Gut Health and Allergies – 6 Most Common Food Allergies

 

Click Here to Find Out How to Naturally and Permanently Cure Leaky Gut Syndrome

6 Most Common Food Allergies – Are You Avoiding These Foods?

Food allergies (well the most common food allergies at least) are slowly beginning to get the recognition they deserve as being a big contributing factor to many chronic health symptoms. But few actually understand how involved these food allergies really are.

While most people on lookout for the most common food allergies that produce an oftentimes life threatening reactions, there is a whole other world of food allergies that attack much slower and can do a large amount of damage over longer periods of time.

And while the fast acting and severe food allergy reactions are easily identified, the slower and oftentimes delayed food allergies are much more difficult to pinpoint.

Immediate Food Allergies vs. Delayed Food Allergies

Immediate allergies are those reactions that are typically associated with a severe anaphylactic reaction from IgE immune antibodies. These are the reactions your doctor typically tests for using a skin-prick test while observing any reactions you develop within 15 to 30 minutes following the test. While these IgE allergies are important to know and understand, they only affect between 2% to 4% of the population.

The vast majority and most common food allergies are oftentimes less severe delayed food allergies. These types of food allergies are a result of many different immune reactions including IgG and IgM antibodies as well as other immune complexes such as Hatpens, Lectins, and Amines. These immune reactions can appear anywhere between 30 minutes to 72 hours after a food has been ingested.

But more importantly, these delayed reactions affect more than 15% to 25% of the population.

These delayed food allergies are most often associated with less severe but often puzzling symptoms such as seasonal allergies, ADD, ADHD, asthma, eczema, GERD, IBS, Fibromyalgia, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, and migraines, and just to name a few.

6 Most Common Food Allergies

1. Wheat

Wheat and Wheat Gluten top the list as one of the most common food allergies. It continues to be an extremely problematic food for many people. In fact, some studies have shown that gluten is a problem for more than 50% of the population. But the majority of these people don’t even know it.

2. Dairy

Dairy is another one of the most common food allergies. While most people are aware of lactose intolerance, less are aware of the high incidence of milk protein allergies to one or both, casein or whey.

3. Soy

Soy protein allergy is another one that is often associated with an underlying wheat allergy. Studies continue to show that there is little to no benefit to soy. In fact, there are many qualities of soy that can lead to health issues.

4. Egg

Egg allergy typically affects children more often than adults but is still one of the most common food allergies found. More often than not, this allergy is related more with the protein found in the egg white as opposed to the egg yolk itself.

5. Nuts

Although unrelated both peanuts (legume) and tree nuts are problematic foods. Peanut allergies are typically much more severe and related to IgE immune reactions.

6. Corn

Corn is one of the most common food allergies that is rising rapidly. This particular issue is more associated with the fact that corn is found in almost everything you eat.

This is because it is a cheap filler used in almost every processed food (including McDonald’s Milkshakes). Even the meat you eat is primarily corn since corn has become the feed of choice for fattening cattle, chickens, and other animals.

To understand more about gut health and allergies, watch this video – Dr. Vivian Chen: On Allergies, Gut Health, And Food As Medicine

What to Do About These Most Common Food Allergies?

The answer to this question really depends on the source of the food allergy itself.

For those reactions that are truly genetic then avoidance is the best way to deal with them. But many of these most common food allergies are the result of or worsened by leaky gut. So healing the gut should be a definite priority. Rotation diets for food allergies can be another very effective way to reduce or eliminate food allergies and are becoming much more common these days.

But regardless, when immune reactions occur due to food allergies, inflammation occurs which results in damage to both the gut lining and commonly in other areas of the body. This is one of the main mechanisms that perpetuates the leaky gut process.

This is why the Leaky Gut Cure is designed specifically to determine whether or not you suffer from any of these most common food allergies as well as any other foods while effectively reducing or eliminating your immune reactions to them.

Author Bio:

Karen Brimeyer is a nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner, and health consultant. She has helped over a hundred personal clients heal their leaky gut, digestive problems, lose weight, and resolve their chronic symptoms and conditions.

She is the owner of Optimal Self-Healing in Tampa Bay Florida, a private nutrition and health consultation business and author of the Leaky Gut Cure program.

Karen has worked with a wide variety of populations from new moms to athletes overcome their health problems and achieve optimal health.

Karen found her passion for nutrition as a teenager. While striving to achieve optimal health by following the widely accepted diet and nutrition tips of the media and conventional medicine, she found her own health declining rapidly with the development leaky gut which led to digestive problems and chronic fatigue.

Unwilling to accept her situation, she set out to determine the truth about health which led her through her own research as well as studying and working with some of the best holistic doctors and holistic practitioners in the fields of nutrition, functional medicine, and life coaching.

She has since applied her knowledge with herself to overcome her own leaky gut and achieve an unprecedented level of health and wellbeing. Her happy and healthy pregnancy and now two-year old son, TJ, are a testament to the health she has achieved.

To find out more about this program, click on Leaky Gut Cure

3 Common Mistakes to Avoid If You Want to Heal Your Leaky Gut

 

Click Here to Find Out How to Naturally and Permanently Cure Leaky Gut Syndrome

3 Common Mistakes Holding Your Gut Back from Healing

I get plenty of emails and even work with some clients who seem to be doing everything right but they still struggle to get the results they want. And when this happens, you always have to dig a little deeper to figure out what is going on in their life that is blocking them from healing their Leaky Gut.

Below, I’ve outlined 3 of the most common mistakes that most people do not take into account which will have a direct effect on your gut’s ability to heal itself.

So if you’re struggling then take some time to consider these and whether or not they could be a problem for you.

1. Your Mind and Hormones

Your mind can be a great tool but unfortunately most people never use it to their advantage. It can play a huge role in the healing process or it can hinder your progress and sabotage your efforts.

I’m sure you’ve probably heard this before and it’s not new to you, but have you ever stopped to really think about how it all works? Trust me, it’s not all voodoo and make believe. There is some science to it all.

I would bet that you wouldn’t argue the fact that your hormones have an influence over your health and healing. So wouldn’t it make sense that if your mind can directly influence your hormones then your mind would have a direct influence on your healing as well?

That’s exactly how it all works.

Thinking positively helps boost your endorphins and other neurotransmitter hormones. And these hormones have a direct effect on your mood, immune system function, pain tolerance, and food cravings.

So just by keeping a positive mindset, you can help your hormones work to your advantage.

On the contrary, negative thoughts can impair your immune system and cause you to crave foods that cause inflammation.

They also stimulate a stress response in the body which triggers the release of the hormone cortisol which suppresses your immune system and slows down your body’s natural healing process.

2. Hidden Food Allergies

Hidden food allergies are another very common and serious source of stress on the body. Many people are aware of certain food allergies that they have because they trigger direct or immediate immune responses as evidence of the reaction.

But what about the foods that trigger low grade inflammation or a delayed reaction?

Oftentimes, especially with Leaky Gut Syndrome, there are food allergies that are still present but not obvious. And these allergies are still creating enough inflammation in your digestive tract to prevent the intestinal lining from healing.

And delayed food allergies are another problem.

There are some immune antibody complexes within the body that don’t come into play until 24 to 36 hours after the problem food is ingested. So even if you do react to these foods it can be nearly impossible to correlate the reaction if it occurs that long after the fact.

This can make the process of identifying food allergies very difficult and confusion.

3. Parasites and Other Infections

The last big problem that I find very often is that there is some sort of underlying infection within the gut that must be removed before the gut can re-balance and heal properly.

I find this a lot with clients who follow the proper diet, remove all food allergies, and do just about everything right but they still can’t seem to gain control over their digestive tract and symptoms. Or their symptoms improve but come back if they cheat even the slightest bit. And it’s because the infection has all of the control.

But by taking some action and clearing out these parasites or infections then you can tip the balance back in your favor so that you can regain control again and prevent the infection from returning.

Watch this video to learn how to heal your leaky gut – Gut Healthy Foods and Drinks – Gut Reset Diet | Dr Mona Vand

Author Bio:

Karen Brimeyer is a nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner, and health consultant. She has helped over a hundred personal clients heal their leaky gut, digestive problems, lose weight, and resolve their chronic symptoms and conditions.

She is the owner of Optimal Self-Healing in Tampa Bay Florida, a private nutrition and health consultation business and author of the Leaky Gut Cure program.

Karen has worked with a wide variety of populations from new moms to athletes overcome their health problems and achieve optimal health.

Karen found her passion for nutrition as a teenager. While striving to achieve optimal health by following the widely accepted diet and nutrition tips of the media and conventional medicine, she found her own health declining rapidly with the development leaky gut which led to digestive problems and chronic fatigue.

Unwilling to accept her situation, she set out to determine the truth about health which led her through her own research as well as studying and working with some of the best holistic doctors and holistic practitioners in the fields of nutrition, functional medicine, and life coaching.

She has since applied her knowledge with herself to overcome her own leaky gut and achieve an unprecedented level of health and wellbeing. Her happy and healthy pregnancy and now two-year old son, TJ, are a testament to the health she has achieved.

To find out more about this program, click on Leaky Gut Cure

5 Common Mistakes Making Your Kitchen and Food Toxic

 

Click Here to Find Out How to Naturally and Permanently Cure Leaky Gut Syndrome

Maybe you think you’re eating healthy. Maybe you’re buying the best organic food that you find that hasn’t been treated with toxic pesticides, herbicides, hormones, or other chemicals.

But have you ever stopped to consider that part of the problem with toxins in the food supply is coming directly from you and your kitchen?

It’s true…

All too often we focus entirely on farming practices but there’s a whole other part of the story that has more to do with the many ways that you introduce even more toxins into your food before it ever gets to the table.

So I’ve outlined 5 of the most common mistakes that you are making in your kitchen that is affecting the quality of your food while making your food and you toxic. And any of these can add significant stress and inflammation within your body to prevent you from healing and overcoming Leaky Gut Syndrome.

1. Microwaving Food

If you use a microwave and have never heard of the ill effects of microwaving your food, then this is a very important topic for you.

First of all, microwaves were never developed to be used to heat food. But someone decided there was a good opportunity to make some money without before we had the ability to properly research the negative effects first.

And more and more research is being done these days on microwaves and other high frequency radiation coming from cell phones and other electronics and the research results are not pretty.

Here’s a very short list of just a few of the ill effects that microwave radiation has on your food:

• Destroys and reduced the nutrients in your food necessary to sustain life.

• Alters the chemical structure of food to produce toxins

• Produces carcinogenic compounds that have been shown to lead to cancer

Here are some additional resources if you’re interested in digging further into this subject:

How and Why Microwave Cooking Causes Cancer

The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking

2. Storing Food in Plastic

Plastics are another brainchild of science that are now beginning to be questioned heavily for the toxic chemicals that they contain which can easily leach into your food and water.

Research has been studying plastic for quite some time and they’ve already identified multiple toxic chemicals such as BPA, Phthalates, and other estrogen mimicking compounds.

When entering the body, these chemicals can and will attach to estrogen receptor sites which can and will lead to hormonal imbalances. They’ve also been shown to cause birth defects in babies.

And one larger scale study conducted in 2004 found BPA in nearly all urine samples taken. So there’s no arguing that these chemical are in fact getting into your body one way or another.

But these are just a small subset of the chemicals used. Just think about how many other chemicals are doing the same exact thing but just haven’t been researched as in depth yet. So BPA free plastic is a step in the right direction but definitely not a solution to a much bigger problem.

And when they remove one chemical such as BPA, they have to replace it with something else that likely hasn’t been fully researched and could potentially be worse.

Also stop to consider what other chemicals are being added that aren’t necessarily known ingredients. Think about how much plastic that you use is produced in China which somehow allowed Melamine to get into baby formula which was responsible for the lives of many babies.

What else do you think could be in your plastic?

3. Cleaning with Toxic Cleaners

Cleaning products are a big one that not enough people stop to consider.

Over 99% of home and kitchen cleaners are extremely toxic. And you’re using them to clean the same kitchen counters, utensils, supplies, etc that your food is coming into direct contact with.

And be sure to read your labels carefully because so many products are now being marketed as 98% non-toxic. That’s still toxic!

A general rule of thumb is, if you can’t eat it then you probably shouldn’t be cleaning your kitchen with it either.

4. Teflon or Non-Stick Coated Pots & Pans

Non-stick pots and pans became a big hit since they were more convenient and easy to clean. And I attribute much of this to the whole low fat craze because when you cook your food in healthy fats then sticking isn’t a problem to begin with.

But regardless, the chemicals that are used are extremely toxic. In fact, the EPA has declared Teflon a carcinogen and has only recently asked manufacturers to begin eliminating Perflurooctanoic Acid (PFOA) from their products.

And even when they do, what toxic chemical are they going to use next that hasn’t been studied?

Studies have shown that these non-stick cookware chemicals are being found in 95% of the American population. And what’s even scarier is that this includes most newborns!

And to add insult to injury, when these chemicals are heated they do outgas and release carcinogens and other environmental pollutants.

5. Plastic Utensils & Cutting Boards

I know that many people are beginning to catch on to some of these but this one gets almost everyone.

We’ve already discussed it and you know that plastics are toxic and bad for your health.

And you probably never stop to realize it but plastic cutting boards will actually leave plastic micro-shavings in and on your food as your knife cuts and scrapes across it.

Just because you can’t necessarily see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there or affecting your health.

Then you have plastic utensils that come into contact with your food which under heat will leech even more plastic chemicals into your food.

The Big Picture

So if you consider the number and amount of different toxins that get into your food just while you are making then you can see how ridiculous it really is.

And stop to consider that the average American is putting food on counters cleaned with toxic cleaners, cutting the same food on plastic cutting boards, cooking it in toxic non-stick pots and pans, stirring with plastic utensils, storing their dinner and leftovers in plastic containers, and then reheating it all in the microwave the next day.

How many different chemicals do you think this would expose you to?

Watch these 3 videos below to avoid the common mistakes making your kitchen and food toxic –

11 Common Kitchen Items That Are Secretly Toxic

4 Types of Toxic Cookware to Avoid and 4 Safe Alternatives

Toxic Household Products – Top 5 List of Dangerous Chemicals in Your Kitchen

Author Bio:

Karen Brimeyer is a nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner, and health consultant. She has helped over a hundred personal clients heal their leaky gut, digestive problems, lose weight, and resolve their chronic symptoms and conditions.

She is the owner of Optimal Self-Healing in Tampa Bay Florida, a private nutrition and health consultation business and author of the Leaky Gut Cure program.

Karen has worked with a wide variety of populations from new moms to athletes overcome their health problems and achieve optimal health.

Karen found her passion for nutrition as a teenager. While striving to achieve optimal health by following the widely accepted diet and nutrition tips of the media and conventional medicine, she found her own health declining rapidly with the development leaky gut which led to digestive problems and chronic fatigue.

Unwilling to accept her situation, she set out to determine the truth about health which led her through her own research as well as studying and working with some of the best holistic doctors and holistic practitioners in the fields of nutrition, functional medicine, and life coaching.

She has since applied her knowledge with herself to overcome her own leaky gut and achieve an unprecedented level of health and wellbeing. Her happy and healthy pregnancy and now two-year old son, TJ, are a testament to the health she has achieved.

To find out more about this program, click on Leaky Gut Cure

How to Restore Complete Gut Well-Being and Be Toxin-Free

 

Click Here to Find Out How to Naturally and Permanently Cure Leaky Gut Syndrome

Why Leaky Gut Makes You Toxic

This is an important concept that most people with Leaky Gut Syndrome never stop to consider.

Your liver is an important part of your digestive system that works to process the toxins in your body so that they can be properly removed. But when you have leaky gut, your entire digestive tract becomes burdened and your liver can easily become backed up.

And when this happens, you are unable to eliminate toxins and they build up inside you which can contribute to many of your leaky gut symptoms.

Maybe you think that you live a pretty clean lifestyle so your exposure to toxins is minimal.

Think again!

The truth is that toxins are everywhere and there is no escaping them no matter how hard you try. All you can really do is minimize your exposure and keep your detoxification pathways clear so that your body is able to process and eliminate as many toxins as possible.

2 Common Sources of Toxins

As of 2006, there were over 82,000 synthetic and potentially toxic chemicals documented within the US alone of which 75% (60,150) have never been tested for toxicity. And these chemicals are being used in consumer products every single day.

The truth is that there are far more toxic chemicals being introduced every single year than the EPA is able to test so these numbers are only growing.

Of course, I couldn’t even begin to touch the tip of the iceberg of toxins but I would like to share with you two of the more common sources that you are exposed to on a daily basis.

1. Leaky Gut Causing Food Chemicals and Additives (Your Food)

Yep, rest assured that with every single bite you take, you’re ingesting toxins. For example, conventional strawberries are sprayed with 19 different pesticides so you can only imagine what you’re really eating.

Or try this on for size. Most conventional cured meats such as bacon and hot dogs are full of the food preservatives such as Nitrates which helps meat keep its color and maintain freshness.

But this toxic substance is also known to cause cancer. So why is it still be used every single day? Because the FDA claims that no suitable alternative has yet to be identified.

Well, I personally love bacon but I opt for the all-natural choice that contains no Nitrates, chemicals, or other preservatives and trust me, it tastes amazing.

Then you have artificial sweeteners (which are not allowed on the Leaky Gut Cure diet). These may be no calorie sweeteners but you have to consider that these are really synthetic chemicals that your body sees as toxic.

Aspartame for example is used in more than 6,000 food and beverage products. And while the FDA claims that it is safe, there are numerous studies that have linked it to many diseases such as cancer.

2. Leaky Gut Causing Pharmaceutical Drugs (Your Water)

If you don’t filter your tap water, then you might want to strongly reconsider. Tap water is so full of toxins that the Environmental Working Group found over 140 different contaminants in tap water.

And even more recent studies are finding many different prescription and over the counter drugs in your tap water, most notably: antibiotics, anti-depressants, birth control pills, seizure medication, cancer treatment drugs, pain killers, tranquilizers, and cholesterol drugs.

Can you count how many of those contribute to Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Almost every single one does.

What You Can Do About Toxicity

Even though toxins are everywhere, there is a lot that you can do.

First you want to ensure that your detox pathways are clear and eliminating toxins properly. And one of the most important pathways is your digestive tract. So you want to ensure that your liver is functioning properly and your bowels are moving properly.

Any disruption in this chain and you’re really just a toxic ticking time bomb.

And once these pathways are clear, you can help support the detox process. There’s a quote I like to use that holds true for your body…

“The Solution to Pollution is Dilution”

Or in other words, one of the best ways to flush toxins out of your body is to drink more high quality water.

But here are some good examples to keep in mind.

1. Eat organic as much as possible.

This limits your exposure to pesticides, food additives, and other food chemicals.

2. Use a drinking water filter and shower filter.

Your skin absorbs chemicals when in contact with water too so if you are filtering your drinking water, you should be filtering your shower water too.

But the most important aspect of being able to detoxify properly is restoring your detox pathways. And because toxins can have such a big effect on your leaky gut, I have made this an integral part of the Leaky Gut Cure program.

Eat This, Not That

Eat: Organic versions of the following produce: Strawberries, Bell Peppers, Spinach, Cherries, Peaches, Celery, Apples, Apricots, Cantaloupe, and Green Beans.

Not: Conventional versions as these are the most heavily treated with pesticides.

Watch these 2 videos to learn how to restore complete gut well-being –

Probiotics Benefits + Myths | Improve Gut Health | Doctor Mike

The “HEALTHY” Foods You Should Absolutely NOT EAT | Dr Steven Gundry & Lewis Howes

Bonus Tip

So much focus is put on organic produce but the most important part of your meal that should be all natural, free range, or organic is your meat. This is because meat contains many more nutrients than any plant based food.

And animals are dealing with the same toxic environment that we are so you can bet that they are toxic too. And in the same sense that the healthier we are the better we are able to eliminate toxins, the same holds true for animals.

And there is no doubt that all natural, free range, and organic animals are far healthier and treated with far fewer chemicals and drugs than their conventional counterparts so they pass far less toxins on to you.

Hopefully you now understand the significance of toxins in your struggle with leaky gut and how they play a role in making your chronic symptoms worse. But there is something that you can do about it. And I welcome you to take that step by following the Leaky Gut Cure program.

Author Bio:

Karen Brimeyer is a nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner, and health consultant. She has helped over a hundred personal clients heal their leaky gut, digestive problems, lose weight, and resolve their chronic symptoms and conditions.

She is the owner of Optimal Self-Healing in Tampa Bay Florida, a private nutrition and health consultation business and author of the Leaky Gut Cure program.

Karen has worked with a wide variety of populations from new moms to athletes overcome their health problems and achieve optimal health.

Karen found her passion for nutrition as a teenager. While striving to achieve optimal health by following the widely accepted diet and nutrition tips of the media and conventional medicine, she found her own health declining rapidly with the development leaky gut which led to digestive problems and chronic fatigue.

Unwilling to accept her situation, she set out to determine the truth about health which led her through her own research as well as studying and working with some of the best holistic doctors and holistic practitioners in the fields of nutrition, functional medicine, and life coaching.

She has since applied her knowledge with herself to overcome her own leaky gut and achieve an unprecedented level of health and wellbeing. Her happy and healthy pregnancy and now two-year old son, TJ, are a testament to the health she has achieved.

To find out more about this program, click on Leaky Gut Cure