Inflammation is a silent killer. Not only does it contribute to many diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancers, it also can be contributing to your weight gain. But why is the body inflamed?
One reason could be a food intolerance or food sensitivity that you are not aware of.
Many people have some type of food sensitivity, the most common culprits being dairy, wheat, yeast, corn, soy, peanuts, and eggs. If a ‘sensitive’ person were to eat these foods regularly, it would create a reaction that raises insulin and cortisol, both of which make you better at storing fat, especially around the midsection. On top of this, we tend to crave the food we are intolerant too, leading to more calories and more weight gain!
Constant exposure to the food you are sensitive to also starts to create a leaky gut (1). In this scenario, the lining of the gut is inflamed and it becomes more permeable than it should be. This allows undigested food particles, bacteria, and other substances to enter your bloodstream where they don’t belong. What do we have now? More inflammation!
The problem with food intolerances is that you don’t see the symptoms right away. It can happen hours later or even days later before the symptoms show on the body. The symptoms can show up in numerous ways. Weight gain is one way, but it can also show up as skin rashes, headaches, sore joints, fatigue, foggy brain, sinus congestion and more. Unfortunately, it sets us up for more and more health problems with the body’s immune system always firing up and with a leaky gut, more foods can appear as ‘dangerous’. We have a situation where we become intolerant of other foods as well.
How do you identify a food intolerance?
You can get a food intolerance test. This is something that I can perform in clinic with my clients. It tests your blood against about 50 types of foods.
Alternatively, you can go on an elimination diet. On an elimination diet you take out the foods you think you may be reacting too for a period, this can be up to three months depending on the severity of your condition. Then slowly, you reintroduce the foods back into your diet and monitor how you feel.
Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. If you would like to find out more please contact me for a consultation. Identifying a food intolerance can be a difficult process but once you do know, it can make the world of difference to your health. Ideally, we don’t want to have to avoid the food forever. A nutritionist can help to heal your health so that you can be able to have the offending food again without the reactions.
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