Hidden Food Sensitivities?

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...

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Detoxin' with Kris Carr

 

Following my New Year's resolution to be a holistic goddess, I've decided to kick start the year with Kris Carr's 21-Day Adventure Cleanse. For the next three weeks I will try to reduce the acidity of my insides (and release the toxins) by avoiding alcohol, wheat/gluten, sugar and high GI fruits, all meat products including seafood and dairy, and lastly giving up my morning cup of Joe. 

I am in awe of Kris Carr. Ever since I started reading about her story and how she lives life with stage IV cancer in her lungs and liver, I felt inspired. This is a woman who has now been living with incurable and inoperable cancer for over 10 years and looks fresh as a daisy. After seeing her film I felt like I wanted to be vegan, I wanted my immune system to be strong! I asked for her book Crazy Sexy Diet for Christmas and inhaled it like crispy french fries with ketchup. It's filled with great info about nutrition and explains in funny layman terms how food behaves once inside our bodies.

This idea behind the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle begins with the understanding of alkalinity versus acidity, the pH scale. Our body is designed to be slightly alkaline and our body operates at it's best when the blood pH is 7.365. In fact our body will do whatever it can to stay there, but things like environment, stress, and diet can cause acidity in our bodies leading to disease and illness.

"We control the destiny of our health.
We control the quality of our health."

-excerpt from Crazy Sexy Cancer

I was particularly drawn to this detox because it is a wholefoods, low fat, vegan diet and I've been fascinated by nutritional studies, like that of T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Neal Barnard, that show this kind of lifestyle can reverse diabetes, heart disease and help prevent cancer. I've never eaten this way before and I want to see if I can do it. Even for three weeks, can I hone in on the good and leave out the bad?

I'm also trying to understand my prediabetes and diabetes in general. Most of the info out there links diabetes to obesity, but what about people who are not obese? I recognize bad choices I've made in the past, but I also still feel very confused as to why I have prediabetes. I mean am I skinny fat? Do I have reactive hypoglycemia? I hope to share with you how it's going, some recipes, and intriguing facts.  

Some interesting reads for this post:
Detox is a two step process: awakening and releasing the toxins

The truth behind detox symptoms