5 Signs You May Have an Allergy

Here’s a sentiment we hear with relative frequency from our first time cleanse participants: “I don’t have allergies.”

Most of us think of allergies as the bodily reactions that present themselves as hives, rashes, dry eyes, congestion, or a runny nose.

What most people don’t realize is that sensitivities to food can also surface in the form of anxiety, depression, joint pain, asthma, bad breath, body twitches, diarrhea, fatigue, brain fog, hyperactivity, puffy face, sluggish digestion and even weight gain — to name just a few.

My parents have a story about me as a toddler that’s a telling anecdote. As they tell it, I was usually a very easy going child. But once I was at a friend’s house and — not long after eating a meal containing wheat — I became agitated and combative and ended up biting my friend.

My mom, who was ahead of her time, understood that my behavioral reactions were related to my food sensitivities. As I got older, these reactions shifted from hyperactivity to fatigue and depression. With hormonal shifts and aging our bodies can suddenly respond very differently to foods we’ve eaten for years without problems.

I’m an extreme example of food sensitivities. For most people, their physical and emotional responses are far more subtle. This is likely the reason that of the estimated 90% of people who have some kind of allergy or sensitivity, the same percentage aren’t aware of their allergies.

Theron Randolph, recognized as the father of environmental medicine and the field of clinical ecology, writes:

“Most food allergies, by their very nature, are masked and hidden. It is hidden from the patient, hidden from his or her family, and hidden from the medical profession in general. It is said that often the solution to a difficult problem is right in front of your nose, but you cannot see it. In the case of food allergies, the source of the problem is literally in front of you, in the form of some commonly eaten substance that is bringing on and perpetuating chronic symptoms. In my experience, food allergies are one of the greatest health problems in our country.”

So how do you discover if you have an allergy? The most effective method to test for allergies is to eliminate typical allergens from your diet for a minimum of 14 days. After the elimination period the allergens should be reintroduced systematically to see how you feel after eating them again.

This is one of our approaches in the Conscious Cleanse program. The truth is that most standard allergy tests aren’t precise enough to detect all of the foods that are causing problems. This means that the best way to explore your reactions to food is to do the work yourself — to participate actively in a process of self-discovery and learn to recognize your body’s signs and signals.

You know better than anyone how you feel and what it’s like to be in your body, so you are your own best healer.

Below I’ve compiled a list of the most forward-thinking (and often not-so-obvious) ways to identify that you might have an allergy or sensitivity.

With gluten-free kisses,