THINK YOU DON’T HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES?
Some people think that Anaphylactic Shock (severe constriction of the airway), vomiting, or diarrhea are the symptoms that have to be present in order to have a food allergy. There is so much more to it. Are you consistently bloated or had a day when you can’t think of any reason why you should be bloated but you are? You might start thinking about the previous 24 hours and what you ate. Maybe it’s too much salt you may think.
The reality is that there are many less severe side effects to having a food allergy, including being gassy, having headaches, the inability to lose weight, and being bloated. The other shocker to most people is that it can take days for the body to show signs of having a reaction. A lot of the patients think that they don’t have food allergies. They’ve never “noticed any symptoms.” But because of the ailments they describe to the doctor, he orders a Food Allergy Test. When the results come back, the patient is shocked. “But I never feel any different after eating those foods”, they say. My question is always how do you know how you should feel if you don’t know any differently? If you’ve eaten a certain food for years that you’ve developed an allergy to, how do you know how you feel not eating it?
The real test comes when they have to give up that food. We recently had a 54 year old male patient that had allergy testing done. It came back positive for numerous things. Two of the foods the test said he was allergic to were pineapple and eggs, which he had been eating his whole life and never noticed any “symptoms”. We asked him to cut out all the foods he was allergic to from his diet for 3 weeks and see how he felt. When following up with him he said he was feeling better, but still thought that he wasn’t allergic to eggs and pineapple. So, he decided to add them back in on his own. We got an email about a week later. He couldn’t believe it, but he noticed that after adding those two items back into his diet some of his ailments which had began to subside were popping up again, including bloatedness.
If you are noticing some common, unexplained “symptoms” that keep popping up, it could mean it’s time to see the doctor. You might not think they mean anything, but by getting a Food Allergy Test you may be able to get to the bottom of it. No one wants to have food allergies, but if you find out you have them, you can then take the steps to eliminate it. You will feel so much better once you do. No matter what food allergy you have, there are food alternatives. Give us a call, we can help.
NOT ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT? IT COULD BE FOOD ALLERGIES
Here’s a case study about patient that couldn’t see the benefits of getting rid of foods he had allergies to until after we saw them for a follow up.
A 60 year old man who came to Caring Medical because of migraines and some other issues presumably related to hormones. After seeing the doctor, he was told to have Hauser Diet Typing and food allergy panel testing done along with his other labs. He typed out to be a Monkey, which is a diet higher in carbohydrates, but lower in fat and protein. Along with concern for the headaches, he was also interested in losing about 15 pounds. We discussed his diet and off he went, confident that this was something he could fit into his lifestyle.
He received his food allergy test results a few weeks later and then a few weeks after that, we met for a follow-up appointment. He said he had been following the diet almost perfectly since day one. He said he felt great and had a lot of energy and he had lost weight, but it took him a few weeks to start seeing the weight loss. K. also stated that he didn’t really notice any difference after eliminating the foods he was allergic to. We asked him when he got the food allergy results and when he started getting rid of those foods. His response was a few weeks into the diet. We sat there and smiled at him, waiting for him to make the connection. It was definitely one of those, oh moments. You know, the ones where something clicks and you get it? We pointed out that this is why many people don’t realize they have food allergies. Sometimes the “symptoms” aren’t those that some would associate with having food allergies. Weight loss or gain is just one of the many things we see that are linked to food allergies.
He now sees the value in eliminating those foods from his diets. His migraines are being addressed with the doctor using other techniques. The Diet Typing showed him how to eat so that his body can function most optimally. The food allergy testing definitely uncovered the reason for K.’s inability to lose weight! Just by having one simple test, he now feels better and isn’t fighting a losing battle with weight loss, plus he’s feeding his body foods that are good for HIM! If you think food allergies may be affecting you or you are interested in Diet Typing, give us a call, it’s easy to find out!
Alternative Foods For People With Dairy Allergies
Finding out that you’re allergic/sensitive to dairy foods can be hard swallow. Think about how many foods contain milk, cheese, and even more so…butter. These are all dairy products that may be in your list of foods to avoid. But there are alternatives out there…
MILK
There are a few choices you have when finding options for milk. You have the choice of soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. If you didn’t react to goat’s milk on your allergy test you can go that route too.
Now depending on your Hauser Diet there are better choices than others. All diets should go for the unsweetened, plain versions of these milks. Lions and Otters should try soy, almond, or coconut milk due to their low carbohydrate content. All options except for the coconut milk could be used by the Bears, Monkeys, and Giraffes. The fat content in coconut milk is going to be too high for diets that don’t focus on fat! These milks can be used for cereal, protein shakes, recipes that call for milk, or for just drinking!
CHEESE
Yes, there are cheese alternatives! Did you know that? The two main ones are soy cheese and rice cheese. While they don’t taste exactly like real cheese, they can work. These may be better used for recipes and homemade pizzas instead of just taking a chunk to snack on. The other option would be goat cheese if you didn’t test out to be allergic to goat’s milk.
Don’t let the rice part fool you when it comes to rice cheese…it is not high carb. In fact in most rice cheeses there is little to no carbohydrate. On a side note, if you are using the cheese in such a way that melting it will affect your dish, rice cheese may be the way to go. It tends to melt a lot better than soy cheese! Keep your Hauser Diet in mind when using cheese substitutes, it still fits under the dairy category on your diet. So, only take in as much as is allowed for your specific Hauser Diet.
YOGURT
Unless you are not allergic to goat’s milk, soy yogurt will be your only substitute in this area. As with any yogurt, purchase plain! Then add natural foods of choice that go along with your Hauser Diet. Seeds and nuts are good add ins for Lions and Otters, while fresh fruit, granola, or even a dab of honey can be used by Monkey’s and Giraffes.
There are even alternatives for things such as butter, sour cream, and cream cheese. Theses will most likely be soy based. You can look in almost any health food store for these options. Don’t think a dairy allergy has to restrict your food choices, you just have to find new ones.
