Ask yourself these two questions:

Have you ever eaten something, such as a bowl of ice cream, a piece of cheese, or an orange, and felt more hungry afterward than before?

Do you have urges for a particular food and find it hard to satisfy your craving unless you eat that particular food?

If the answer is “yes” to either of these questions, then you have a food allergy. If you are also fat, then chances are your food allergy are contributing to making you fat.

Food sensitivities may cause allergic people to crave those foods to which they are allergic. Just as a drug addict suffers withdrawal symptoms when the drug is withdrawn, allergic people experience discomfort when they lose access to a particular food.

Obese people can testify to the overwhelming power of food allergy addiction. Compulsive eaters crave and continue to eat those allergenic foods to which they are addicted day after day. The obese person has no idea that his daily food cravings or eating habits are based on a physiological need to stop withdrawal symptoms caused by food allergy addiction.

Food sensitivity exerts its most profound effect on the limbic portion of the brain. This section of the brain houses the control centers for body temperature, sexuality, blood pressure, sleep, hunger and thirst.   Neurophysiologic analysis speculates that frequent contact with allergenic foods triggers a rise in the brain opioid, enkephalin.  Enkephalin is a highly active narcotic produced by the body.

In allergy-addiction, there are three principle stages: the first stage is characterized by an acute allergic reaction to a toxic substance. Recall the first time that you, or someone whom you know, smoked a cigarette.  Most frequently, the individual will find the smoke distasteful and may even have clinical symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and dizziness.

After smoking becomes a habit, the symptoms are no longer noticeable. Your body gets used to the smoke and the symptoms are no longer obvious  (but masked). The masking can be considered an adaptation by the body to tolerate the poison with which it comes in frequent contact.  Even though there are overt symptoms, the adaptation to this obvious toxin takes its toll in terms of chronic physical stress.

During this period, the adaptation is so strong that you become dependent on cigarettes, or in other words, “hooked.” You must smoke at regular intervals to avoid withdrawal symptoms. When you try to quit, your body craves the cigarettes: you are addicted in the truest sense of the word, and you will experience the addictive aspect of the “allergy-addiction syndrome.”

Food reactions cause us to crave the foods we react to, similar to an alcoholic that craves alcohol.  People with food reactions fear the loss of a food, because they fear the withdrawal of the thing that creates the sensation.  We are more addicted to the sensation created by opioid in our own bodies, than by the food itself.

Appetite and metabolism are controlled by blood chemistry, which is adversely affected when a reactive food is consumed. Food sensitivities also cause cravings for sweets and starches.

Food allergies and intolerances cause us to overeat, leading to weight gain.

Water Retention

Water retention refers to the bloating and swelling that occurs from consuming an allergenic food.  This swelling appears to be fat, but it is usually water that your body naturally holds onto due to inflammation and congestion. Water retention is especially common among allergic individuals and is an important contributing factor to feeling fat. The removal of an offending food will often result in water loss of 10-15 lbs pounds in a sometimes a few days.

By identifying the particular food or foods that are causing our reactions and eliminating them we can help ourselves two fold.  We can loose ten to fifteen pounds of water weight and also reduce the cravings and the urges to overeat.

Food reactions are fairly common and can be permanent or temporary. People who are reactive to certain foods when they are young may remain reactive to them for most of their lives. Other sensitivities to certain foods may last only a short time. It may be wise to take a break from a reactive food. Often, it is eating the same food for too long a period of time that causes the reaction and it is usually a signal that we need to give the body a break.

While it is estimated that only a small portion of the US population has a severe allergy to a food, there may be as many as 80-90% of the population with some form of intolerance to foods.

Food Rotation

Rotating food is a common method for discovering or diminishing the effects of allergies or hypersensitivities. It takes about four days for the body to entirely process a food and clear it from the system. Thus, each food in the diet is consumed once every fourth day, to minimize the potential allergic reactions.  This will allow you to isolate offending foods more easily. It is a simple process that can be very helpful and is a good habit to develop.

Scientific Testing/ ALCAT

Another way to find out about food sensitivities is to take the ALCAT test with a dermatologist. The ALCAT Test is proven to be accurate in identifying the relevant foods and substances associated with the many types of inflammatory and metabolic disorders by identifying food, mold and chemical sensitivities.

In a recent ALCAT weight loss study 100 patients were evaluated for weight normalization, change in body composition (lean muscle vs. fat tissue) and general well being. Fifty subjects followed an individualized ALCAT TEST food plan, eating as much as they liked but avoiding the foods to which the were intolerant.

Within only four weeks 76% of the people in the ALCAT TEST group lost weight. Of the remaining 24% they either stayed the same or gained weight, the vast majority improved their ratio of muscle to fat. Overall, 98% of the subjects who followed the ALCAT TEST plan either lost weight or improved their body composition.

(1) http://www.alcat.com/

Avoid GMO Foods

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are plants or animals that has had genes from a different species transferred into its gene code creating a genetically altered organism.

It is estimated that 70% of products on U.S. grocery shelves include GMO-derived ingredients. Most non-organic corn and soybeans are genetically engineered. Very few independent studies have been done on these foods to determine their effects on the human body.  These GMO foods could be causing allergic responses throughout the nation.

In 1993 Pioneer Hi-Bred International developed a soybean variety with an added gene from the Brazil nut.  Investigation of the genetically altered soybeans revealed that they produced immunological reactions with people suffering from Brazil nut allergy.  (1)

The consumer is not told which genes are used when creating these new “Franken foods.” One thing for certain, is that these GMO foods are totally unnecessary for health and should be avoided. Only by eating ORGANIC food can you be assured to avoid genetically altered products.

(1) ^ Identification of a Brazil-Nut Allergen in Transgenic Soybeans Julie A. Nordlee, M.S., Steve L. Taylor, Ph.D., Jeffrey A. Townsend, B.S., Laurie A. Thomas, B.S., and Robert K. Bush, M.D. NEJM Volume 334:688-692 March 14, 1996 Number 11