Trying to determine what foods you may be allergic to takes time. It also takes patience and help from a Naturopath Doctor practicing natural medicine. The doctor will give you nutritional counseling to figure out what foods are causing you problems.
Using an elimination diet
If you want to use the natural methods, then you can start with the elimination diet. You will have to keep a diary of the foods you are eating. You will also have to carefully read all food labels plus ask questions to servers about any food you have doubts about when eating out. You will monitor any symptoms you have during and after eating. If you have a reaction, remove the food from your list. If your symptoms disappear after removing it, then the food is suspect. By talking to the doctor during counseling the doctor will recommend replacement of same value nutrient foods. This is to make sure you are still eating healthy.
After a period of time, you will be asked, under supervision, to slowly add the eliminated foods back into your diet. By adding them one at a time and waiting to see if there is a reaction, you’ll be able to see what symptoms belong to what foods. When you do add foods back in and if you have a reaction, write down the symptoms. This food then is confirmed to be a trigger food. The doctor will then have you stop eating the suspect foods. If the symptoms clear up for good, then you know these are foods to avoid.
Other food issues
Some people are allergic to additives. The main ones which cause problems are: glutamates, preservatives, additive colors and flavors. When undergoing the elimination diet, these additives should be eaten sparingly. If necessary, the additives can be tested one at a time in foods you would like to try or eliminate.
If you have lactose, whey or casein intolerance, this can cause some issues in your diet as well. Lactose is a milk sugar that causes intestinal distress. Whey and casein are proteins in milk that cause food sensitivities. Drinking lactose free milk, does not prevent reactions to casein and whey. A common mistake is to drink lactose free, hoping it will correct a sensitivity to milk. Unfortunately it won’t. Other milk alternatives like hemp, almond coconut or soy milk may be suitable replacements.
Even if you have food intolerances, you can work around them and identify them with the help of a good Naturopath doctor. By working together you can find the source of the food problems, eliminate them and feel better.