Most people have no idea what normal is supposed to feel like. We settle for feeling far less vibrant than we should be.

 

Do these symptoms describe you?

  • You consistently feeling exhausted, achy, bloated, and constipated.
  • You feel much older than your biological age.
  • You get reflux when you eat (Or you are taking a PPI).
  • You suffer with headaches, migraines, and allergies.
  • You frequently find yourself unable to focus, concentrate and remember.

 

Just because these symptoms are commonplace doesn’t mean it’s normal.

 

We have come to accept feeling this way as just a part of getting older, having kids, stressful jobs, long hours, and financial worries. While these are all genuine stressors and affect your well-being, they are not why you are feeling this way.

 

As a nation, our health is getting worse with every succeeding generation. People are getting sicker, and it is happening at younger ages. In fact, we are raising the first generation of children whose life expectancy is less than that of their parents.

 

It is time we started paying attention and doing something about it.

 

With the right information and the willingness to change, you can experience the miracles I see every day.

 

Food sensitivities play a key role in most chronic complaints. Unfortunately, a food sensitivity can be very challenging to figure out. They can develop at any age. You could be reacting to healthy foods that you used to enjoy without any repercussions. You may also believe if you develop a sensitivity to a food, you will get a stomachache when you eat it. That would certainly make things easier but unfortunately that is often not true. For every 1 person who has a digestive response, there are 8 others that never do.

 

Sensitivities can manifest in all parts of the body and can look very different from one person to the next. Common signs of a sensitivity include:

  • Skin issues- dry itchy skin, eczema, psoriasis, acne, alopecia
  • Headaches, allergies, and asthma
  • Acid reflux
  • Gas, bloating, chronic constipation and/or diarrhea
  • Body aches and pains
  • Fatigue- no matter how many hours you sleep, you are tired all the time.
  • Insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
  • Weight gain (Especially around your waistline)
  • Lessening ability to focus, concentrate and remember.

 

The simplest way to determine if your diet is triggering these symptoms is to do an elimination diet. Eliminating 1 food at a time will not give you the results you are looking for. To reduce your inflammation and experience a sense of well-being you haven’t enjoyed in a long time, it is essential you remove all the top triggers at the same time for a period of 2 weeks. That would include alcohol, artificial sweeteners, corn, caffeine, dairy, eggs, peanuts, soy, sugar, and all gluten containing grains.

 

Equally important is what foods you choose to eat during this elimination period. For maximum results it is imperative you eat a well-balanced diet of fresh foods. Working with a nutrition coach that can provide you will menus, recipes and shopping lists and has experience with food sensitivities will make this a much easier process.

 

It may seem a little overwhelming at first but once you experience how great fresh food tastes, it becomes a way of eating you look forward to. Better yet, your body will start to rebound quickly, and you will feel better than you have in a very long time. It will take longer for your body to heal, but once you discover the power you have over your future you will be happy to continue the journey.

 

Identifying food sensitivities is also critical for another reason that can greatly impact your future.

 

Through a process called molecular mimicry, food sensitivities can trigger autoimmune disease. We now have over 100 different types of autoimmune conditions and a quarter million new cases being diagnosed every year. These autoimmune diseases are being triggered by the foods we are eating.

 

When you identify and remove the food triggers, the autoimmune process stops, and the body has a chance to heal and create a healthy new future.

 

Eating healthy delicious food is a much nicer way of healing than you will experience with a lifetime of medications that have an endless list of side effects.

 

Don’t you owe it to yourself to figure this out?

 

Kathy D’Agati is a certified nutrition and lifestyle coach specializing in functional medicine. Her areas of expertise include food sensitivities, autoimmune conditions, chronic disease, and food’s impact on the brain. She can be reached at Kathy@backtobasicwellness.com or by calling 201-738-8321.