Natural Health Help

Many common symptoms, for instance headaches, sinus congestion, aches and pains, skin problems, low energy and flat moods as well as anxiety, to name just a few, can be caused by intolerance to certain foods. Foods are powerful chemicals that effect our ablity to fight off infections. What we eat will alter our moods and energy levels as well.

Elimination and reintroduction is the best way, better than any lab test, for determining what is creating symptoms that are caused in some way by what you are eating. Once you know what is challenging you, you can choose to eat these things! The point is to solve the mystery; if for example you love chocolate, but it gives you migraines, which you can take a drug to relieve, you can choose to do enjoy the chocolate and take the drug! I don’t actually advise that; the point is you know why you hurt and there are a number of approaches to dealing with symptoms, once you know the cause. I notice most people feel better when they are acting consciously, making choices for themselves, rather than feeling like the victim of some unknown force.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS: the top ten most irritating foods for most people include: wheat and other gluten-containing grains; corn products; dairy foods; soy products; peanuts, eggs; citrus fruits; tomatoes; strawberries; and food colorings.

THE BEST TEST is to completely avoid all forms of these foods or any others you suspect from your personal experiences, for at least 6 weeks. It takes about 3 weeks for the immune system to stop signaling your system (by way of creating your symptoms) that you are being hurt. The additional 3 weeks is to let your body restore tissues and especially digestive function before reintroducing possible irritants.

REINTRODUCE food items one at a time, leaving four full days between items. So, when your 6 weeks of avoiding wheat is up, have a bagel or some pasta (but no tomato sauce!) on a Monday and then stop all wheat/gluten again, and just watch yourself till Friday. Most immunologic responses you’ll have should be felt within those four days. If you have no symptoms, continue to eat that food item a couple times a week as you reintroduce the rest of your items. Anything you have a reaction to should be eliminated from your diet at least until you ave undergone a restorative treatment for your digestive and eliminative system to heal from the challenges of your previous diet.

WHAT CAN YOU EAT? Grains you are less familiar with like wild rice of Basmati rice, quinoa and millet are especially nice to eat during this time, 3/4 to 1 cup 2-3 times a day. After the 6 week period you can add back oats, rye, spelt, etc, in a systematic way, watching the chemical effects you note on your symptoms with each item. Butter is rarely a problem even for people who otherwise don’t do well with dairy. In addition to the grains mentioned, think of lean, organic meats, ocean fish, most fresh vegetables and fruits, almonds (except for those with nut allergies, usually identified in childhood), yams, squashes, water and many herbal teas can make a simple and delicious diet.

Don’t make it too arduous- it’s an adventure! You are exploring new territory, there’s a prize for you at the end (self knowledge is a precious tool!) Aim for a kind of dance between taking loving care of yourself, preparing small beautiful meals of fresh salads, steamed veggies and substantial servings of perfectly cooked lean meats, eggs and fish; and also holding an easy going “So-what!?” attitude- so what if it is not perfect, even so what if feel like eating something else. Just a light hearted curiosity about how will changing your foods impact your physical experience and your moods.

Artificially sweetened things are not better than sugared stuff. It all hurts us, just in different ways. The chemicals in the artificially sweetened, colored and preserved foods will occupy the liver. The liver has to recognize these things as “not useful” and use it’s resources to eliminate them from the body. That means less liver function for the things you really need it to do. Artificial sweeteners also interfere with our ability to get over craving and adjust our taste buds to be satisfied with good food like fresh fruit.

I can not emphasize enough the importance of minimizing inflammatory foods like sweets and refined foods. This means pre-prepared and packaged foods, frozen foods, refined grain products like white bread, white rice, crackers, chips, and all forms of sweets. That means no candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, no sweetened drinks like pop, no fruit juice or concentrated fruit sweeteners. Dried fruit, syrups, honey, malts and of course all forms and colors of sugar, will make the damaging, inflammatory component of your reaction to these foods worse.

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