Getting to the Root of the Problem -- Nutrition & Diet

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Getting to the Root of the Problem -- Nutrition & Diet
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One of the “roots of the problem” with food allergies is what we eat. The most obvious connection is that we avoid foods we are allergic to and, if we’re allergic to many foods, this can lead to poor nutrition. However other food issues, such as the presence of undesirable organisms on food, can also contribute to food allergies. All of these issues should be addressed and corrected for optimal health.

Our bodies depend on the nutrients from our food for energy, repair, and all the functions of life. (That is why many nutrients are called “essential”). Even with a good diet, those of us with food allergies are often malnourished because our nutritional status does not depend only on what we eat, but also on what we digest and absorb. Therefore, attention to diet and nutrition is crucial to repairing our leaky guts and recovering our health.

Because we may not absorb nutrients from foods to which we are allergic, and because these foods contribute to the irritation of our intestine and further decrease absorption, the first thing to consider in planning your diet is that you do not eat foods to which you are allergic. If you have reached the point of having some degree of allergy to most common foods, seek out new foods which you have never tried before. Read the food family tables on pages 269 to 280 of The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide to get ideas. Sources for unusual starches, flours, and game meats are listed on pages 298 and 299 of this book. Large health food stores often carry unusual vegetables and fruits in their produce departments. You might also shop for produce at an international market or in the “exotics” section of the produce department in a large supermarket. As your health improves, or if your diet still contains only a few foods after you have added all the new ones possible, add back some of your least problematic foods on a carefully rotated basis, possibly using a longer cycle than four to five days. The extremely restricted diets often required by the severely allergic may add to the problem of malnourishment. A highly varied diet is the most healthy kind of diet for everyone to eat.

Dr. Leo Galland, who is one of the foremost authorities on food allergies and gastrointestinal health, recommends an oligoallergenic (low in allergens) nutrient dense diet for “gut repair.”{1} This means that your diet should not contain foods to which you are allergic nor the chemically adulterated, nutrient stripped, highly processed foods that are a major part of the “standard American diet.” High quality protein is especially important for the intestinal healing and repair which can lead to improvement in your food allergies. For more about protein, see the What to Eat? page of this website.

What we eat also affects our health through the presence of undesirable organisms in our food. All animal foods should be thoroughly cooked before you eat them. Thorough cooking is also the only way to be certain that plant foods contain no infectious agents. Plant foods that will be eaten raw should be treated with a disinfectant before you eat them. In Guess What Came to Dinner, Ann Louise Gittleman gives detailed instructions on how to disinfect food using Cloroxâ„¢ and how to prevent getting a parasitic infestation from your food, water, travel, or pets. She also discussed treatments including both botanicals and prescription drugs. For a little more information about this book or to order it from Amazon.com, go the Print Resources page of this website.

If you are not able to use Cloroxâ„¢ due to chemical sensitivities, Nutribioticâ„¢, a grapefruit seed extract, can be used instead. In laboratory testing, it has been shown to be active against a wide range of bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and parasites.{2} At our house, any produce that we will be eating raw is soaked in a sink of cool water with about 30 drops of Nutribioticâ„¢ added for at least 30 minutes as soon as we bring it home from the store. Click here to find the URL for N.E.E.D.S. where you can purchase Nutribioticâ„¢ and other hypoallergenic supplies and supplements.

Finally, consider the effect that your attitude toward food has on your nutritional status. So often when we think of food, those of us with food allergies think of what we cannot eat, and our whole focus is on the elimination of foods. A friend told me that, after consulting a naturopath, her whole attitude toward food changed. She changed her perspective from the avoidance of foods to an emphasis on putting good and healthy foods into her body. Seek out the most nutritious foods you can tolerate and eat them with enjoyment.


Footnotes:

1. Galland, Leo, M.D. “Leaky Gut Syndromes: Breaking the Vicious Cycles,”
Townsend Letter for Doctors, August/September 1995, p. 63.
2. Testing on many organisms done by an independent laboratory for BioChem Research, Inc., 865 Parallel Drive, Lakeport, CA 95453, (707) 263-1475, 1994 and previously.
Independent testing on several organisms also done in 1996 at Western Illinois University by Kathy Jeffries, B.S.


The information on this page is abridged from

The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide ($24.95, eBook $13) © 2007

For more information about this book, click on the book's title above.

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Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is merely intended to communicate material which is helpful and educational to the reader. It is not intended to replace medical diagnosis or treatment, but rather to provide information and recipes which may be helpful in implementing a diet and program prescribed by your doctor. Please consult your physician for medical advice before changing your diet.

There are no warranties which extend beyond the educational nature of this website. Therefore, we shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person with respect to any loss or damage alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this website.

Copyright 2007 by Allergy Adapt, Inc. The books from which this website was excerpted copyrighted in 2003, 2006, and 2007.