The tricky thing is that it really applies to everything, even the EFI itself. I remember when I first read Heather's books and I was so happy. Wow, all the things that are safe, according to her. But the thing is, I can't eat all of the things she says are safe. I realized that pretty quickly. And I have never been able to eat all the spicy stuff or the beans, lentils et.c. that she often includes in her recipes. Plus I have always found it strange that some of her recipes call for quite a lot of onion or garlic and I would have to take maybe 1/4 of the amount when I have onions or garlic.
However I still think the general guidelines are useful. Though that is what they are - guidelines - and not necessarily the golden rules for every one.
Then there is the other side of the coin, which is what you mention here, READING about people who have problems with this and that. And then thinking, ok, I'd better eliminate that too from my diet. It's very easy to fall into that trap. I have done it myself several times. But it's the same thing with that. If you don't notice having any problems from a certain type of food then don't worry about it. If you suspect it then try to cut back or eliminate the particular food item and see what happens.
And then there is the fact too that you may blame food when the real reason for a flare might be stress or exercise or something unusual happening in your life.
For me, the only thing I really know causes problems is IF, too much fat (it seems, though I'm not even sure about that) and eating/drinking cold stuff too quickly. So I might experiment more with my diet in the future, once my pelvic floor muscle problems have been taken care of so I can feel comfortable even if my digestive system isn't perfect.