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| potential allergens: wheat, gluten, yeast, eggs |
Did you know that you could have a hidden food sensitivity and not know it? You could be consuming the food on a daily basis and it's silently causing damage to your insides without obvious signals. The adverse reaction can be so subtle and so gradual you don't realize it's happening or that it's linked to your favorite snack. Sometimes it takes a general elimination diet to discover a food sensitivity or intolerance, which I think I've discovered whilst on the Kris Carr Cleansing Detox. Here's what happened.
So the first few days were hard; however, after the first week I felt great. I loved waking up everyday with lots of energy and noticeable brain clarity, which was due to good food but also the absence of alcohol. However, towards the end a few things happened that really surprised me...
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| potential allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, yeast, tomatoes, peppers |
About 2 and half weeks in I started to crave seafood, especially salmon. I missed my fish and shrimp dinners and it was a challenge to come up with vegan alternatives. Hub was not detoxing with me but he eats what I make and will not settle for beans and brown rice. I had to create meals that would satisfy his palette (mine too) and man stomach. Beans were helpful and I loved my spicy black bean burgers, but it's hard to get creative every night. So I relied heavily on nuts for protein and I ended up lowering my daily intake of protein. I felt like my body was sending me signals and it felt important to listen to my body. So I caved and ate a bit of fish and shrimp.
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| potential allergens: gluten (gravy), dairy (butter in mash) |
I also mistakenly ate a bunch of other food groups the same week and BOOM! I broke out in an eczema rash on my elbows, armpits and lips. I also
noticed a dull pain in my knuckles and I broke out on my back shoulders. I haven't had back acne since I was 16! I suspect that something I ate was causing this reaction because I hadn't changed anything in my routine except my diet. And this is why all detox diets tell you to reintroduce one food group at a time in order to monitor any adverse reactions.
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| potential allergens: nightshade vegetables |
This detox was far more challenging then the Dr. Joshi cleanse, but it was so rewarding and I feel like I've discovered something in the process. Check out Kris Carr's website and books for info and if you suffer from any of these chronic symptoms, you might want to see if you have a hidden food allergy. I've been in touch with an American allergist and a Brazilian nutritionist who have both advise that I continue with the elimination diet, but this time reintroduce the foods properly so that I might have a better idea of what I'm reacting to. I'm currently mustering up the energy to go on the cleanse again, but my fear is that it might be peanuts or tree nuts, mangoes, citrus fruits or shellfish.
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| potential allergens: shellfish, citrus fruits, tomatoes |
Interesting reads for this post:
Dr. Mark Hyman's elimination diet plan featured on Dr. Oz
The DL on elimination diets and the different kinds
I'm know I'm a big fan of self-medicating and speculating, but here's how to diagnose a food allergy properly.
