Food Sensitivities and Weight Gain

Have you ever stopped and thought maybe your healthy diet of superfoods could actually be a source of your weight gain? Food sensitivities can be lurking in the background and derailing your weight loss efforts.

As you stand proud of the rainbow of anti-oxidants in your diet, or eager to brag of eating only things that end in “berry,” or wouldn’t dare even considering eating anything that has a shelf life of more than a few hours, maybe this blog is for you.

Now don’t get me wrong. Our foods should be super, colorful, and “berriful.” But if you are following all of the nutritional “do’s” and “don’ts”, why do you struggle?

In July 2007, Diabetes, published jaw dropping results of HOW the inflammatory nature of foods is to blame for the obesity rate in the United States. The study took thin mice and placed them on a high fat diet for few weeks. It was then analyzed the high fat meals altered the gut pH, producing “leaky gut syndrome.” The weakening of the gut wall subsequently caused the mice to produce a bacterial toxin called “LPS”. LPS was secreted into the blood stream, which triggered a massive release of inflammatory molecules (TNF, Interleukin, Cytokines). These molecules caused insulin resistance, hormonal disruptions, fatty liver and metabolic breakdown.The researchers took it one step further and injected normal fed mice exogenous “LPS.” This response produced the SAME inflammatory mediator release response as the mice that were fed the high fat diets. It was concluded that eating a healthy diet can also cause inflammation, if the right foods are not consumed.

The American diet, the overuse of antibiotics, the hormonally laden crops, the over zealous need for medication have all contributed to our obese nation. We have disrupted the ecosystem of the natural gut flora into a battlefield of good vs. evil. The bad bacteria have taken over and laid roots into the very chakra of our health! THE GUT!!

You may be eating the correct number of calories, burning the desired amount of fat, consuming the perfect ratio of water, but how do you know that the very source of fuel you think is sustaining your well-being isn’t actually the cause of your symptoms?

Countless research has exposed gluten, dairy, sugars, and grains for their inflammatory properties. Properties that have had a direct hand in causing much of the heart diseases, diabetes, cancers, and auto-immune processes. As we look at “super foods” that seem to be so heavily marketed, we begin to wonder how good are they really? The underlying issue lies in the WAY these crops are blanketed with pesticides, toxins, and pollutants. As the food enters our GI tract, so do the chemicals that come with it. These toxins have played a direct role in super sizing our nation.You want to lose weight??? Then question EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth-good and bad.

Food Reactions vs. Food Sensitivities

When we talk about reactions to food, there are different gradients of a “reaction.” True food allergies may present as a rash, trouble breathing, GI upset or anaphylaxis, to name a few.

Food sensitivities are not so obvious. Some symptoms may include sudden fatigue after eating, itchy skin without a rash, headaches, sudden shift in mood, menstrual changes, hair loss, skin dryness, muscle or joint aches, constant fatigue, mental fogginess. Identifying the sensitivity is not an overnight process. It takes patience, perseverance, and intuition. So where do you start?

Step 1: Begin a food journal. You can use any nutrition tracker to make this necessary first step. Again, you may think you are eating healthy, but you have to assume everything is causing your symptoms until you prove it otherwise.

Step 2: Pick ONE food or ingredient to eliminate for 3 weeks. Don’t stop everything all at once. Trying to find the trigger is like finding the needle in the haystack. You know it is there, but if you scattered the hay all at the same time, you will have a bigger mess to clean up. Take it one ingredient at a time.

Step 3: Start a pro-biotic. Restoring the gut’s natural flora keeps the “bad” gut flora from multiplying. When the good guys are there, the walls of the leaky gut can begin to heal and realign the natural hormonal pathways.

Step 4: If you are wanting to be more aggressive with your health, consider having blood work done to identify potential pathogens. One such test is the LEAP Mediator Release Test (MRT) for food sensitivities.

The LEAP diet, which stands for Lifestyle, Eating, And Performance is done in conjunction with the Mediator Release Testing and is an ImmunoCalm Nutrition Program. Dr. Raman is specially trained to help you reduce or eliminate symptoms due to food or chemical sensitivities, have a healthier lifestyle, well balanced nutrition, and optimum performance. It has helped many individuals eliminate chronic health problems.

MRT stands for Mediator Release Test.  MRT is a blood test that checks your immune system response (or non-response) to 150 foods and chemicals. MRT is a functional live cell analysis that identifies foods and chemicals which provoke the release of mediators that cause pain and inflammation. The results of the blood test are used to create an individualized healthy eating plan (the LEAP diet) for significantly reducing or eliminating symptoms.  Dr. Raman then works with you, teaching you how to eat using the LEAP protocol, and sleuthing out any potential allergies or intolerances that may also be present.

Not only does MRT give insight into inflammation provoking foods and food-chemicals, but more importantly MRT identifies your BEST foods – the foods that form the basis of their LEAP Eating Plan.

All of this is provided from a simple 4 vial blood test drawn in our office and sent to an outside lab with results available in 10 days.

If this is the last year weight loss is going to be named at the top of your resolution list, then fix the problem where it is broken – in the gut.

For more information on this topic or Dr.Raman’s practice, visit www.DrRamanSTL.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.