Food Related Allergies Part 2

        Could you have food allergies and not know it?

Let’s begin by defining what a food allergy is. A food allergy is
when a specific food or foods affects the immune system and triggers
the production of an antibody known as IgE to fight it. When the
immune system responds in this manner, symptoms can occur within a
few minutes or not show up for several hours. A person may
experience mild to severe or even life threatening reactions,
anything from a skin rash to swelling of the throat and tongue
(known as anaphylactic shock). A much more common negative reaction
that people have to is a food intolerance. This can be similar to a
food allergy, but the immune system does not produce the antibody
IgE. Just like food allergies, the symptoms can appear very quickly
or be delayed several days. If the reaction is delayed, it can make
the intolerance more difficult to detect. A runny nose on a Tuesday
may be hard to relate back to eating a sandwich on the previous
Sunday. Food intolerance reactions are not life threatening, but
can make life miserable. Some of the common food intolerance signs
I see in my office are gastrointestinal symptoms such as gas,
bloating, diarrhea and constipation, sinus problems, headaches,
fatigue and skin conditions. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD),
mental disorders such as depression and bi-polar disorder,
fibromyalgia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, yeast infections,
obesity, and autism have all been shown to be more manageable and in
many case totally relieved by avoiding foods that can cause allergic
or intolerance reactions.

The adverse reactions from allergies and food intolerances all cause
inflammation in the body. You may be aware of the inflammation but
it is not always obvious. A good way to find out if you have
inflammation and how much is to have a blood test to measure the
level of “C reactive protein”. The higher the C reactive protein in
your blood, the more inflammation you have. It is important to know,
because inflammation has been shown to be related to cancer, heart
disease, diabetes and stroke.

Of all the different foods, by far, the most common reactions I see
are from dairy products. I submit that everyone has some type of
adverse reaction to dairy consumption, some worse than others. If
you suffer from any type of sinus condition, the first thing to do
is to stop eating all dairy products and see what happens. This is a
quick, cheap way to get started on your own testing for food
intolerance reactions. After giving up all dairy products for 5
days, on the sixth day, try adding dairy to your diet again and see
what happens. Just about everyone I have ever tried this on say that
they had more energy, better digestion and less sinus trouble when
they went off the dairy and it returned when they went back on the
dairy. Then you have to make a decision, eat dairy and suffer for
the rest of your life (not to mention all the other negative side
effects from dairy, including increased risk of heart disease,
cancer, and osteoporosis), or do you want to find alternatives to
dairy products? Believe it or not, there are many tasty alternatives
to dairy including rice milk, organic soy milk, almond milk, oat
milk and sesame milk, just to name a few. In my first book, "Eating
Right… For The Health Of It", I have 5 different recipes on how to
make your own dairy-free milks. The good thing about making your own
milk is that the milk you make at home is not heated. When you heat
any food above 110 degrees, you begin to destroy the nutrients.
There are also dairy-free cheeses (be careful, some "vegetarian"
cheeses contain casein, a protein that is found in cows milk and put
in their cheeses to help them melt better). There is soy or rice
milk ice creams, and there are several dairy free "butters" that
taste just as good as ordinary butter.

The second most common food that causes food intolerance reactions
is wheat. This is a tough one, because so many foods have wheat in
them. The good news is that there are many wheat free foods on the
market today. Try spelt bread or Ezekiel breads, many people with
wheat intolerance can eat these breads and not have a reaction.
Again, the best way to find out if you have intolerance to wheat is
to not have any wheat products for 5 days, then on the sixth day,
eat wheat and see what happens. Remember that it may take a few days
to see the reactions. Wheat can be found in a wide variety of foods.
Pastas, cereals, breads, soups, baked goods, and sauces are just a
few. The protein in wheat that causes a majority of the reactions is
gluten. Gluten is not only found in wheat, it is found in rye,
barley, seitan, and spelt and sprouted wheat. You might not have a
reaction to gluten, but you might have a reaction to wheat. Some
folks can handle gluten in other forms, but not in wheat. Bottom
line, if you have a reaction to gluten, you cannot eat wheat. If you
have a reaction to wheat, you might be able to handle other sources
of gluten, such as spelt bread or sprouted wheat. If you have an
intolerance to wheat, you might very well have other food
intolerances, such as dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, peanuts (which are not
really nuts, they are legumes) and fish, especially shell fish. Even
the Bible said to not eat shellfish, and that was when the water was
clean and pure. Soy has received lots of press as being a health
food, but it may not be as good as it is cracked up to be. If you
eat soy products, monitor your reactions. If you get gas, bloating
or sinus reactions stay away from soy. If you eat soy, be sure it is
organic. A majority of non-organic soy has been genetically
modified, a process that changes the cellular structure of the
soybean. It is a fairly new procedure and we are not sure what the
long term side effects are to the human (and animal) body. It is
much better to be safe than sorry and avoid genetically modified
foods (GMO on a food label means "Genetically Modified Organisms").

The other question we need to ask is why our bodies respond in an
abnormal manor? Numerous studies have shown the direct correlation
between a weak or damaged nervous system and allergic reactions and
food intolerance. Pinched nerves to the immune system organs,
including the spleen, lymph glands, thymus or even the stomach and
colon can cause these organs to malfunction. When the organs
malfunction, food and other foreign particles are not processed in
the proper manor and this can lead to symptoms appearing. A
qualified chiropractor will be able to determine if your nervous
system is working properly. If it is not working properly, your
chiropractor will be able to tell you what might be done to help fix
it.

The bottom line is to avoid the most common reactive foods: dairy,
wheat, eggs, soy, nuts, peanuts and fish. Even if you are not
noticing an obvious reaction, you might be having an internal
reaction that is causing inflammation and stressing your immune
system. The only food on this list that you should include in your
diet, if you are not having an obvious reaction to it, is nuts. They
are loaded with nutrients and are a good part of a healthy diet.
Also, be sure your nervous system is working properly by getting it
checked by a qualified chiropractor.

Copyright® 1985 - 2008.  All rights reserved.
The information provided herein is privileged and may not be copied, printed or disclosed to any
person (s) or organization (s) without the written permission of Dr. Joseph L. Esposito.  
 

Last Update: 03/10/08 10:51:14 AM
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