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January 26, 2012 by Kellie 3 Comments

Many Chronic Issues Are Related to Food

food

Food Intolerance:

Many seemingly innocuous symptoms can actually be traced back to food intolerances and/or nutrient deficiencies.  Depression, mood swings, fatigue, cravings, muscle aches, joint pain, dark circles or bags under the eyes, streaks or white spots on fingernails, headaches, insomnia, autoimmune diseases, indigestion, leaky gut, bloating, nasal congestion, allergies, constipation, diarrhea, water retention, candida, rashes, and skin problems.  And the list goes on.

So, what’s a food intolerance?  It’s different from a food allergy which is a reaction of the body’s immune system to a protein.  A food intolerance, or sensitivity, can occur because of any food, food ingredient, or additive.  Reactions usually start in the digestive system and can radiate out to all parts of the body.  Sometimes people can eat small amounts of the item without noticing an immediate reaction.  But, continued ingestion causes inflammation to increase, and your immune system become compromised, leading to a large variety of systems, including many of the “chronic” issues.

The most common foods that cause a reaction are:  peanuts and tree nuts, milk and diary products, sugar and artificial sweeteners, fish and shellfish, soy, corn, wheat and gluten, and eggs.  There are many people that are also intolerant to MSG, food dyes, beer, wine, sulfites, and other food preservatives.

Food Triggers:

How do you identify your personal “trigger” foods? If you have the money you can run a food sentivity test (IgG) which is different from a food allergy test (IgE).  It will give you a graph of the foods that cause inflammation in your body.  It can be very helpful, but it is only able to show a small piece of what is happening within the body.

You can complete a self test for free.  Dr. Arthur Coca popularized the “pulse test”.  He found that some, but definitely not all, people with allergies and intolerances had a significant increase in their resting pulse after eating the food in question.  Sit and relax, take your resting pulse for a full minute, put a piece of the potential trigger food on your tongue (do not swallow the food), wait for 30 seconds, retake your pulse for a full minute, discard tested ingredient.  An increase of 6 or more beats is considered the result of a stressful reaction.

You can also keep a food journal noting any emotional, physical, digestive change after each meal.  Then you can try to identify the offending foods.  You can also monitor your weight.  Some people have noticed that trigger foods cause them to retain fluids identified by weight gain that doesn’t disappear by the next day.

Both of these are simplified methods but can be very helpful.  Unfortunately there can be triggers that don’t affect weight or pulse.  In these instances you will have to complete an elimination diet in order to identify the offenders.  This type of diet can cause a withdrawal reaction similar to other addictive substances such as caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine so it is best to seek a professional support person, if possible.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: circles, dark, eyes, muscle, under

July 27, 2011 by Kellie Leave a Comment

FDA Considers Labeling “Junk Food”

The Federal Drug Administration has been weighing the merits of using graphic images on “junk food” just as cigarette manufacturers are required to put on every pack.

Interestingly, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, “I think tobacco is unique. It is a product that is the number one cause of preventable death.”

But obesity related deaths come in a close second to tobacco related deaths. And American’s overweight issues is now at epic numbers with no sign of slowing on the horizon.

Here’s why I’m against the concept though.  There was a lot of definitive research behind the decision made by the Surgeon General of the United States to deem cigarettes a health hazard.  And I would doubt anyone, at this point, that chooses to smoke, doesn’t realize they are harmful to their health.  But, for their own reasons and addictions, they make a choice to continue.

In a similar way, we have legislation that requires food to have a nutrition label and ingredients list that, when read, gives you a lot of information about what you put into your body.  People just need to read and understand the labels and ingredients.  No small task though – it can be quite daunting.  Especially as more small healthy food manufacturers get purchased by bigger companies and the recipes change.

Yes, it takes more than a label.  But, honestly, I don’t think there is enough clear-cut evidence to truly define “healthy”.  I don’t think there’s any doubt that trans fats are harmful.  I don’t know of any science that says they are safe.  Finally, even the USDA has stated the only safe amount of trans fats is zero.  But, it’s on the label and the ingredients list.  Unfortunately, most everything else is pretty debatable, including refined sugars and refined carbohydrates.  The USDA recommends moderation.  (Which means what????)

Vegetarians tell me that animal products are destructive to me and the planet.  Omnivores quote statistics about the death of the plains from over production of grains.  Small farmers decry the use of factory farming to create cheap food quickly with no regard to health or environment.  Registered Dieticians limit all saturated fats and still recommend artificial sweeteners.  The incongruencies go on and on.

Many people can remember when eggs were good for you, then they were bad, then they were good again.  Eggs never changed!  The research showed different things, interpretations were different, and how cholesterol is formed and used by the body wasn’t fully understood yet.  Labeling them would have been a horrific mistake.

Partly this is a symptom of not respecting bio-individuality.  For some people a primarily plant based diet works well, for other’s it’s a slow method to nutrient deficiencies.  For some people grain is tolerated and for other’s it is an immediate digestive distress.  All of this makes researching specifics very difficult; your test group subjects will sway the outcome based on their bio-chemical makeup.

Most people like the convenience of processed foods.  And companies are making a lot of money because people want quick and easy solutions, often regardless of the health effects.  So the responsibility remains on the consumer to educate themselves about what is right for their body, identify proper ingredients, and find the time to take back their kitchen from the manufacturers of processed foods.  Whole foods don’t need any labels or graphics!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: deemed, does, Food, under, unhealthy

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