Margaret Floyd-Barry: Food Sensitivities & Autoimmunity

Margaret Floyd Barry is a functional nutritionist, writer and real food advocate who’s been on the pursuit of the most nutritious and delicious way of eating for the better part of her adult life.Having seen family members suffer the devastating effects of chronic illness from a young age, Margaret has long had the desire to help others find a better way back to optimal health and wellbeing. Through years of experience working with the most complex client cases, including reversing her own autoimmune condition, Margaret has established a powerful system for restoring health by addressing the root cause of illness.Today, Margaret teaches fellow practitioners the same proven system she uses to get her clients life-changing results through Restorative Wellness Solutions - a two-year comprehensive functional nutrition certification program for qualified health professionals.I was so excited to record this episode, that we jump right in, and Margaret shares her personal story with us later in the episode.Margaret shares how she thinks about autoimmunity:The immune system has two jobsTo protect us from pathogensInternal housekeepingIt is intended to discriminate between self and other, and friend and foe.But...the immune system gets overworked when constantly exposed to triggers and it makes bad decisions.Allergies have an IgE response and noticeable symptoms directly follow exposure.Food intolerance occurs when we lack the digestive capacity to break a food down properly and digestive symptoms directly follow.  One common example is lactose intolerance.  We need sufficient lactase to break down lactose, and if we don't have enough, we get GI discomfort.Food sensitivities can be tricky!  There are multiple mechanisms of action, and the symptoms may be extremely vague and delayed by several days.Food sensitivity testing used alone is not enough!Stool/gut testing to determine underlying causes is necessary so that true healing can occur while the sensitive foods are eliminated for 3-6 months.Margaret doesn't use antibody testing.  An IgG test shows and immune response, but doesn't directly indicate inflammation is being caused.She prefers the Mediator Release Test (MRT).Margaret shares her journey with eczema that progressed into her twenties.  When it was on her eyelids and continuing to get worse, a friend suggested she see a Naturopath.Margaret was put on an elimination diet, and her eczema cleared.This was her intro into the idea that food could heal.Margaret watched her mom lose her battle with multiple autoimmune conditions, including Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and is on a mission to help change the outcomes for others with complex autoimmunity.Margaret runs Restorative Wellness Solutions, training other practitioners to use the same methodology and process she does to help others heal.  Over 1,000 practitioners from 15 countries have completed the training.Margaret's 1 thing:If you haven't already...GIVE UP GLUTEN FOR GOODIf you have already gone completely gluten free, take an inventory of your lifestyle.  Consider how you are sleeping, eating, exercising, and managing stress and notice where you need to uplevel.