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Health

Everything free diets – should you bother?

Everyone is different and so are their reactions to food. Naturopaths and other health practitioners often remove potentially offending foods from people’s diets for a number of reasons.

The human body can have a variety of reactions to foods including those that affect digestion, breathing, skin, mood, reproduction/fertility and others. The type of reaction someone experiences is determined by how a person’s immune system reacts and responds. Some people have an intolerance reaction – called an IgG reaction and some have a stronger allergic reaction – called an IgE reaction. Both reactions can cause problems but obviously an allergic reaction is more problematic.

Assessing these reactions is best done from a blood test from specialised laboratories whereby many foods (sometimes up to 200 foods) can be assessed from your blood. IgE reactions can also checked through normal pathology laboratories as well. These tests allow us to conclusively see how your immune system reacts to certain foods and if you need to remove them from your diet. Some people may unfortunately present with a number of food listed – the characteristic wheat, sugar, yeast and gluten scenario. These people obviously have a compromised immune system and other health considerations are necessary. Other strategies include rotation and elimination diets but this needs to be coordinated with a Naturopath to ensure your health is not negatively affected.

What is most important is that you obtain a definitive answer. Removing foods unnecessarily from your diet is terribly challenging and can ultimately lead to nutritional deficiencies.