Do you constantly struggle with low energy? You might drink cups of coffee, spend hours at the gym or drink Red Bull like it’s no one’s business, yet you never seem to have the energy to get everything done.
The reason behind your lack of energy might be a hidden food sensitivity!
We all heard about food allergies and the impact that has on one’s life.
But how about food sensitivities? Although, not life threatening, food sensitivities could definitely impact the quality of one’s life in so many ways. And what’s worse is that you might not even know it.
What is food sensitivity
Food sensitivities typically occur in people with more sensitive digestive systems, when the body has a harder time digesting a particular food.
When the food is not properly digested, the undigested bits could permeate our gut and enter the blood stream where it doesn’t belong, causing an inflammatory response. This response could manifest in multiple ways, depending on the biological makeover of each individual. Nevertheless, here are some of the symptoms often ignored that could be the result of a hidden food sensitivity:
♥ GI distress (abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, IBS)
♥ Headaches
♥ Lethargy
♥ Moodiness
♥ Brain fog
♥ Breakouts
♥ Sinus congestion (could lead to frequent Sinus infections and difficulty breathing)
♥ Joints pain
♥ Gain weight
Most common foods that cause sensitivity
♥ Gluten
♥ Dairy
♥ Corn
♥ Soy
How to determine if you have a food sensitivity
Step 1. Elimination Stage
The most accurate way of determining if a certain food is causing a problem is to go through an elimination diet. By removing certain foods from your diet for at least 2 weeks, you’ll rid your body from its negative effects, giving it time to calm down. Start by eliminating the foods that you consume the most (gluten and dairy), as those are more likely to be a problem.
More often than not, when eliminating gluten and dairy (and more so, gluten) you will notice feeling more alert and energized, while the headaches and moodiness dissipate. That by itself should be enough of a reason to stop consuming those for a couple of weeks every once in a while.
Step 2. Reintroduction Stage
After the 2 weeks elimination period you start reintroducing each food at a time and watch for possible symptoms as a result. Give yourself at least 2 days for determining how you feel before reintroducing a new food group (that if you eliminated more than one food group at a time).
If some of the symptoms mentioned above come back, that’s a sign that you might have a sensitivity to that particular food and you should remove it from your diet for a longer period of time. Your body needs time away from that particular food in order to heal and learn to better deal with it.
You can try to reintroduce it back into your diet after a couple of months and test your response. Chances are, your body is now better prepared to digest that food and you won’t experience the same symptoms.
As a rule of thumb, though, once you reintroduced that food back into your diet you should be mindful of how often you consume it, as consuming it daily might overload your system, making your symptoms come back. If that happens, going through another elimination period for a few weeks might be beneficial.
Benefits of the elimination diet
♥ Improves digestion
♥ Improves energy and alertness
♥ Aids in detoxifying your body
♥ Reduces inflammation
♥ Improves mood
♥ Promotes weight loss
I talk more about food sensitivities, their impact on overall well-being and how to heal your gut in my newly released book “Your Healthy Zesty Life: 6 Steps for Overcoming Exhaustion and Achieving Vibrant Health”.
Order the Book Now on Amazon!