food sensitivity | Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger

I wrote about food sensitivity in late March. In that post, I also mentioned that I feared I suffered from food sensitivity as I have arthritis, nasal congestion and post nasal drip. Since that time, I have contacted a nutritionist and am beginning the elimination diet. Briefly, in the elimination diet, I will be eliminating dairy and gluten foods from my consumption. After a couple of weeks, I hope to see the symptoms of my ailments becoming less aggravating. If that is the case, I will have established that I have a sensitivity to either (or both) gluten and/or dairy.

The nutritionist was great to talk to. She gave me lots of materials to read that will aid in my following the diet.

The apple part of the snack was easy

This brings me to one of the first ‘challenges.’ Back in April of last year I wrote A Tasty Apple Dessert or Snack.

This snack consists of apple slices eaten with crumbled gorgonzola cheese. I love it and eat it every day. However, now that I am eschewing as opposed to chewing dairy, I can not have it. To put it mildly – darn! Continue reading →

The first thing food sensitivity is NOT is a food allergy. Everyone knows what a food allergy is. An allergic reaction is an instantaneous one in which, for example, a person eats a peanut or a shellfish and immediately has trouble breathing. On the other hand, food sensitivity is very different, more subtle and difficult to ascertain. I am currently taking a course entitled “The Science of Natural Healing” from The Great Courses.

In the course book, the teacher, Dr. Mimi Guarneri, says about food sensitivity, “It is one of the causes of chronic low grade inflammation. You keep taking in a food and your body keeps seeing it as a foreign invader, and your body works constantly to clear the toxin from your system. Even though the reaction may not be severe, the long term consequences are enormous.”

Dr. Guarneri is board-certified in cardiology, internal medicine, nuclear medicine, and holistic medicine. She earned her medical degree from The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, where she graduated first in her class.

I have talked about stress previously and how chronic stress can be devastating to the human body. It appears that food sensitivity is, in fact, chronic stress brought about by what we eat, rather than our emotional reaction to a situation. Continue reading →