Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Could hidden Food Allergies be making weight loss difficult?

Mast cells are involved in allergy. Allergies ...Image via Wikipedia

Food allergies can cause baffling symptoms
Have you ever noticed that no matter how much exercising, cutting down on salts, sugars and fats still don't seem to be moving the scale?  Do you find yourself craving sweets like candies, wheat crackers, milkshakes or other items?  Maybe, you might have a hidden food allergy which is keeping the scale from moving.

What is a food allergy?

A food allergy occurs when the body's immune system overreacts to a food.  The reaction may be hives, sneezing coughing, that itchy feeling in your throat or  wheezing.
Once a food allergy exists, one finds herself craving the offending food. Why is this? When eating this food, according to WebMD, feel good substances or endorphins are released released into the body.  These substances are much like a "high;" once experiencing this, we continue to crave the offending food.  And interestingly, once the addictive food is consumed, the body holds onto it rather than using it as fuel.(BestDietforme.com)  No wonder so many weight reduction plans have failed!

What are some of the common offending foods?

Depending on the individual, the offending food can be elusive.  It will take a trial and error approach to  avoiding one by one the suspected food until the right run is found. 
Some common food allergens are:

Nuts
wheat
corn
milk
soy
ice cream
shellfish
fish
eggs

Does any of these foods ring a bell for you and are possibly the cause of some symptoms that you may be experiencing?  Why not try eliminating the food(s) for a week to see how you feel?  You might be surprised that in addition to loosing weight, that sneeze and hay fever-like symptoms may just go away.

Why the water weight gain?

Generally, food allergies are like the common  seasonal allergies with the sneezing, increased mucus and irritation -  the body holds onto excess water to wash the allergen out of the body.  Due to this fact, once the food is eleiminated from the diet, a substantial weight loss of 5-10 pound in one week can occur. (BestDietforme.com).

Now,just imagine that you have a multiple food allergy?  That would make weight loss an almost impossibility.  For such individuals, a carefully constructed weight loss regimen must be done.  It might be wise to consult a nutritionist to help balance out the diet as in the case of a milk or dairy allergy to ensure that you are receiving enough calcium.

Tying it all up

With a little ingenuity, you might be able to locate your hidden food allergies.  Why not get started eliminating the suspicious foods tomorrow? It may be just what you need to jump start your weight reduction program.  All you have to loose is weight.
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