Food Allergy: If you often feel bloated, tired or unwell after eating; if you frequently have abdominal pain, cramps or bowel problems. If you have a strong urge to eat or if you don’t like food. You have a pattern of symptoms that you simply cannot explain. Or if you occasionally become more anxious, irritable, or depressed, you may have a food allergy.
Allergies have reached epidemic proportions and it is estimated that at this rate half of Europe will be allergic in a few years. Food allergies are of particular concern as they are now thought to be a factor in many health problems and diseases, especially in children.
Many scientists and doctors believe that a poor diet and the huge amount of toxins now present in our diets are the main factors behind this unprecedented increase in the number and severity of allergies in recent decades.
When Food Hurts Instead of Helping
Most of our food is processed and treated with toxins from production to sale. So, instead of being the primary source of true health and resilience. The food we eat can actually interfere with our body’s ability to effectively deal with daily stress and flush out the toxins that attack us from all sides. It’s no surprise that more and more of our bodies are reacting to food allergies.
Food allergies not only harm our bodies (and our minds), but also prevent us from getting the full nutritional benefits of the healthy foods we eat. By wreaking havoc on our digestive system. They can prevent the complete breakdown of food into essential nutrients and affect the body’s ability to properly absorb available nutrients. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition, even if you eat lots of good foods.
Another problem is that food allergies can limit your ability to eat the foods you need. A varied diet provides maximum assurance that you are getting the nutrients you need. But if you live in fear of a reaction, you may want to restrict your diet more than necessary. For example, someone with a chard or beet allergy may eliminate all green vegetables from their diet. Even though they are actually only reacting to a certain chemical found in the beet plant. By excluding all greens, this person loses many of the healing properties of greens. Which are an exceptional source of chlorophyll, calcium, and magnesium.
Allergenic products
An allergenic or reactive food is a food that causes an allergic reaction such as hives, wheezing, stomach cramps or nasal congestion. The most allergenic foods (especially for children) are: milk, wheat, corn, sugar, soy, nuts, eggs.
Other highly reactive foods include oats, yeast, chocolate, seafood, beef, and citrus fruits.
However, you can develop an intolerance, sensitivity or allergy to any food. The degree of food sensitivity depends on your “threshold” of tolerance to that food. You may eat a small amount of food but react to a larger amount. Or certain foods can be eaten occasionally without reaction, but not more often.
In fact, you may not be reacting to a particular product, but to one or more components of that product. You may be surprised to learn that the most common problematic substances are vitamins and minerals in food. They can cause allergic reactions to many foods we eat daily. Other main causes of food allergies are food additives, sulfur, pesticides, biotechnology and genetic engineering.
Food allergy symptoms
There are many warning signs that indicate you might have a food allergy: dark circles under your eyes, frequent sniffling or coughing, irritability, moodiness, hyperactivity or frequent fatigue. Other signs may include headaches, abdominal pain, bowel problems, muscle aches, coughing or wheezing, and frequent digestive or breathing problems. Symptoms vary from person to person. Common signs of a food allergy include the following:
Digestive problems.
Reactions to food allergens can damage the walls that line the digestive tract. As well as disrupt the balance of hormones and chemicals needed for proper digestion and excretion. This can lead to issues such as leaky gut syndrome, where partially digested food enters the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. This can lead to bloating, stomach cramps and inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases, and many other issues.
Blockage of the airways.
Food allergens cause excess mucus in many allergy sufferers. Leading to chronic nasal congestion and mucus in the throat, as well as ear infections. Babies have very small upper airways and it takes very little to obstruct them. When allergens are removed from the diet, the mucus dries up.
Middle ear infections.
More than 70% of children suffer from a middle ear infection at one time or another. And many researchers believe it is due to food allergies, including milk and wheat. One study reported that 78% of children with ear infections had allergies to milk, wheat, egg whites, peanuts and soy, and when these foods were eliminated from their diet, 86% experienced an significant improvement.
Psychological or emotional problems.
Food allergies are clearly associated with a number of psychological and behavioral disorders. Such as autism and hyperactivity in children, anxiety, depression, inability to concentrate, mood swings and vague.
Food addiction. If you’re addicted to food, you’re probably allergic to it. This is because allergic reactions in the body trigger the release of certain chemicals, including opioids, which make you feel better. If you feel happier when you eat this food, you might crave it.
Types of Food Allergies
If you are allergic to food, you may experience an immediate or delayed reaction to food. The immediate reaction pattern is called Type I food allergy. Immediately or shortly after eating, you experience clear and often pronounced symptoms. If you are allergic to mushrooms, you may experience stomach cramps within an hour of consuming mushroom stew. A child with a type 1 reaction to kiwifruit may experience severe itching in the mouth or vomiting within 15 minutes of eating kiwifruit.
The most dangerous Type I reaction, called anaphylaxis, is a severe reaction that can be fatal within minutes. If you or your child experience dizziness), swelling of the tongue or throat, difficulty breathing, fainting or swelling of the face immediately after eating, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
Type I
Food allergies are easily diagnosed. They respond to allergy skin tests and show up in blood tests because they lead to excess Ige antibodies. For many doctors, this is the only true food allergy. Recent estimates indicate that type I food allergy occurs in 3-5% (sometimes up to 8%) of children and 1-2% of adults.
Type II
Food allergy is not associated with Ige antibodies. Instead, IgA, IgG and IgM antibodies can be formed. This response pattern is associated with the release of inflammatory substances by the immune system. Many food allergies are of this type, so they are not detected by standard allergy tests, which usually only test for Ige antibodies.
Some responsive templates are “hidden”. Delayed forms of food allergies (called type III food allergies) often go unnoticed because the symptoms are usually not obvious and may appear several days after eating the food. Also, because they are not associated with excess IgE antibody production, delayed allergic reactions do not show up on skin tests or IgE antibody tests. Rather, they tend to manifest as clusters of physical, behavioral, and learning problems affecting multiple bodily systems at the same time.
Type III
You may experience Type III allergies as a combination of recurring or persistent symptoms such as shortness of breath, frequent coughing, episodes of hyperactivity and emotional hypersensitivity, chronic nasal congestion, and frequent flu-like symptoms. Another person may have recurring headaches, frequent itchy eyes, abdominal pain, fatigue, bouts of depression, trouble sleeping, swollen lymph nodes. These delayed reactions to food allergies are difficult to diagnose. However, according to many doctors, they are the cause of most food allergies, especially in children.
In fact, food allergies are so common and still so often underdiagnosed that you should take any vague picture of an illness that includes various symptoms and body symptoms as a sign of a food allergy until proven otherwise.
Treatment
It used to be that children outgrew food allergies and adults sometimes report the same, but now we know that allergies develop and change over time. For example, an allergy to milk or eggs can progress to respiratory or other allergies, or to various health problems. For true healing, the underlying allergy must be eliminated.
Avoidance
The most common treatment for food allergies is avoidance. This will relieve symptoms and prevent further damage; however, this may mean lifelong adherence to restrictive diets.
There is some evidence that eating organic foods may reduce the frequency or severity of allergic reactions to food and may even help protect against allergic reactions. Organic foods contain more quality nutrients needed to boost the immune system. Which is always weak in allergy sufferers. Of course, a diet rich in organic foods reduces the likelihood of developing allergies to food additives and pesticides. And may reduce the incidence of allergies.
However, if you already have a food allergy, the damage it has already caused still needs to be corrected.
Desensitization
The best solution to a food allergy is desensitization. Various treatment options are available, some of which immunize the body against allergens through sublingual extracts or injections. Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective in treating certain types of allergies. The problem is that these treatments may not address the underlying health issues, such as nutrient deficiencies, toxin overload, or stress, that caused the food allergy in the first place.
For a real solution to food allergies, choose a program that includes a detox to cleanse the body of toxins that contribute to allergies, correct other underlying health issues, and reduce your sensitivity to allergens that affect you.
Once food allergies are brought under control or eliminated, it is important that you receive reliable nutritional advice to help you maintain and strengthen the health of your immune system. If you don’t eat enough of the right foods or eat too many of the wrong foods, you may develop new allergies or other problems. A good diet is your best defense.
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