If you’re always eating the same foods, you’re actually setting yourself up to develop a food allergy. Studies show, At least 60% of Americans have some form of food intolerance or food allergy. The allergy develops slowly overtime by continuously eating a particular food. So, if you’re having the same Oatmeal for breakfast every morning, you’re actually setting yourself up to develop an allergy to Oatmeal. This can easily be avoided by rotating your foods.
Some allergic reactions happen instantly. For example, if you have a fish allergy and you eat fish, you may experience immediate swelling, hives, or even difficulty breathing. But, other allergies may take a while to show up as your body builds a sensitivity over time.
Food cravings are common. In fact, many people crave foods they are allergic to. Eventually you will develop symptoms, and it could manifest as weight gain or skin changes like eczema. Consuming food you are allergic to puts you at risk for developing an autoimmune disorder or a chronic medical problem. These include diabetes or even irritable bowel syndrome.
There are some common food allergy symptoms that you may not even consider. These include dark circles and or puffiness under the eyes, chronic fluid retention, and chronically swollen glands. So if your million-dollar eye cream isn’t alleviating the dark circles under your eyes, consider that a food allergy could be the issue.
An elimination diet is a simple way to determine if you have a food allergy. This can be done by eliminating a particular food over a period of time from your diet and then gradually reintroducing the food back into your diet.
The elimination test consists of staying away from the top 10 most common foods Americans are allergic to. There is a more comprehensive test for food allergies, additives, pesticides and herbicides. This is known as the ALCAT, which is my preferred test. However, I reserve this test for someone who has a severe problem.
Depression, memory loss, joint pain, Rheumatoid Arthritis, asthma, eczema, acne, constipation, gas, IBS, malabsorption, gallstones, nausea and vomiting are other symptoms associated with food allergies.
I once treated a patient who had an extensive skin rash on her face, arms and back. When I saw her in the office for her annual exam, I was amazed at her response. When I asked the source of her rash, she replied– inflammation. No Kidding, I said. Any immune response causes inflammation.
More importantly, I wanted to know the cause of the inflammation. Unfortunately she had no idea. One biopsy showed inflammation, and she was treated with a steroid cream. That didn’t work. Inflammatory response is your body’s natural immune system kicking in. In this case it was in overdrive. That means whatever she was exposed to needed to be discovered. Or else it would cause further damage to her body.
After my investigation using advanced allergy testing, my patient was surprised to learn that what she loved to eat the most (and ate almost everyday) was causing her this epic skin rash.
The chronic steroids prescribed to her would not do the trick if the offending agent was still in her system. In fact, the chronic use of steroids will decrease your normal immune response. While waiting for the results of the ALCAT test, she was placed on the elimination diet. She noted that her itching decreased and the extensive rash was drying up.
You won’t believe what caused this severe allergic response for her. Onions! She loved onions! But she loved her health more. Not only did the rash go away, but she also lost weight. The offending agent causing the inflammation was contributing to her inability to lose weight.
You must understand this very important point. When the body is under attack from an offending agent, it manifests first in the skin or mucous membranes. This is because the immune system tries to protect vital organs like the brain and heart at all costs. It takes the path of least resistance in an attempt to protect the critical organs from harm.
So, if you’re noticing something new in your skin don’t ignore it. It can be the first sign from the immune system trying to prevent a major problem. It also acts as a warning sign to get rid of the offending agent. Like the old saying… “When something is getting under your skin– Get rid of it!”
Be Ageless
Dr. Roz.
