How Sensitive Is Your Body?

I’m a strong proponent of Hippocrates’ idea that our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food. Yet the adage that one man’s medicine is another man’s poison couldn’t apply more appropriately than in the topic of food.

Millions of people suffer from allergic or inflammatory reactions to the common foods they consume every day. For most of us, the thought of food allergies prompts a mental image of hives or a swollen tongue developing in response to eating a peanut. That is an example of an immediate allergy which results in an aggressive histamine reaction. These are serious, but not as frequent as you may think.

There is a different type of food reaction that is much less dramatic and deadly, and far more common. It is called an IgG delayed hypersensitivity – or food sensitivity – and it is mostly ignored by conventional medicine. These food sensitivities play a major role in many chronic illnesses and weight problems.

Delayed reactions like these cause symptoms anywhere from a few hours to a few days after ingestion, and the symptoms vary widely – including acid reflux, fluid retention, fatigue, brain fog, IBS, heart palpitations, moodiness, headaches, congestion, joint pain, acne, eczema and more. These all result in inflammation, arising as the immune system tags a protein in an otherwise healthy food as a foreign invader.

IgG delayed reactions occur because many of our daily habits cause a breakdown of the normal barrier that protects our immune system from the outside world of foods, bugs and toxins.That barrier is our gut in which 70% of our immune system resides. When the lining of your gut breaks down, food particles slip through and trigger our immune system to recognize that particular food as an invader which prompts a chain reaction leading to inflammation.

Your gut barrier can be weakened by a nutrient-poor diet high in sugar and white flour and low in fiber, by deficiencies in zinc and omega-3 fats, by overuse of antibiotics, medications and/or hormones, by exposure to toxins, and by high levels of stress. This weakened gut barrier is called a leaky gut.

A leaky gut is why we often develop IgG sensitivities to the foods we eat most often. Surprised? I can attest to this personally as I recently received the news that I have several strong sensitivities to the healthy foods that I have eaten regularly for years. I was shocked!

Thankfully, the identification of food sensitivities isn’t a life sentence. Taking them as evidence of a leaky gut, you can focus on reversing that condition and very likely be able to resume eating those foods you enjoy.

The most effective test for food sensitivities is an elimination diet followed for 3-4 weeks, and then reintroducing the foods for 3 days and observing what happens. Those that cause reactions would then be completely eliminated from your diet for several months while you focus on sealing the leaks in your gut.

Sound overwhelming? It isn’t difficult if you are careful to eliminate the foods that alert your immune system and add in the nutrients that your body can use to rebuild your gut. That’s what I am doing for myself, and I’m able to support you on the same journey.

What have you got to lose, except for unwanted pounds and those aggravating symptoms? Let’s talk about your situation and how I can help.