More and more people are noticing that their bodies are resisting certain foods.
It can be a strange sensation to suddenly feel unable to eat something that you used to enjoy regularly. But the issue isn’t the food; it has more to do with our bodies and our digestive systems.
Keep reading to find out common food sensitivities and how to help your body stop resisting them.
By healing your gut and digestive system, your body will embrace whole, plant-based foods without any sensitivity or reactions.
1. Gluten Intolerance
Gluten intolerance and sensitivity has skyrocketed in recent years. Gluten intolerance is not quite celiac dis-ease, which is a digestive system dis-ease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.
The protein gluten, found in wheat, rye and barley, cannot be tolerated by people with celiac dis-ease. When they consume gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or losing the villi on the lining of the small intestine, which are necessary for absorbing nutrients.
Though you might not have celiac dis-ease, you still may be sensitive to gluten. However, the number one solution for celiac dis-ease and gluten intolerance is a changed diet. Eat tons of fermented foods that are not wheat based, like pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, miso soup, kombucha, etc. Plenty of veggies, nuts, seeds and fruits are also beneficial.
Slowly reintroduce grains into the diet starting with a mix of flax and oats, then tiny amounts of others until the body is fine with them. This will work if you remain consistent and patient.
Food with gluten isn’t the problem. In fact, many gluten-free foods are packed with sugar and fat to make them taste as similar as possible to foods with gluten, so the replacement options aren’t doing you and your health any good.
It’s important to try and work your body back up to tolerating gluten regularly, so that you can feel better, eat more easily, and avoid unhealthy, gluten-free substitutes.
Learn more in Celiac Disease: Signs, Causes & Natural Solutions.
2. FODMAPS
FODMAPs are short chain carbohydrates known as fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.
In simple terms, they refer to certain sugars that are not fully absorbed in the small intestine, causing sensitivity, discomfort and fermentation in the digestive system.
It is said that a wide variety of foods ranging from wheat, to legumes, honey, milk and cheese and even certain fruits and vegetables can cause these reactions, but the truth is, that the vast majority of cases result from chemical processed foods and refined sugars - not raw whole foods in their natural state.
True common culprits include:
- Pasteurized and Homogenised Dairy products
- Processed Meats
- Processed Flour, White Bread, Pastries and Biscuits
- White Pasta and Rice
- Packaged Breakfast Cereals and Energy Bars made from Genetically Modified Grains
If irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, gas, fatigue, irritability or frequent skin problems are an issue, it is usually a sign of one of two things - toxicity and deficiency.
In this case, it's usually helpful to do some kind of a cleanse or fast to help eliminate the offence within the digestive tract, so that your gut and microbiome can be repaired.
Learn more in Tips to Heal Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) & Leaky Gut.
A colon cleanse, 7 day raw food diet or juice fast are great ways to go to allow your body to reset and heal, before introducing a clean diet. From here, as you gradually reintroduce certain foods, you will more likely notice which ones your body is resisting, allowing you to either eliminate them from your diet or to try them in other formats e.g. cooked or raw.
3. Food Allergies
Food allergies are mostly common among infants and children, but often naturally go away with age. Many cause annoying symptoms like diarrhoea, an itchy rash and a stuffy nose, although some food allergies can be serious.
The timing and location of an allergic reaction to food is affected by digestion.
For example, an allergic person may first experience a severe itching of the tongue or “tingling lips.” Cramps, diarrhoea or vomiting may follow. The allergens can cause asthma, a drop in blood pressure, eczema or hives as they enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. The onset of these symptoms may vary from a few minutes to an hour or two after the food is eaten.
Food allergy patterns in adults differ somewhat from those in children. The most common foods to cause allergies in adults are crab, lobster, oysters, prawns and other shellfish, plus eggs and certain nuts.
In children, eggs, milk, peanuts, soy and wheat are the main causes of an allergic reaction. Children typically outgrow their allergies to milk, eggs, soy and wheat, while allergies to fish, peanuts, shrimp and tree nuts usually are not outgrown.
The prevalence of food allergy is growing and probably will continue to grow along with all allergy dis-eases. Research over the last three decades indicates that the number of people with allergies is skyrocketing in developed and developing countries but not in underdeveloped areas.
The fewer germs that are in the environment, the more time the immune system can devote to worrying about things like allergens. Recent studies indicate that growing up in a large family or daycare centre actually decreases the likelihood of developing an allergy
To overcome allergies and prevent your body from resisting foods, there are two steps:
- Extended mono diets with periods of water or juice fasting
- Repeated exposure to the food causing the reaction. Start by holding it and smelling it, then in time, licking it, then tasting it and eventually swallowing some. It appears food allergies are the body’s response to extreme shortage of a specific nutritional component.
A detoxification diet consisting of fresh juices and fruits, soups, green smoothies and salads or 7-10 days on Pulse Raw Food, will generally help remove some or all of the allergy-causing toxins if a substance has registered in the body as a toxin.
Whether the toxins are chemicals, food, pets or other environmental irritants, a juice and water detoxification diet purifies and nourishes your system while providing allergy relief. Vegetable juices are preferred over fruit juices because vegetables have a lower sugar content.
Try our RAW Juice Powders for a healthy but convenient on-the-go juice.
A cleanse can help your body reset, flush out any built-up toxins, and rest for a few days. The Cleanse Me Natural Colon Cleanse is a great compliment to the above steps when trying to prevent your body from resisting certain foods.
Learn more in Signs You Need a Gut Cleanse & 3 Steps To Do It Naturally.
The Main Takeaway
If your body is resisting certain foods, something is off.
Cleansing your digestive system and fasting are the best ways to reset. This will help give your body a much needed rest and help it stop seeing certain foods as a threat.
If your body is resisting healthy, whole foods, it should be a top priority to fix it. Your body needs a variety of nutrients, and by eliminating certain foods from your life, you’re limiting access to important nutrient sources.
If you find that your body is resisting food groups like meat, dairy, or something like alcohol, it could be your body telling you to move to a whole food, plant-based diet. This is the most natural form of eating that’s most recognisable to your body, and you’ll get all the nutrients you need from it.
By helping your body learn to stop resisting foods, you’ll ensure that your health and digestion are in peak condition, not to mention make eating and preparing meals much easier.
Tolman Self Care.
