147: Are Hidden Food Sensitivities Hurting You?

Hidden food sensitivities - sensitivity to foods or types of foods you don't even know you have - might be contributing to fatigue, joint pain, headaches, depression, weight gain or a whole host of other challenges. We need to keep in mind that food sensitivities are possible if you aren't truly "allergic" to an item. Unfortunately, many of us see sensitivity and allergy as all-or-nothing scenarios. That's not the case. Chronic discomforts that you attribute to "aging" or "just the way you are" might very well be avoidable causes of a food sensitivity. In today's episode we're looking at these hidden food sensitivities and the common triggers as well as how they might manifest themselves. I challenge you to eliminate the common triggers for 2-3 weeks and slowly add them back in, one at a time, so you can understand what you're truly sensitive to. http://primalpotential.com/147-are-hidden-food-sensitivities-hurting-you/ You might think that a small paper cut on your finger is no big deal, and you'd be right. But what if you kept getting paper cut after paper cut in the same place on the same finger 3-10 times each day? In just a matter of days you'd have a pretty serious problem on your hands, right? (Pun intended. It's okay to smile and think I'm cute.) This is the exact thing that happens with hidden food sensitivities we might not even realize. With each meal or snack, we introduce an inflammation-triggering food that on it's own is pretty harmless but with repeat exposure creates a serious issue. These implications of hidden food sensitivities might be as mild as acne or bloating and can be as severe as chronic, systemic inflammation. Symptoms like eczema, acne, headaches, depression, joint pain, weight gain and mood swings can be the result of repeat exposure to foods we don't even realize are problematic for us. In today's episode I will introduce you to the most common food allergens, I'll share how they impact health, where we find them and how to avoid them. I'll challenge you to eliminate them for a few weeks and slowly re-introduce them one at a time. Most Common Food Allergens: Dairy Eggs Gluten Sugar & artificial sweeteners Soy & peanuts When we eliminate processed foods and focus on whole foods, we avoid the majority of these. It's not as simple as skipping the omelets and the yogurt. We have to keep in mind the huge array of processed foods that contain dairy, eggs, gluten, sugar, artificial sweeteners, soy products or peanuts. Keep in mind that you don't need to avoid these forever. You need to, however, remove them for long enough to allow the inflammation to die down and your gut to heal. Just the like example of the repetitive paper cut, it's not enough to stop cutting your finger, you also have to allow ample time for your finger to heal. I've put together a detailed list of meal ideas, recipes & snacks to help you in your quest to eliminate these common allergens and monitor your body's response.