How to Identify Food Allergies
I wanted to get our brains thinking about the topic of how to identify food allergies. Often we are faced with sickness, and reoccurring symptoms that for some may just become “a normal thing”, and for others a mystery that they want to solve. But, have you ever considered that you may have an allergy? The thing with food allergies is that our bodies will tell us there is something wrong in the smallest ways by giving us symptoms like a headache, nausea, diarrhea, or heartburn. So many of us have let these symptoms become normalized, and we continue to eat problem foods and cover up symptoms with over the counter medications.
The one important tool to remember when living a holistic lifestyle is that we are aiming to find the root of our health symptoms and fix them, not just cover them up. So, your probably wondering…”how do I identify if I have a food allergy?” Great question, and here are a few options that I would give a try.
- Keep a log of symptoms, and the food that you consumed before the symptoms occurred. For example, you eat a sandwich with rye bread and an hour later you have stomach pain. Write down everything that was on the sandwich, your symptoms and how long they last. Eventually you may begin to see a pattern of food vs. symptoms and realize that your body could be allergic to gluten or possibly rye.
- For faster answers, and of course more severe symptoms I would consult with a holistic allergen specialist. They will be able to pinpoint any food related issues through testing, and give you a diet plan that will help you map out what to avoid so your body can stay happy and healthy.
- My third suggestion would be to check out a book called “It Starts with Food” by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig. This book teaches you about the Whole30 Diet, and when I say diet, I don’t mean a plan to lose weight. The Whole30 teaches you how to eliminate all the bad foods (sweeteners, artificial add ins, grains, dairy etc. ) from your diet to create a clean slate. Once you have a clean slate, you gradually add in different foods and evaluate how they affect the body, in turn discovering allergens, as well as eliminating disease.
Don’t let your discomfort from eating certain foods be shoved under the rug. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you through the symptoms it is showing so you can better understand how to identify food allergies. Food is the #1 most important tool to having good health, and it’s vital to create a good relationship with it.
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