Loves Me, Loves Me Not

Do you love food? For many of us certain foods bring back memories of special events, people with whom we connect those foods, or something as simple as the taste in our mouths.

Would you ever imagine that some of the foods you really like to eat may not be working well for your body? Hippocrates said centuries ago, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” But just as food can be medicine, for some of us, there are foods to which your body reacts.

Perhaps you know, or have heard stories, of people with food allergies. This would be a situation where a person experiences a tightened throat, breakout in hives or a type of total-body shock known as anaphylaxis right after eating certain foods. Reactions such as this leave a strong impression on those who experience them, and those who love them.

Healthcare providers are beginning to recognize another immune system response that involves delayed hypersensitivity where symptoms appear anywhere from hours to days after eating the offending food. If that food is one that you eat frequently, the repeated exposure can lead to a constant level of symptoms that begin to seem normal to you.

Oddly enough, people will often find that the foods they crave most are the very ones causing their symptoms. What symptoms may be related to these sensitivities? They can include constipation, bloating, fatigue, diarrhea, cramping, eczema, headaches, mood swings, nervousness and even stubborn weight gain. Any of these sound familiar?

And what are the foods most commonly implicated? These could include dairy, eggs, peanuts, soy foods, wheat, crustaceans and more. You may be caught off guard by the foods which cause an immune response.

What symptoms are haunting you? What have you decided is just a part of normal life in your world? Have you sought relief and found no answers, so you are in maintenance mode with medications?

True relief is a possibility, provided you are willing to make some changes. There are a few approaches you can take … first is to do a food sensitivity blood test, and/or an elimination diet. When you completely remove the suspect foods from your diet, the antibodies which your body has produced to battle the perceived enemy are released.

After eliminating the suspect foods for several weeks, you can slow reintroduce them while taking note of any physical, emotional or mental changes. You may find the food causes a significant response from your body, or you may find there is only a slight response unless you eat a lot of that food.

This type of exploration can lead you to some amazing results. I personally experienced the loss of 6 pounds in less than 2 weeks simply by eliminating foods that tested highly reactive in my body. Those pounds represented chronic inflammation that my body was suffering. While continuing to omit these foods, I worked to heal my gut and then challenged these foods again several months later, discovering that I can reintroduce a few of them in moderation.

What are your thoughts? Might food sensitivities be playing a part in your symptoms? You can stick with the status quo, or you can begin to explore some changes. If you aren’t sure where to start, may I suggest that you consider a consultation with me?

You may be amazed at the difference you can experience when you remove foods from your diet that are working against you. What symptoms would you like to live without?