We are talking about food sensitivities in the up-coming Digestive Health Workshop on March 28th where you can learn more about the science of seasonal detoxification ( oh yes, there is the science to it). Take your toxicity quiz right here and learn about your level of toxicity - may be you are as clean as a whistle?
To gather as much evidence as I can and shed some light
on the topic of food sensitivities, I interviewed one of the few experts
I know - a person who have dealt with food sensitivities for a number
of years, both her daughter's and her own.
Kelly Stubbert has
worked as the customer service rep at the Health Hut for the past 15
years. She had competed a number of courses in Brain Gym, Touch for
Health, Educational Kinesiology, Applied Nutrition, Reiki, and
Homeopathy. Kelly is Digestive Care Advisor with Renew Live. She
passionately believes in educating people so they can make informed
decisions about the state of their health and well being.
Julia: Hi Kelly, thank you so much for finding time for this interview. I
know you've been dealing with food sensitivities both your own and your
daughter's for a while now. How long has it been?
Kelly: It has been over 10 years for my daughter and 3 years for me.
Julia: What symptoms were you experiencing?
Kelly:
My main symptom was chronic pain that appeared, disappeared and moved
around the body without rhyme or reason. For my daughter asthma,
constipation, and lack of focus and concentration were the biggest
areas of concern.
Julia: How did you connect the dots between your symptoms and the foods you were eating?
Kelly:
It took a while. Over the last few years I've spent thousands of
dollars on naturopathic doctors and supplements, and countless hours in
various medical offices getting pocked, prodded and tested and still had
no answers. At some point I've decided to look at whatever was closest
to home - food.
Julia: I know you've tried the elimination diet for both yourself and your daughter. Can you describe it in more detail, please?
Kelly:
There are a number of published studies suggesting the link between
asthma and wheat and dairy products. Eliminating those foods from my
daughter's diet seemed to control her symptoms to a certain degree. I
continued to do research and testing, and eventually found out that her
sensitivity to eggs might be behind her lack of focus, concentration,
and chronic constipation. As soon as I've removed egg products from her
diet, she became more attentive - both at home and at school. Her bowel movements improved as well.
For
myself I chose a different approach: I decided to reduce or eliminate
all the foods I was eating on a regular basis - any one of them might
have been the trigger. Millet, brown rice and quinoa became my new
grain staples, while lamb, turkey, salmon, legumes and nuts were my
protein sources. I leaned more toward anti-inflammatory diet, and
therefore excluded citrus fruit and nightshade vegetables from my meals.
Once the basics of the diet were in place, chronic pain slowly began to
diminish, and eventually disappeared altogether.
Julia: What was the most frustrating part of the process?
Kelly: The diet was extremely restrictive, so eating out was completely out of the question, as was enjoying regular, everyday foods.
After
a while I gradually began to add back foods that I previously have
eliminated. And then, of course, the pain has returned as well.
Julia: That's when you've decided to do the allergy testing?
Kelly:
That's right! I couldn't eliminate everything out of my diet to
pinpoint 10 things I was sensitive to. So I chose to get tested for
specific substances, instead.
Julia: What did you find out?
Kelly:
I've got a list of a few very specific items to be eliminated: oranges,
potatoes, corn, oats, soy and nuts. But perhaps the most profound
discovery was that I was allergic to many trees and grasses. Dr. Dube,
who was doing the testing, suggested eliminating the foods that belong
to the same family as those trees and grasses. For example, because I
was allergic to certain grasses, I've eliminated celery and buckwheat;
my allergy to birch has lead to elimination of apples, cherries, most
stone fruits and nuts.
Julia: How are you feeling today?
Kelly:
I am pain - free. My daughter is asthma - free, her bowel movements
are back to normal and she is doing so much better at school!
Julia: Thank you so much for sharing your story with Satori community - this has been a great opportunity to learn.
In
my desire to get to the bottom of food sensitivities I went to my
trusted advisor, Dr. Lyddell. The first words out of his mouth were: "
Why do you pick the most complicated topics for discussions?" Frankly, I
don't know. But what I do know is that so many people around me - my
friends, students, and clients - are struggling with issues of food and
environmental sensitivities. We need to start these conversations. We
need to start shedding the light on what is happening with our food
supply and how it is affecting our health. And most importantly we have
to share our experiences so we can learn from each other. If you have a
topic you want to discuss or a story to share please drop me a line - I
am looking forward to hearing from you.
E-mail is not looking beautiful? 