How To Know if You Have a Food Intolerance

You can probably recognize an actual food allergy.  Classic symptoms would be hives or difficulty breathing.

But food intolerances are harder to spot. They may not appear immediately and you may mistake the symptoms for a variety of other issues.

More and more people have food intolerances these days, even kids. As our food supply is more chemical, and the “natural foods” have more pesticides and are genetically modified, the human body is faced with trying to break down and metabolize an entire new type of ingestibles.

You can’t really call some of this “food” anymore, since lab-created chemicals or chemical/food hybrids won’t actually support human life.  These pseudo-foods will kill slowly, and they won’t support healthy physiology and function of organs and glands, so the quality of life suffers. This is why many obese people are actually starving at a cellular level.

The benefits of addressing food intolerances include:

1) Easier weight loss   2) better, deeper sleep   3) reduction of cravings  4) less PMS 5) mood stability  6) less bloating  7) improved immunity.

Even if you don’t suspect that a food you are eating is bothering you, check out this list. You may be surprised.

A short list of symptoms that could point to food intolerance includes stomach pain, reflux, ear infections, frequent illnesses, red cheeks, eczema, joint pain, frequent diarrhea/constipation, asthma, temper tantrums, fuzzy thinking, fatigue, headaches, failure to thrive, excessive gas, and sleep disturbances.

On one hand, eliminating foods that your body can’t handle will help. On the other hand, improving digestion, from stomach to gut, is also vital. Food intolerances are an indication of “leaky gut” which means that the gut wall is compromised and toxins or undigested foods are able to pass through to the blood. Normally the body is very protective of what goes into the blood, and anything that slips by the protective mechanism is going to trigger an immune response, and may lead to chronic inflammation-one of the main risks for heart disease.

Probiotics and digestive enzymes can be used by most people to support healthy digestion and replace the protective gut “bugs” that guard the intestinal walls. Fermented and cultured foods also help. We now know that food is not just a matter of putting gas in your tank. It is also a means of maintaining a strong fortress against disease.

So, if you have some puzzling symptoms, consider that something you are eating may be causing you digestive distress and compromising your immune system. It is far more likely that you are suffering from inflammation than a serious disease. But chronic inflammation from a gut and stomach that are not working correctly leaves you susceptible to disease. So, catch it early. You will feel so much better for it.

The two healthy foods that can ruin a diet

Every day I have the opportunity to assess eating regimens. I hear all kinds of stories, from the guy who wanted to do a Detox/Diet, but only if he could continue to eat lunch at McDonald’s every day to a 300 pound man who swore he ate only chicken and vegetables in tiny amounts but never lost a pound.

Is that possible? I don't know. I do know that you cannot do a Detox/Diet and eat lunch under the Golden Arches.

Many people are eating a pretty healthy diet of unprocessed foods, but are not losing weight. So, I have learned to ask how much they are eating two foods that are natural and healthy-in small quantities.

Number 1 is Nuts. Many people are trying to snack in a healthy way by eating nuts. How many of us can eat 6 nuts at a time, and no more?  People who munch nuts at their desk while they are working find that, before they know it, they have consumed half their daily calorie allowance, but could still eat more. 1 oz. of almonds is 164-169 calories. So ½ cup is 660 calories. Raw nuts are healthier, and roasted nuts lose many of their benefits. But all nuts are very high in concentrated calories and will sabotage a diet.

Nuts do have some nutritional benefits. Helping you to lose weight is not one of them.

The real problem here is the constant snacking that Americans have adopted as a national life-style. Europeans don’t eat much between meals, and they are far thinner. Constant snacking is just a habit and can be broken. The body starts to feel that it needs to eat all the time, and so you feel hungry all the time. This can also be a signal that there is something going awry with your digestion, so get it checked out. And you may need more nutrients. The answer is not to take a synthetic multi-vitamin horse pill. Instead, start eating  6-10 cups of vegetables a day-in any form, from raw to roasted. And see if your appetite calms down.

Try making it a firm policy that you do not eat at your desk or when you are doing anything else, like driving to working or watching TV. Keep yourself occupied with something else while you watch TV, especially in the evening when you are tired and your will power is weak. Do a mild workout, take up knitting or do a puzzle. Anything to keep your hands busy and out of the cookie jar. Remember the old saying “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop?” It may well be diabolical how difficult it is not to graze staring at a screen with moving pictures on it.

Keep extra veggies on hand, if you have to munch. Try having a protein shake dressed up like a milkshake, but made with Chocolate or other flavored Stevia. The extra protein, instead of a sugary dessert, may help you sleep, and keep the cravings at bay.

The second healthy food that is over-used is fruit. For people with blood sugar issues, Diabetic or hypoglycemic issues, too much fruit can affect their blood sugar and sabotage a diet. Cut back to only 2 servings a day. That is a medium apple or other round fruit, or ½ cup of berries. If you have been eating several servings of fruit a day, watch what happens as you cut back. If you have hit a plateau on a diet, cutting out fruit completely may break the plateau. Check your water intake, as you may be thirsty, and substituting the juice in the fruit for water. Add more vegetables, also. Try going without fruit for a day and see how you do. Fruit can be a good snack choice, if only a small amount is eaten at a time.

No matter how much the body protests, no one needs to eat all day long. And the burden on the digestive system not only causes weight gain, but also taxes every organ of digestion. People who eat less live longer and healthier lives. <a href="https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2002/11/calorie-restriction-explained.php">https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2002/11/calorie-restriction-explained.php</a>

If you want to burn fat, you have to give your body a reason to access it. Healthy fats like butter, olive oil and coconut oil provide vital nutrients and help you feel more satisfied so you are less likely to snack between meals, so use them every day to make your food delicious.

If you need to eat more frequently because you have blood sugar imbalance already, divide up a normal size meal and eat only half, and save the other half as a snack. Watch your portion sizes and watch your waistline diminish in proportion. It will take some readjustment because most portions of food in the U.S. far exceed what is needed or healthy. We know that no one needs muffins the size of cantaloupes or a ½ gallon of soda. But even the salads are super-sized and we don’t need that much food in one sitting.

If you want to be thinner, that means you must eat less, even of “healthy” foods.

Consider a Detoxification or Blood Sugar Balance program to give yourself the jumpstart on a diet/health improvement program to help get rid of cravings. Or try Garcinia Cambogia, a natural extract that will help curb your appetite and improve fat burning.  There is still time before the summer really hits. Come in for a free 15-minute consultation to learn more.

Fishing for Compliments

Anne Dunev, PhD (Los Angeles Certified Nutritionist and Naturopathic Practitioner)
In our office we recommend fish oil supplements for many of our patients. When I had a practice in Ketchum, Idaho, I could barely keep fish oil caps on the shelf. Because of the dryness at that altitude, dry skin is a big factor. Dry skin equals discomfort and early wrinkles. Once a woman started on fish oil supplements, she would come back and buy more for her mother, daughter and friends.

With our current fat-phobia, fish oil supplements are a great way to add a controlled amount of fat into the diet comfortably. You will see on this blog that I am a big proponent of good fats, and I think that many of our current chronic disease conditions would improve drastically if we flipped our eating around to include plenty of healthy fat and jettisoned the breads and sugar.

But if you aren’t ready for such a drastic change, fish oil supplements have wonderful benefits, besides balancing your skin and improving wrinkles.

The brain is the only organ in the body that uses fat (fatty acids), so fish has been called “brain food”. Do eat wild caught fish, rather than farm raised, as often as you can, such as salmon, cod and halibut. If mercury is a concern, limit tuna, and particularly swordfish. Concerns about health risks from mercury in fish are not shared by all. Fish contain a less toxic form of mercury called methyl mercury cysteine. The ocean is rich in selenium and that binds some of the mercury, making it less toxic.

In Japan, the amount of mercury ingested from the high fish consumption greatly exceeds what is recommended as safe. However, Japanese children excel in school and out-perform American children. And there are no health issues apparent in Japanese kids that would indicate the mercury is poisoning them. So, mercury in fish does not seem to a reason to avoid eating fish a few times per week.

Pregnant women and very small children are more vulnerable.  Mercury poisoning from methyl mercury chloride is a concern at any age, so avoid silver dental fillings.

The best fish oil supplements undergo molecular distillation to remove mercury, and the benefits of fish oil outweigh the risk of contamination

Fish oil is anti-inflammatory, so helpful for joints, ageing, arthritis and autoimmune disease. Fish oil may lower cholesterol levels. It is helpful for dry eye symptoms and helps you maintain a healthy weight by keeping blood sugar more balanced, and cutting cravings. Fish oil helps depression and mood, and may help normalize blood pressure.

It is hard to find any supplement that offers so many health benefits and can be supplemented at any age. Look for fish oil supplements that do not repeat! There is nothing worse than burping fish oil.  Here are my personal favorites:

Tuna Omega Oil by Standard Process®-There is a regular gel cap and Tuna Omega also comes in a chewable gel cap that tastes like orange, so kid-friendly and great for anyone who does not like to swallow pills. Both the flavored and non-flavored capsules are very small, so helpful for anyone who has difficulty swallowing large pills. Also, no burping or after-taste. Standard Process is the gold standard of nutritional supplements and makes the best, and most tested, in the world.

Metagenics DHA-EPA , with higher potency DHA. Break this capsule open and the fish oil is not “fishy” but fresh smelling. Larger capsule due to higher concentration.

Both of these supplements are available at our office. Call 818-729-9149 to order.

I also like Nordic Naturals, available at your local health food store or online at Amazon.com  or at NordicNaturals.com  This company specializes in fish oil and offers a variety of fish oils for various needs. They offer both concentrated for higher potency and regular concentration. The lemon flavor is a good choice if you are concerned about burping and there are chewables for kids.

Please feel free to forward this to your friends. Receive $15 off your next consultation for any referrals.