Food allergies or intolerances are becoming more prevalent in today’s society.  Food allergies involve antibody responses to food.  Food intolerances occur when a food cannot be digested properly, due to an enzyme deficiency.  Food intolerance often leads to food allergies because improperly broken down food particles cause an allergic response.

Some researchers postulate that early introduction of foods to infants’ causes food allergies.  The infant’s digestive tract is not ready to properly digest foods.  Improperly broken down molecules enter the infant’s bloodstream, look like foreign particles to the immune system, and the immune system subsequently mounts an attack.  Other reasons for the increased prevalence of food allergies are the build-up of environmental toxins.  These toxins cause an additional strain on the body’s immune system.  The overburdened system then begins to react to harmless food particles.  Heredity does appear to play a role in allergies.  If both parents have allergies then the child will have a 70 percent chance of developing allergies.

The immune system views allergens as a threat to the body.  When the allergen contacts the gastrointestinal lining inflammation occurs, due to the release of chemicals such as histamine.  Allergic symptoms can range from severe and life threatening anaphylactic reactions to a runny nose, itchy palate, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, headache, joint pain, heart palpitations, mood swings, hyperactivity, hypoglycemia and candidiasis.

Reactions to food are often mild and may occur well after the food is ingested.   Allergies can also be exacerbated when the body is exposed to emotional or physical stress.

Conventional treatment of food allergies and intolerances only involves avoidance of the suspect foods. Anaphylactic reactions that cause swelling of the air passages are treated with injections of nor epinephrine.  This hormone causes a sympathetic nervous system response resulting in an opening of the airways. 

There are many ways of testing for food allergies and sensitivities.  Many of these methods are costly and tend not to be very accurate.  One of the better ones is ALCAT testing.

The best way to treat food allergies is with elimination or rotation diets.  Both methods involve charting the foods you eat and any reactions.  Elimination diets start with a cleansing period to eliminate offending substances.  Then the diet is restricted to mild, non-irritating foods.  Finally the testing period begins when a new food is introduced every third day.  If a food is okay then it can be added to the diet in moderation.  If a food causes a reaction then it is restricted for a period of a few months.  It can then be retried.  Rotation diets limit your food intake to certain food families each day.  It can be used to assess food allergies and is a good method to prevent the return of allergies.

A tip for avoiding food allergies: Avoid taking aspirin within three hours of eating because it can increase the absorption of allergy-causing foods.  

The following list of supplements can be used for preventing and treating food allergies and intolerances.  Adult doses are given.  (CLICK SUPPLEMENT NAME FOR PRODUCTS).