FOOD ALLERGY/SENSITIVITY SYMPTOMS
There is a popular misconception that allergy symptoms only cause such effects as skin rashes, hay fever, asthma, or gastrointestinal symptoms. Nothing could be further from the truth. We don't find "NO TRESPASSING" signs forbidding inflammatory responses from occurring in off limit areas of the body. Any part of the body may be the "target organ/area" for an inflammatory response, producing corresponding symptoms consistent with the affected area. Different allergens have different & unique target organs with symptoms varying from individual to individual but usually specific & repeatable in a given person. Wheat may give me muscle pain, eggs may fatigue me, milk may give a headache. Whereas wheat may give you an upset stomach, eggs may agitate you, & milk may depress you, & so on.
Allergy / hypersensivity reactions can mimic numerous other conditions as well. There are many predisposing factors for allergy, such as a family history of allergies, untoward exposure to chemicals triggering a hyper immune response, chronic yeast overgrowth or other infections, mercury or other toxic metal overload, digestive malfunction of many varieties, prematurely at birth, auto-immune disorders, to name only a few.
The following symptoms occurring chronically, but usually waxing & waning in severity & not clearly caused by another specific illness can be caused by foods, chemicals in foods or the air, other inhalants, or chemicals naturally occurring in our bodies. You may be surprised at the extent of possible symptoms.
FOOD ALLERGY SYMPTOMS/GENERAL ALLERGY SYMPTOMS
Head:
Headache, neck ache, fullness, pressure or tightness in the head, dizziness, imbalance, vertigo, blackout.
Eyes & Ears:
Sneezing, runny or stuffy nose; puffy, watery, nose, throat: or itchy eyes, blurred vision, excessive mucous formation; ringing, popping or fullness in the ears, fluid in the middle ear, earache, hearing loss; sore throat, hoarse, weak voice, gagging, itching in the roof of the mouth, difficulty swallowing, canker sores, excessive thirst, frequent yawning, sinusitis, increased sensitivity to light & sound.
Lungs, heart:
Coughing, wheezing, reduced air flow, tight congested feeling in the chest, shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid pulse, palpitations, heart irregularities, sudden changes in blood pressure.
Gastro-intestinal:
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, bloating after meals, belching, passing gas, feeling of fullness in the stomach long after finishing a meal, abdominal pains or cramps.
Skin:
Hives, rashes, eczema, itching, sweating, flushing, chilly, cold or hot flashes.
General:
Insomnia., Chronic fatigue, faintness, clumsiness, excessive drowsiness or sleepiness soon after eating, muscle pains, cramps, spasms, weakness, twitching, jerking, or tics, joint aches, warmth, or redness, backache, neuralgia, swelling of the hands or feet, urinary frequency or urgency, vaginal itching, excessive hunger or binge eating.
Emotional:
Emotional instability or hypersensitivity, crying jags, stuttering, excessive daydreaming, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, withdrawn, listless, seizures, aggressive behavior, anger, irritability, hyperactivity, silly, tense, restless, excited, agitated, learning problems, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, poor comprehension, confusion, impaired attention, Obsessive thoughts, compulsive behavior feelings of unreality, disorientation, false beliefs or delusions, hallucinations, suicidal, feel like hurting self.
If you have a number of these symptoms previously unexplained, you may be having reactions to foods or environmental allergens .
WHAT IS AN
ALLERGY ROTATION DIET? ANTI-CANDIDA DIET?
If it is not feasible to do the testing, it is helpful & diagnostic to follow an allergen rotation diet for at least 4-6 weeks & look for any kind of improvement in your symptoms. The greater the improvement, the more likely are allergies the culprit. If you have many & severe allergies, you may actually feel worse the first 3-5 days as you have withdrawal symptoms from the allergens, after which you will improve.
Below is an allergy rotation diet you can follow which excludes the most common problem items which are dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs, sugar, yeast, coffee, alcohol, dried fruits, diet & regular sodas. This diet will also work as an anti-candida (yeast overgrowth) diet, if you know or feel that applies to you.
With this diet, eat only the allowed foods on each day, day 1-4, then start over again continuing the rotation. Should you feel decidedly better on this diet, carefully & gradually introduce foods ( only one new food every several days) when you finish the diet to see which foods provoke the old problems. At this time it will be helpful to keep a food-symptom diary.
ALLERGY ROTATION DIET
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DAY 1 |
DAY 2 |
DAY 3 |
DAY 4 |
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Teas:
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IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE WELL HYDRATED, SO DRINK AT LEAST THE EIGHT GLASSES OF WATER DAILY. LOW WATER INTAKE IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED ALLERGIC RESPONSE.
Menu Plan Monday begins. This is to date the hardest thing I've done concerning
L's diet. I have been asked frequently as to how I deal with the many times
we've had to redo L's diet. The response is, that I just don't think about it.
Well, I try not to. If I think to closely to the fact that I make just about
everything this child eats I start feeling stressed. So I had to walk away from
this menu plan a couple times before I had my mind mellowed enough to get it
done.
This menu is based on a four day rotation. So no repeated foods until the fifth day. First cousins(different foods that are in the same family) are allowed every other day. So rice can be eaten on day one but no wheat until day three.
Monday--Goat Milk(contains casein)
Breakfast
Snack
Grapes and Macadamia Nuts
Lunch
Goat Cheese(contains casein), Grapes and Teff Bread
Snack
Goat Yogurt(contains casein)
Dinner
Turkey Meatballs, Zucchini, Grapes
Oil
Canola
Sweetener
Agave Nectar
Tuesday--Almond Milk
Breakfast
Snack
Apples and Almonds
Lunch
Chicken Hotdogs, Applesauce, Buckwheat Bread
Snack
Apples with Almond Butter
Dinner
Chicken Strips, Broccoli, and Apples
Oil
Olive Oil
Sweetener
Honey
Wednesday--Rice Milk
Breakfast
Rice with cinnamon and sugar
Snack
Lunch
Rice crackers, Pecan butter, Strawberries and Peas
Snack
Rice yogurt
Dinner
Beef and Rice, Peas and Strawberries
Oil
Sesame
Sweetener
Cane Sugar
Thursday--Hemp Milk
Breakfast
Snack
Oranges dipped in chocolate
Lunch
Oat bread, Hemp butter and Oranges
Snack
Potato chips
Dinner
Fish, French fries and Oranges
Oil
Safflower
Sweetener
Maple Syrup
Friday--Soy Milk
Breakfast
Snack
Soy nuts and Dried cranberries
Lunch
Chicken Salad, Pears, Sorghum bread
Snack
Sorghum muffins
Dinner
Chicken salad, Green beans, Pears
Oil
Olive Oil
Sweetener
Honey
Saturday--Goat Milk(contains casein)
Breakfast
Toasted Quinoa Flakes
Snack
Walnuts and apples
Lunch
Quinoa with diced apples and sprinkled goat cheese(contains casein)
Snack
Goat yogurt(contains casein)
Dinner
Turkey meatloaf, Asparagus, and Apples
Oil
Canola
Sweetener
Agave Nectar
Sunday--Rice Milk
Breakfast
Rice with cinnamon and sugar
Snack
Macadamia nuts and Grapes
Lunch
Beef hotdogs, Grapes, Rice yogurt
Snack
Rice pudding
Dinner
Beef hotdogs, Grapes and Broccoli
Oil
Sesame
Sweetener
Cane sugar