Are food allergies the reason for your digestive problems?
The words “gluten-free” have become commonplace today due to the increasing number of people who have shown sensitivity to this protein that is found in wheat, and in products that contain wheat flour. But people have developed food allergies to almost every type of food, and many may not know they are sensitive to one or more items they may be eating every day. The obvious allergies are the ones that can produce serious swelling of the airways and have the potential to be fatal if not addressed immediately (most commonly ones to shellfish and peanuts).
However, less severe reactions and symptoms may be going on in your body every day because of food allergies, and you may not have put the pieces together yet to know what is causing them. It’s estimated that about 4% of Americans have a food allergy, and according to Dr. Li Zhou, the lead researcher of a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, “Recent reports suggest that food allergies are on the rise, with more food allergy-related hospitalizations in the U.S. over the last decade.”
Theories abound as to why we are seeing an increase in food allergies, as populations have been eating some of the same foods for centuries. Some say GMO’s are a culprit since the foods have been modified from their natural state. Others cite over-processing and the addition of chemicals to our foods as a trigger for the body to react abnormally. And then there is the leaky gut syndrome, where chronic gastrointestinal inflammation from a poor diet can lead to food particles “leaking” into the bloodstream where the body reacts to them like foreign invaders.
If you’re not paying close attention to what you’re putting into your body, you may be setting yourself up for food allergies for one or more of these reasons!
First And Foremost, Heal The Gut!
The study researchers looked at nearly 3 million medical records and found more than 97,000 patients who suffered from one or more food allergies or an intolerance to a food. Food allergies can lead to reactions such as hives, anaphylaxis, shortness of breath, wheezing, itching, swelling or allergic-like reactions called intolerances. What they found showed that:
- The most common allergy was to shellfish
- Almost 13,000 patients were allergic to or had an intolerance to peanuts
- Other common food allergiesincluded fruits, vegetables and dairy
- 1 in 6 patients with a food allergyor intolerance had a documented anaphylaxis (a life-threatening swelling of the airways)
As those are all foods that people commonly eat, you can see how easy it is for the number of cases to rise if conditions aren’t right somewhere along the eating process. So, what is your best defense? It’s taking the time to understand exactly what you’re putting into your body, and the effects that those food choices have on your particular system.
In order to do that though, you need to have a “clean slate” in order to be able to properly assess whether you are reactive to a certain food or not. If you’re currently experiencing bloating, upset stomach, reflux or poor bowel habits, there’s already issues that need to be addressed first before you can properly assess your intolerances. Following a supervised detox process will allow you to heal an out-of-balance gut and give you a good way to see if you may be driving allergic reactions by regularly eating foods that are causing your body undue stress. Lower the stress loads on the body, and you may also find that your energy picks up, you sleep better and your brain functions like it’s supposed to (minus the fog)!
If you’re struggling with digestive issues, or think that food allergies may be a cause of your problems, we can help set your body right with a proper program to help heal and repair a damaged digestive tract. You’ll also learn how best to support your body with your diet, while at the same time eliminating foods that may be driving allergic reactions.
Because if you’re living in San Antonio, where allergens in the environment outside are all around, you don’t need to be add any more stress to your body with the foods you’re eating!
