The Food Allergy Connection to Optimum Weight, Immune and Liver Function
Over 60% of Americans suffer from some form of delayed food allergy and do not even realize it. Why? Until recently, food allergies were only thought of as immediate life threatening problems. For instance, one eats strawberries and shortly after breaks out in hives or eats shellfish and develops breathing difficulties. In ‘typical food allergy’ pictures, a food sets off what is known as an IgE reaction in the body. Meaning some element in the food sets off a chemical reaction (creates an IgE antibody) within the cells of the body. These antibodies release chemicals like histamine, which in turn, causes the typical allergic reaction - hives, swelling, difficulty breathing etc. symptoms that can be life threatening. This is obviously important to know but has nothing to do with chronic disease. A non-life threatening food allergy can also occur when the body has difficulty in digesting a particular food. These undigested, larger food molecules create holes (creating a “leaky gut”) in the gastrointestinal tract and eventually end up in the blood stream. This abnormal response triggers an immune reaction. The immune system is tricked into thinking that these foods are trying to attack the body and alerts the liver to detoxify and process them as foreign invaders. In medical terms, the body's reaction to that food is to not create IgE but to create IgG, IgM, and complement antibodies. These markers do not exhibit typical 'allergic' reactions like IgE, which is why there may be no immediate physical reaction to the offending food. There is still a price to pay—we just don’t see it right away! This daily activation of the immune system and overburdening of the liver leads to many chronic conditions:
weight gain, headaches, hormonal imbalance, body aches, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, heartburn, gas/bloating, constipation, eczema, hives, rosacea, chronic sinus problems, arthritis, autism, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, attention deficit disorder (ADD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and autoimmune diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
No matter what disease process or medical condition it would be of great benefit to know which foods are unnecessarily preoccupying one’s immune system and liver. By eliminating these offending foods we are dedicating 100% of our immune system to fight disease, not cravings, as well as, significantly improving the detoxification capabilities of the liver. Learn how you can loose weight, have more energy, better skin, regular bowel habits and decreased pain just by eating the right foods.