I always thought that we should only avoid foods that cause a severe allergic reaction, but I recently realised that food sensitivities can also be problematic. Food sensitivities can cause a broad array of subtle symptoms and even though it wouldn’t cause your throat to swell, it can create low-grade inflammation in the body that can manifest itself in any number of ways.
How might food sensitivities be affecting you? The immune system will react to a type of food that you are sensitive to and this creates a certain amount of inflammation that doesn’t need to be there. Food sensitivities have been linked to bloating, headaches, diarrhoea, hay fever, dizziness, urinary frequency, indigestion, sinus, post nasal-drip, muscle aches and more. The reactions you might have can be subtle or not so obvious – but in the long run your body does get put under a lot of stress trying to cope with the irritation.
This is why it is so important to not jump on just any train because the neighbour or lady next to you in the post office queue follows a specific diet. If your body constantly has to fight some kind of irritation it won’t be able to function properly, it will influence your energy levels and immune system.
A common food allergy and sensitivity is gluten and everywhere I go, I come across people choosing to eat a gluten-free diet. Sure, if you are allergic to gluten, by all means, don’t eat it! And if it causes bloating, cramps or any other negative reactions, try to eat it less often.
But the problem I’ve got with this is that many people have jumped on the gluten-free train without any reason or without really realising what they are doing. Do they even know what gluten is and why they are avoiding it? People start eating gluten-free everything: from cookies, cakes and processed foods. Just because a food is gluten free doesn’t mean it’s healthy! Gluten-free cookies and cake are still cookies and cake. You might not even have a sensitivity for gluten – so before you get on the train, just make sure!
When booking a Health Nook consultation, we can give you some guidance in terms of what foods you should be eating and what foods you might have sensitivities for. By doing this, it might take you a step closer to your personal optimum health. We now also do hourly consultations, if you don’t want to book a package.
