I will be the first person to tell you that discovering my food allergy has SIGNIFICANTLY changed my life!  I thought I was doing everything right… eating small meals throughout the day, working out 5-6 times a week, and following a STRICT eating plan.  Even with all the things I was doing right I still managed to gain weight week by week.  Not only was I overweight… I was frustrated.  Finally, I decided to demand a food allergy test from my doctor.  Only to find out that I was allergic to gluten(all breads and pastas etc.)  My eating (although extremely healthy) was poisoning my body, which caused my cortisol level to spike every-time I ate (cortisol is your stress hormone which can cause weight gain).    Day in and day out I see clients at the gym.  About 2 out of every 10 that I see appears to have symptoms of a food allergy.  Once the food is removed, the weight they have been fighting to get off “magically” disappears.  ARE YOU ONE OF THESE PEOPLE?  Look at the different symptoms of various food allergies below and judge for yourself! 

LACTOSE INTOLERANCE:

     A LOT of people are allergic to milk products!  Milk was originally made for baby cows not humans.  Don’t forget that a large amount of hormones are used to help animals grow and produce milk product.  Increased hormones in the cows can affect the humans consuming the product as well.  Stay AWAY from things with hormones… they have been linked to weight gain as well as hormone problems in humans. 

SYMPTOMS:

• Abdominal cramps
• Bloating
• Flatulence
• Weight loss
• Malnutrition
• Slow growth
• Abdominal distention
• Diarrhea
• Floating stools
• Foul-smelling stools

Symptoms often follow eating or drinking milk products, and are often relieved by withdrawal of milk products. Large doses of milk products may cause worse symptoms (credit)

Gluten Intolerance:

     For YEARS I was tested for things like stomach ulcers, female problems, and intestinal problems.  The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong.  It wasn’t until I was curled up in a ball on the floor with massive stomach cramps that I started to research what was wrong for myself.  IF this is you then get help quick before it gets worse!

“Symptoms

The symptoms of celiac disease can vary significantly from person to person. This is part of the reason the diagnosis is frequently delayed. For example, one person may have constipation, a second may have diarrhea, and a third may have no irregularity in stools.

A partial listing of gastrointestinal symptoms:

• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal distention, bloating, gas, indigestion
• Constipation
• Decreased appetite (may also be increased or unchanged)
• Diarrhea, chronic or occasional
• Lactose intolerance (common upon diagnosis, usually goes away following treatment)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Stools that float, are foul smelling, bloody, or “fatty”
• Unexplained weight loss (although people can be overweight or of normal weight upon diagnosis)

* NOTE:  The unexplained weight loss does not happen until the disease gets REALLY BAD.  Personally I only started losing weight towards the end when I was really sick. 

A partial listing of non-intestinal symptoms:

• Anemia (low blood count)
• Bone and joint pain
• Bone disease (osteoporosis, kyphoscoliosis, fracture)
• Breathlessness (due to anemia)
• Bruising easily
• Dental enamel defects and discoloration
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Growth delay in children
• Hair loss
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• Irritability and behavioral changes
• Malnutrition
• Mouth ulcers
• Muscle cramps
• Nosebleed
• Seizures
• Short stature, unexplained
• Skin disorders (dermatitis herpetiformis)
• Swelling, general or abdominal
• Vitamin or mineral deficiency, single or multiple nutrient (for example, iron, folate, vitamin K)

TESTING

    It is very important that if you are going to be checked for a food allergy… DO NOT CUT THE FOOD OUT OF YOUR DIET BEFORE TESTING!!!  If you do then it will not show up on your test.  You should be eating that particular food normally before a testing. 

    These are the 2 most common food allergies that I see.  However, I know people that have gotten a food allergy test done and they have been allergic to various other foods.  The only way to REALLY know if you are allergic is to go to either a doctor or a homeopathic doctor and get tested.  Believe me when I tell you …. it will change your life dramatically.  Not only can these foods cause you to gain weight (due to excess stress internally), they can cause mood swings, depression, malnutrition, and much, much more.  Find out sooner rather then later …

Adria Ali