I'm sure you have heard the quote, "One man's meat is another man's poison." Well, nearly everything we eat can be either nourishing or damaging to our system. While this is more evident with known toxins where you can find the old skull and crossbones on the label, it's not as noticeable when your dealing with individual food allergies. The most common food allergens are ingredients most commonly used in our foods, such as soy, eggs, wheat, corn, dairy and sugar. It seems our bodies thrive best on variety and ironically, people can actually become addicted to the foods that cause an allergic reaction. When our body reacts to a particular food, it releases endorphins. This means eating that food creates a natural "high." Any substance that causes a temporary sense of euphoria can become addictive, so the allergenic foods we need to avoid actually initiate the high, which then causes our bodies to crave those foods. I like to think of it as the body's way of saying, "Try me again, I know I can get it right this time," when attempting to metabolize the food.

When we regularly consume large quantities of a food, we can develop an allergy to it. This sets off an immune response, putting stress on specific digestive enzymes and overloading the body's ability to continue to break it down in the gut. So basically, if you crave a certain food, like chocolate, it could be because you are allergic to it.

The good news is that you can retrain your immune system through modification of your eating habits, lifestyle and environment to alleviate the symptoms associated with food allergies. People generally experience one of two types of reactions: IgE (immunoglobulin E), which causes the sudden onset of symptoms like swelling of the throat after eating a nut or anaphylactic shock after eating shellfish and IgG (immunoglobulin G) responses, which are often known as "food sensitivities," because the reactions are more subtle. For example, one might experience a rash, headache, achy joints or lethargy, from eating bananas, dried fruit, or a soy protein drink.

A simple blood test can determine whether or not specific foods are causing an IgG reaction; however, this is not a common medical test allergists use. This Laboratory Test uses a blood test to ascertain IgG reactions to hundreds of foods, molds, toxins and other known allergens. A complete report details the level of allergic reaction, dietary plan and frequency of ingestion. Depending on the severity and frequency of the symptoms, one might simply rotate the food every four days to ensure that it is out of your system before ingesting it again or it may need to be eliminated for six months or more. For my help in this area, you can refer to the contact information on my website.

In any case, by avoiding the common allergens, drinking plenty of pure water and eating high quality organic foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables; whole brown rice, sprouted grains, oats or quinoa; and high quality protein like free range chicken, wild-caught fish or whole beans, you will strengthen your likelihood of feeling healthier and reducing some nagging symptoms that you may be experiencing.