Bailey Kreinbrink, a 28-year-old from Georgia, has reported a complete resolution of a debilitating, five-year illness after adopting an Italian diet, a recovery that has led her to sell imported Italian food products and live between the United States and Italy.
At the height of her illness, Kreinbrink experienced symptoms so severe that she reportedly slept as much as 17 hours a day and felt intense agony from taking even a single bite of food. Since her teenage years, she struggled with unexplained health issues, including severe bloating, migraines, and aching joints. By her early twenties, nearly everything she consumed—from bread and vegetables to smoothies—could trigger excruciating pain. At times, she felt immobilized for hours, and her heart would occasionally race to 200 beats per minute, leaving her bedbound for days even after mild exercise.
Despite her inability to eat much, Kreinbrink gained 50 pounds, which led doctors to struggle with determining the cause of her symptoms. Food-sensitivity tests indicated reactions to roughly 30 different foods, yet eliminating them from her diet provided little relief. At various points, doctors suggested possibilities such as rheumatoid arthritis or a sleep disorder, but neither condition was officially diagnosed.
Discovery of Relief in Italy
A turning point in Kreinbrink’s health journey occurred during a family trip to Italy in 2022. She noted that she felt significantly better while in Italy, prompting an experiment to test foods that had previously triggered severe reactions back home. To her surprise, she reported being able to consume all 30 foods that had previously caused her intense symptoms without any negative reaction.
After returning to Georgia, her symptoms returned immediately. Driven by this observation, Kreinbrink returned to Italy in May 2023, spending six weeks on the Amalfi Coast while completing part of her master’s program. Her experiment continued with a new, unrestricted approach to eating.
Adopting an Unrestricted Italian Diet
During her second stay, Kreinbrink intentionally shifted her diet away from US staples toward foods she believed were causing her distress. She began consuming foods typically considered “indulgent” or heavy on carbohydrates, such as pizza, pasta, Nutella sandwiches, and gelato. She stated that even breakfast frequently involved coffee, biscotti, and cereal.
The reported results were swift and profound. According to Kreinbrink, her symptoms vanished completely within weeks. She also regained significant energy, which allowed her to complete a 5K race—a feat she noted was impossible before her trip. She further reported that upon losing the 50 pounds gained during her illness, she attributed much of that weight loss to inflammation and fluid retention.
Expert Analysis of Food and Health
The case has drawn attention to the ongoing discussion about food production and health practices across the European Union and the United States. Kristen White, a registered dietitian nutritionist, noted that the two food systems differ significantly regarding food additives and pesticides. The EU employs a more precautionary approach, restricting or banning certain pesticides that remain permitted in the US.
White emphasized that complex issues often involve highly processed foods and individual sensitivities. Regarding dietary patterns, traditional Italian eating often emphasizes seasonal ingredients, vegetables, and whole foods, which may benefit digestion. However, she cautioned that not all Italian foods, such as pizza and gelato, align with the traditional Mediterranean diet.
Some studies have explored the relationship between certain foods and health. A 2023 Italian study involving 365 participants with rheumatoid arthritis found that those who consumed more than half a pizza weekly had significantly lower disease activity, though the researchers did not prove that pizza itself was the cause. Separately, a 2022 study in The Journal of Nutrition found that the structure of pasta can slow carbohydrate digestion compared to bread, resulting in a more gradual increase in blood sugar.
Investigation into Food Sourcing Continues
Despite her personal recovery, experts maintain that medical causality remains unproven. White advised that without a confirmed diagnosis, it is impossible to definitively conclude that Italian food treated an autoimmune disease. She encouraged people to focus on food quality and minimally processed ingredients rather than a food’s country of origin.
Bailey Kreinbrink continued her self-guided investigation into the matter. In February 2024, she returned to Italy for three months, focusing specifically on meeting local farmers and food producers. Her goal was to understand the differences in cultivation, livestock standards, wheat processing, and pesticide use.
Today, Kreinbrink splits her time between the U.S. and Italy, relying on imported Italian goods in Georgia. She claims to no longer require medication or supplements. While she acknowledges that others may not see the same results, she asserts that food served as medicine when medical treatments had not provided relief.
