Is Your Food Making You Sick?

Do you suffer from migraines, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, or other chronic conditions? Have conventional medical treatments failed to "cure" you? Do you feel lousy all the time but can't really pinpoint what the problem is? Have doctors given up on you, or worse, told you that your condition is all "in your head?"

Well, here's some good news: Sarah Amer, our Registered Dietitian (RD), can help! Diet is typically the area that gets the least amount of attention from doctors and other healthcare providers, but for many patients, it is the key to relief.

What, you ask, does diet have to do with these conditions?  Oftentimes the body perceives otherwise harmless foods the same way it perceives things that are truly harmful—bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.  This case of mistaken identity leads to the release of toxic chemicals called mediators (such as histamines, cytokines, and prostaglandins) from our immune cells.  It’s the inflammatory and pain-inducing effects of mediators that give rise to the symptoms making us feel sick.

These food sensitivities are much more common than food allergies, but are rarely tested for by your doctor and therefore go undetected.  Both food allergies and food sensitivities involve an immune response.   However, unlike food allergies in which reactions occur shortly after consuming a food, symptoms of food sensitivities can take hours or even days to show up, making it extremely difficult to trace the offending food. 

The LEAP Program (Lifestyle, Eating, and Performance) is a strategic method for dealing with the food and food-chemical sensitivities that can play a role in many common illnesses.  Some food-sensitivity-related conditions and symptoms that can be significantly improved, if not eliminated, with the LEAP Program include:

• Migraine and other Chronic Headaches
• Fibromyalgia
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
• Diarrhea, cramping, bloating, vomiting
• Heartburn, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• Muscle pain and weakness
• Arthritis, joint pain
• Fatigue, tiredness, insomnia, general malaise
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Hyperactivity/ADD
• “Brain Fog”
• Excess mucous production, chronic post nasal drip
• Eczema/Hives
• Weight Imbalances

When food sensitivities are involved in these conditions (and they often are), proper dietary management could be just what you need for lasting relief.  

A consultation with a dietitian with specialized training in food sensitivities, along with a simple blood test that measures mediator release against 150 different foods and food chemicals, can help determine if food sensitivities are indeed playing a role in your condition.  If you are found to have food sensitivities, a highly individualized dietary modification plan will be created for you so you can start feeling better.  

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