healthy eating
food allergies may be the clue to solve your health problems
By Karen Carnabucci
The woman caught my eye – she was the only one at the breakfast table with a bowl of Brussels sprouts.
Later, I talked with her, curious about her choice of breakfast food. She told me that she once weighed nearly 200 pounds – and I could clearly see that she was now a slender 125 pounds.
The reason she gained so much weight? Food allergies.
The reason she lost so much weight? Attending to her food allergies by avoiding all the foods for which she tested positive. This meant some odd food choices, she admitted, but she was looking good and feeling better.
Increasing numbers of people are realizing that food allergies – rather than calorie counting or severely restrictive ideas – are linked to obesity and other health conditions. There is a growing body of information that documents the subtle yet powerful ways that food allergies affect our quality of life and well being.
There is a difference between severe food allergies – immediate and unpleasant reactions to certain kinds of foods – and other kinds of allergies, which may also be called food sensitivities or intolerances, which are delayed reactions to certain types of foods.
Weight gain, in fact, is only one of several results of food allergies. According to the book, “Prescription for Nutritional Healing” by James F. Balch, M.D., and Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, other manifestations of food allergies include arthritis, asthma, chest and shoulder pains, colitis, depression, fatigue, food cravings, headaches, hemorrhoids, hyperactivity, insomnia, bloating and intestinal problems, memory problems, muscle disorders, sinus problems, ulcers and, ironically, weight loss.
Though many people are skeptical about this approach, many of the advocates are medical doctors writing books about these intriguing finds. Many of their patients are reporting significant changes in their physical and emotional health – losing weight easily without feeling hungry, eliminating panic attacks and mood swings, and increasing their energy levels.
According to Rudy Rivera, M.D., and Roger Deutsch, authors of “Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat: How To Lose Weight and Gain Years of Vitality,” the process begins when a person consumes a food that he or she cannot tolerate – possibly something as common as tomatoes, vinegar or corn – even though it may be considered healthy and wholesome for someone else. The body’s white blood cells release chemicals to fight the “invader” – just as they would with bacteria, parasites or viruses. The result? Inflammation and intensification of pain of pre-existing conditions, surplus of mucus, the disruption of the body’s biochemical processes, as well as food cravings that may make you overeat more of the same foods.
The prescription is to remove certain foods that disturb your body’s particular biochemistry. It is also suggested that people rotate the foods by eating a different group of foods for each of four days, then repeating the cycle. According to the Balchs’ book, you can select as many of the foods allowed on a specific day as you like but no food should be ingested more often than every four days.
How do you find out if you have a hidden food allergy?
Many people opt for a blood test, having blood drawn at their doctor’s office, and sending the sample to one of several allergy testing labs throughout the United States. The lab tests the blood and returns a list of foods that should be avoided. Some labs suggest rotating a food plan every four days, so you do not develop new intolerances.
There are many ways to test for food allergies. The Balchs’ book recommends that by recording your pulse rate after eating the questionable food, you can determine if that food is healthy for you. Here is the method they suggest:
Using a watch with a second hand, sit and relax for a few minutes. When relaxed, take your pulse at the wrist. Count the number of beats in a 60-second period. A normal pulse reading is between 52 and 75 beats per minute. Then, consume the food that you are testing for an allergic reaction. Wait 20 minutes and test your pulse again. If the pulse rate has increased more than 10 beats per minute, omit this food from your diet for one month, then retest yourself. When testing a suspected food, it is best to use the purest form of the food, such as cream of wheat cereal rather than wheat bread, which contains numerous ingredients.
I took the ELISA IgG Comprehensive 96 Food Panel blood test, using the same testing laboratory as Kathy Scheiern – the woman I met last year – which can be found at www.foodallergy.com. I discovered that many of the foods that I was eating were not healthy for me. The list included tomatoes, olives, olive oil, pineapple, blueberries, cheese, egg whites, baker’s yeast and brewer’s yeast and many of the “healthy” foods that I had actually increased in recent months, including Asian miso soup, blueberries and black tea.
Depending on the number of allergy-inducing foods that are named for you, your food plan may be challenging, or at least, certainly different. However, many people using this new food plan report positive results. I am happy to report a 30-pound weight loss and many health benefits.
You can download and read Kathy Scheiern’s personal story at no charge at www.rightfoodrightyoudiet.com.
Other resources include:
“Food Allergies and Food Intolerance: The Complete Guide to Their Identification and Treatment” by Jonathan Brostoff and Linda Gamlin.
“Food Allergies: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Relieving Your Food Allergies” by William E. Walsh
“The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide: How to Cook with Ease for a Food Allergy Diet and Recover Good Health” by Nicolette M. Dumke
“Dealing with Food Allergies: A Practical Guide to Detecting Culprit Foods and Eating a Healthy, Enjoyable Diet” by Janice M. Vickerstaff Joneja.
 Karen Carnabucci, MSS, LCSW, TEP,
uses the whole person approach as a
psychotherapist, coach and educator. Her private
practice is based at Lake House Health & Learning Center, Racine. See
www.lakehousecenter.com or call (262) 633-2645.
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