Find Out If You Have Food Allergies

In this episode, we discuss how to know if you have food sensitivities or allergies.

As you get older, food sensitivities you’ve had since you were younger can start to build, making your body more reactionary to something that it’s had a hard time processing. By 40, you can actually become partially intolerant of certain things you could eat when you were younger. Before you believe you’re allergic to something, I think you should understand what a food allergy actually is. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, a food allergy is a reaction that occurs in your immune system after you’ve eaten a certain food. These foods can lead you to break into hives, develop itchiness or swelling in the throat, nose, mouth and airways, or even lead to anaphylaxis. When it comes to a food allergy, almost 90 percent of all food allergies are related to eight foods: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. 

What’s the Difference Between a Food Allergy and a Sensitivity (or Intolerance)? 

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, a food allergy is a reaction to food proteins that your system can’t break down and results in severe reactions like the ones listed above. A food intolerance or sensitivity is related to an enzyme deficiency in your digestive tract that makes it hard to process a certain food, but it doesn’t lead to the severe outcomes that an allergy does. We can be sensitive to foods, but not allergic to them. 

There are a variety of ways to determine whether or not someone has food allergies or intolerances, including simple elimination diets, saliva, hair, skin, and/or blood tests. Two types of blood tests, IgE and IgG, are becoming more common for determining allergies as they are believed to provide greater accuracy in finding food allergies and sensitivities.

• IgE tests can only be ordered by licensed health care providers (your doctor).  
• IgG tests can be done by a healthcare professional or can be ordered online and sent directly to your home, and some you can only get from holistic practitioners. 

To learn more about food allergy testing and why you really need to see a qualified medical doctor to determine food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances, read the entire blog post here: https://www.gracegritandwit.com/blogs/news/do-you-really-have-food-allergies-or-sensitivities

In this episode of Love Food, Love Yourself, I take a look at if you really need to take supplements. The long story short:

There is a time and place for supplements, but you probably don’t need to take as many as you currently do. There are vitamins and minerals found in the food you eat every day. So if you’ve been wanting to rethink your supplement routine and/or stop taking them altogether. 

Your daily requirements depend on activity, lifestyle, and other health factors. The way to get them is simply by eating real food. Food is nutrient-dense and packed with vitamins and minerals. That means your body is getting most of what it needs from what you’re already eating. 

When you’re first starting to eat better and at the beginning of your health journey, you may use nutritional supplements because you may be overly deficient in them. Also, if you’re vegan and/or vegetarian, you may have to take in order to achieve a sufficient amount of them.

As you start to eat better, you’ll not need to rely on them as much because the food you eat has naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. The vitamins and minerals found in your food are way better than what has been put into a bottle.

Supplementing is a personal preference and choice. I encourage you to do your research on the pros and cons of using them as in the long-term it can actually hurt your body versus helping it. If you choose to use them, look for quality supplements from non-commercial grocery stores and don’t take them for prolonged periods of time. 

Find the full article that contains more in-depth insight on Grace, Grit & Wit:  https://www.gracegritandwit.com/blogs/news/do-i-really-need-to-take-supplements

Somewhere in our mid-30s, our bodies begin to go through a big set of changes;  your hormones change and our metabolism shifts. These changes are subtle at first; we begin to experience weight gain, loss of lean muscle mass, bone density can decrease, we might sleep less, and strange things begin happening in our menstrual cycles. The list goes on.  Cellular level changes cause you to store more fat and the ability to burn fat diminishes in return. Your estrogen begins to decline as our bodies begin to transition to menopause, somewhat erratically, and it keeps decreasing (along with progesterone).  

So, is it over after 40? Has your body simply betrayed you? Are you doomed to hold unwanted body fat unless you continually diet, cleanse, and deprive yourself? 

The answer is no. You can become, or continue to be healthy in a way that works for you. No diet, cleanses or deprivation needed. 

By our mid-30’s, (and certainly after 40), we simply have to recognize that our nutritional requirements change.  Our bodies require different macronutrient compositions –– our protein (meat, fish, dairy, beans, and legumes ), carbohydrate (whole grains), and fat (like olive oil) intake have to match our evolving needs; the same goes for our micronutrients –– that is, our vitamin and mineral intake.  

While it may sound complex, it’s actually not. It comes down to: 

1. Get and eat enough protein; 
2. Balance fat in your caloric intake;
3. Get adequate fiber; 
4. Eat the right carbohydrates;
5. Take stock your vitamin and mineral requirements;
6. Drinking enough water;
7. Be willing to break up with certain foods;
8. And make small, conscious decisions that help develop healthier, more appropriate eating habits. 

I can’t stress this enough. Eating well is a critical component in preventing and/or treating obesity, many diseases, and other health-related issues. It’s also important to understand that your approach to nutrition needs to be holistic.

I want to make it very clear that you shouldn’t focus on any single macro or micronutrient (I’m looking at you carbohydrates); remember, your body needs all of them, in a balanced fashion; that’s what holistic means. 

It’s important to focus on eating foods that nourish your body, rather than harm it. So, put aside the ideas that you have to deprive yourself of certain macro and micronutrients because, in fact, doing so may actually be contributing to your health issues. 

So, what are a woman’s nutritional requirements exactly? 

To read my complete article on what your body needs nutritionally, you can find the post on Grace, Grit & Wit.  You can also grab a copy of my book Love Food, Love Yourself, and explore how simple it is in fact to nourish your body through the food you eat.