Do you ever feel bloated after eating? Do you ever feel so tired after eating that you just have to take a nap? Or do you fall asleep early in the evening? Have you ever noticed that you feel a certain way after a meal? Such as tired, heartburn, gas. Have you ever noticed your activity level or energy level changes after a meal? You feel lethargic or to the other extreme the inability to sit still. Have you noticed that your hair and nails are dry and break easily? Or that your skin is dry and itchy and it is worse in the winter? Is your child a late bloomer, or is it possible they are not growing due to a food allergy? All of these can be caused by the food you eat, on a daily basis. When this happens, you may be quick to think, oh I must be so tired, or not sleeping enough. While that may be true it can be more than that. It is important to listen to your body, the symptoms you may be experiencing are often trying to tell you something. Yes, there may be something wrong and that you may need to visit a doctor. In addition, it’s important to look at what caused the underlying symptom in the first place. To get to the root cause of the problem, otherwise treatment can be just a ‘band aid.’ There can be several factors at play. Some of which are the mind body connection, the idea that your thoughts and even repressed emotions can lead to dis-ease or feelings of being unwell. Other factors are the food you eat, your lifestyle and your level of happiness or contentment with your life. All of these factors make for interesting and valuable article topics of their own, for today I am going to touch on nutrition, the foods you eat and how they affect how you feel or your wellness. The foods you buy and serve your family may not be as healthy as you think especially if any of your family members cannot tolerate particular foods. They may have an allergy or intolerance to some foods. What is the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance? This is a good question and it is important to know how it applies to you because it plays a part in the foods you choose to eat. An allergy to a food is an actual immune response. The body sees a food that is ingested as an invader, or foreign body that can harm it, so the immune system acts to guard against it. This causes certain reactions, some of which can be very serious, even life threatening. Some examples of these are: hives, rash, swollen throat, trouble breathing. With a true food allergy, the particular food needs to be avoided completely. Sometimes it means not sharing utensils or other dishes used in food preparation. A food intolerance is the inability to completely digest or break down a certain food, in the digestive system causing gas, bloatedness, heartburn and other bothersome symptoms. With a food intolerance – some people may be able to handle certain amounts of the food by rotating the offending foods every 4 days. That seems to be the length of time the body can tolerate the food, and digest it properly if given this infrequently. While each person is different, you will want to and need to adapt to your own specific needs. How do I know if I have a food allergy and what do I do about it? It can be hard to determine exactly what the culprit is, for many reasons. One being that no two people are alike and so there can be patterns, or general rules but few hard and fast rules about what foods cause what symptoms. It can be difficult to test for food allergies, people do not always react to the allergen in a typical skin test. The best way to know for sure is a food elimination diet, whereby you eliminate a suspecting food for a period of two weeks and then readmit it into your diet. This is timely and requires discipline not to mention that it can be complicated. Sometimes food allergies run in families. So I would look there. If your immediate family members have problems with a particular food, that is a good place to start. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms keep a food journal for a couple of weeks. Take note of all the food you eat and how you feel afterwards. This will help you determine if what you eat is making you feel bad, and you will begin to notice patterns. Please note, that this in no way takes the place of seeing a doctor if you want. This is just one recommendation based on my own experience and what I learned. If your symptoms are severe, please do see a doctor. What are the most common foods that cause allergies or intolerances? Wheat, gluten, milk, corn, soy and nuts. Trying to eliminate these foods can be complicated because there are hidden ingredients in products making it hard to know what things are made with. And to make matters more difficult, these ingredients can be in products you would never suspect. ** If you’d like to know more or work with me further on the subject of food allergies and intolerances please contact me at my website www.maureengharrity.com.
