NO HIVES OR OTHER SYMPTOMS, DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU'RE NOT ALLERGIC TO SOME FOOD !

It’s a common misconception to think that if you don’t break out in hives or stop breathing, 

you’re not really affected by a certain food. But, more than 37 million women suffer from food-

triggered fatigue, joint pain, digestive upsets, headaches and other uncomfortable symptoms 

every day. If any of this describes you, you could have undiagnosed food sensitivity, says  a 

Dr.

how to tell if you have a food sensitivity

To find out if you might have a food allergy, ask yourself if any of these statements are true:

_

_ I have at least 10 pounds that I can’t seem to lose with normal dieting and exercise.

__ I often have a puffy face, or slightly swollen hands, feet or ankles.

__ My stomach often looks bloated.

__ I struggle with PMS/mood swings/bad skin.

__ I suffer from heartburn, indigestion, gas, diarrhoea or constipation.

I often get headaches/colds/sinus infections.

__ My joints or muscles ache almost every day.

__ I’m sensitive to dust, dander, pollen or other airborne irritants.

__ My metabolism is so sluggish, I gain weight easily if I’m not careful about what I eat.

__ No matter how much I sleep, I am tired.

_ If I avoid my favourite foods, I get awful cravings.

If two or more of those statements were true, you might have a food sensitivity, say 

researchers. Test time to find out the cause of the allergy !

How an Elimination Diet Works

In a nutshell, an elimination diet works like ripping off a bandage. Instead of tweaking your 

diet slowly, week after week, trying to figure out which foods agree with you and which ones 

don’t, you simply knock out the top seven troublemakers for one solid week, then gradually 

add them back one at a time. If your symptoms come back, you’ve identified a food 

sensitivity.

“Some people feel head-achy  stiff or tired for the first few days,” says a Dr. “But soon they 

notice that they have a lot more energy, they’re clear-headed, their aches and pains have 

eased, and they feel a lot healthier and happier!”

Bonus: If you have food sensitivities, you’re lugging around at least 10 pounds of trapped 

fluids -- bloating and tissue swelling caused by those allergy-like food reactions, say 

researchers. Remove troublesome foods from your diet, and you’ll flush out that fluid in the 

first week,” says  a Dr..

Elimination Diet

First, some good news: An elimination diet is not a calorie-restricted diet, so you don’t need 

to weigh or measure anything, says a Dr.  “So eat until you’re comfortably full, and snack 

between meals to stave off hunger pangs.”

Just pick and choose from the tasty meals listed here -- ignoring any that don’t appeal to you, 

and repeating the ones that you enjoy. You can make ingredient substitutions if you wish, as 

long as you strictly avoid the top seven troublemakers (dairy, wheat, corn, sugar, soy, eggs 

and peanuts). Drink eight glasses of water daily -- and enjoy herbal teas, seltzer or mineral 

water if you’d like some variety.

You’ll notice that both honey and maple syrup are included in this plan. “The fact is, honey 

and pure maple syrup are plant extracts,” says a Dr.  “They’re natural, unrefined sweeteners, 

so they don’t cause the problems that heavily-processed white sugar does.”

-Fruit salad (apples, pears and strawberries, sprinkled with cinnamon and cashews); spelt or 

rice bread with almond butter

-Grapefruit drizzled with honey or maple syrup; spelt or rice toast topped with almond butter 

and thinly sliced pear

-Rice cakes topped with apple or pear butter; glass of almond milk

-Half a cantaloupe filled with blueberries and sprinkled with cinnamon

-Rice or spelt bread topped with almond, pear or apple butter; glass of coconut, rice or 

almond milk

 -Broccoli soup (made with broth, not milk); steamed brown rice seasoned with olive oil, salt 

and pepper

 tomato and onion salad with vinaigrette dressing

 -Steamed vegetables seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil; steamed brown rice topped 

with baked fish or chicken

 -Baby spinach topped with garbanzo beans, sliced chicken breast and vinaigrette dressing

chopped zucchini, red peppers, garlic and onion sautéed in olive oil and topped with basil; 

dried figs or plums for dessert

baked acorn squash drizzled with olive oil and honey; non-dairy ice cream 

oven home fries; steamed baby peas and pearl onions seasoned with olive oil, salt, garlic 

and pepper

 roasted veggies tossed with olive oil and herbs (such as oregano, thyme, basil, ginger )

Snacks

-Organic fruit or vegetable juice

-Wheat-free crackers

-Pistachios or pine nuts

-Home-made popsicles (make with organic fruit juice)

3 quarts water

1 onion 

2 stalks celery minced

1 carrot, finely chopped

Salt, pepper and fresh parsley

Soak peas overnight. Drain and combine in pot with water and vegetables. Cook slowly one 

hour or until peas are tender and liquid is thickened to desired consistency. Season to taste 

with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

 Vinaigrette Dressing

1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. dry mustard

1-3 cloves garlic (whole pieces for flavour or crushed for stronger taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Oregano, basil, parsley, tarragon or any herbs of your choice, fresh or dried

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well. Refrigerate.

Test Time

After your body has been allergen-free for one week, the slate is clean. So now it’s time to test 

the troublesome seven -- dairy, wheat, corn, sugar, soy, eggs and peanuts -- to find out which 

is your personal trigger.

Every three days, add one of these foods back into your diet, starting with one modest 

serving (4 ounces of milk, one slice of wheat bread or one egg, for example) the first day, two 

servings the second day and three servings the third day. Watch for signs of trouble, such as 

cravings, heartburn, gas, headaches, irritability, bloating, congestion or trouble 

concentrating.

If you develop symptoms, you’ve found your trigger -- the food you’re smart to eat in limited 

quantities (or avoid entirely) so you can stay at the peak of health. No reaction at all? Keep 

that food in your diet rotation and begin testing another one to rule that food sensitivity in -- or 

out!