Tolerance. We hear a lot of that lately. Be tolerant of others, have compassion, show some grace. And on the other side of the coin, outrage around the intolerance we see daily in the news, on social media, and sometimes, regrettably, in our own families.
This week, we are going to delve into food intolerance (FI), or a different type of sensitivity. FI is not a food allergy, for which you can be tested. FI is more of a response to a food (or food-like substance, more about that in a minute), that manifests as the following:
FI Responses:
Bloating
Gas
Indigestion
Fatigue
Mood swings
Irritability
Brain “fog”
Weight gain
Weight-loss resistance
Premature aging
We take these bodily reactions as par for the course, but they are anything but. Your body is trying to tell you something and that something is that you are having a negative physiological response to something you have eaten. Instead, often times we mask the symptoms with antacids or chalk up the mood swings, irritability, and fatigue to just getting older.
Getting back to the “food-like substances”, your body may be stressed by the amount of sugar, artificial sweeteners, and processed foods you are consuming on a daily basis. And it isn’t your fault. Many of these substances are hidden, but you can bet many of the ingredients are high-FI foods such as soy, gluten, and corn.
But wait! You eat healthy, whole foods that are low-fat and low carb, yet you still are not able to take off stubborn pounds and feel and look older than you think you should.
Here is the problem. You are probably eating high FI food and are not aware of your sensitivity to them.
So what are the top (7) high F-I foods?
Gluten
Soy
Dairy
Eggs
Corn
Peanuts
Sugar/Artificial Sweeteners
Food intolerance is common, affecting up 75% of the population. Some unfortunate folks develop a serious sensitivity to gluten, called celiac disease. I remember a friend of mine developed this 30 years ago and she could go anywhere near bread, pasta, or any baked goods, without it making her very ill – and she was a chef! Some people have lactose intolerance and need to avoid anything dairy. All of this is because of a genetic problem and precludes avoiding these foods entirely.
However, the rest of us are having an immune reaction when we experience food sensitivities, but not a swift acting one such as an allergic reaction, but a chronic state of low-grade inflammation that can make you insulin resistant, cause water retention, digestive problems and fatigue over time. Foods you never had a problem with are now affecting you negatively and could lead to more serious health problems, like a “leaky gut” (intestinal permeability).
And believe it or not, leaky gut not only can be caused by these food sensitivities but can also contribute to food intolerance. A healthy gut is so important to your overall well-being, but we will cover that in an upcoming missive, promise.
The good news is that food intolerance is fixable. It requires a certain amount of diligence and maybe even some help.
The first steps to take are to remove these high-FI foods from your diet. Right now. For 21 days.
You are probably thinking but what do I eat, if I can’t eat eggs, bread, cheese, and soy? And how do I know if my food-like substances contain sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners, or corn? Good news – I have a program for that. And it is a toe-in-the-water, give it a try kind of plan.
Some of you have already been on my 5-day cleanses, in which we eat whole foods, yet remove these common high-FI foods from our meals, for a total of just five days. The cleanse includes a shopping list, a meal plan, and recipes for the five days, as well as self-care tips and a community of support.
More good news – the folks who have gone through this with me know from their own experience that they feel and look better, drop a few pounds (stones), and have more energy than they have in a long time. And they know that once they go through it with me, they can join subsequent cleanses, for free.
The next Mindful Cleanse will start on Monday, July 10. If you are interested in testing this for just five days, please register now, with an early bird price of only $57. through July 4. After that it is $77., which is still a bargain, with everything you get.
Did I say I am live each and every night, checking in with you to see how it is going and to answer any questions you may have? Yep, that is the level of commitment you get from me as your coach.
So if you are ready to take some baby steps towards improving your health, right now is the time.