Do You Really Have a Food Allergy?

Let's say that recently you began eating organic whole-milk yogurt.  After you eat it, you don't feel so well.  Your stomach feels upset a bit.  So what do you do?  I can't tell you how many people instantly assume they are lactose-intolerant. Well, the first fact you should know is that there is no lactose in yogurt.  That's right - all the good little bacteria has eaten it up because it's a sugar, and sugar feeds bacteria.  That is also why yogurt is so healthy for you.  Because it contains all that wonderful bacteria with full bellies! But that doesn't tell you why you don't feel well after eating yogurt.  Well one answer might be that it is a therapy food.  Anytime you introduce "therapy" into the body environment, you will get change.  Change generally means a shift, which can bring up painful memories, pull toxic material out of cells, replace garbage with nutrition and even rev up a body system that has been on vacation.

Discomfort doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong.  We have become much too enamored of the idea that if something is painful or difficult or challenging, then it's not right for us.  Throughout history, including the history of medicine, moving from an unhealthy place to a healthy place was not a pleasant experience.  And that's not even counting the leeches!  When you embark on a healthier path, you are introducing foods and lifestyle elements that are of higher quality, which are intended to replace those of lower quality.  This will increase the vital energy that your body uses for all its functions, including replacing worn-out tissues and cells.

Think of any healing process.  There is the original injury, illness, problem, etc.  At first you feel OK, then you start to not feel great, then you feel downright awful (this is actually when the most healing is taking place), followed by a gradual return to feeling pretty good!  During the healing process, in order for your body to move to a healthier point, it has to process each impediment to health along the way and neutralize it, change it or remove it.

Inflammation, skin breakouts, pain, swelling, fever, nausea, constipation, headaches, mood swings, fatigue, restlessness ... these can all be the signs that what you have eaten is actually pushing the body into a healing crisis, the realization that change needs to take place.  Often the food is so therapeutic that it is providing long-forgotten nutrients that the body is now taking advantage of.  The rusty machinery is beginning to move again.

These symptoms may return when you eat these foods for a while, until the change has become sufficient for symptoms to diminish.  However, you can often know if this is the case simply by the food itself.  If it's heavy pasta, then it's probably not a healing journey, potato chips, definitely not ... but if it's broccoli or yogurt or more protein, then it's worth giving it a little time.  Another option is to temporarily take some high-grade digestive enzymes just to help things along.  My favorites are Standard Process Zypan for protein and Multizyme for everything else.

So anytime you experience symptoms, don't automatically run for the hills.  Give it a little time and a little patience and you may discover that real change is upon you!