I end up with brain fog, joint pain, irritability and stomachache. I am trying to figure out if I need to push through all of this or if something else needs to happen. I would love to hear more of your experience. Thanks!
Hi Breia-lyn, Yes! I no longer avoid sulfur rich foods. It took a while and I got worse before better, so low and slow definitely helped. It’s been several years, so I can’t remember exactly what helped, but I do remember taking probiotics and/or antimicrobial herbs that seemed to help rebalance my gut and increase my tolerance to more foods.