Foods Causing Stress
In this fourth edition of her series on stress-busting, Rochele Hirsch talks about how many people are stressed by food allergies they often are not even aware of, and how to identify and reduce this stressor.
Most people are very familiar with allergies related to pollen, grasses, pets, dust, etc., because they get very identifiable symptoms like a runny noise or itchy eyes. Allergies to foods are less well known. Unless someone has experienced serious problems with dairy, seafood, gluten or certain nuts, they often are not familiar with the symptoms of food allergies.
According to Caroline Sutherland, a well-known medical intuitive who has worked successfully with thousands of clients on their allergies, the most common unsuspected food allergies are to:
- Grains (not just gluten)
- Dairy
- Citrus
In her book The Body Knows, she describes the histamine-type reaction that people can have to these foods which is like having a bee sting inside your body. Your body holds onto the fluid, and your ability to lose weight is compromised along with your health. While you might think it is just fat, in fact much of the bulk is due to the histamine reaction, and all of that is stressful.
Alternative Health providers generally agree that when a child gets too many colds or ear aches, a food allergy – especially to dairy – is at the root of the problem. Rather than using tubes in their ears, a natural and more complete solution is to remove dairy from their diet, followed by wheat. Of course reducing sugar and sodas greatly enhances their immune function, too.
Caroline’s book provides ways for you to determine what foods you might be sensitive to. She recommends that you stay away from the offending foods for 20 to 30 days, and then gradually add one-at-a-time back in while you stay attentive for reactions. In her Body Knows Diet book, she shows how so many of the popular diet programs fail because they do not address these basic food allergies. She also emphasizes the need to deal with Candida issues that inhibit weight loss and make us tired.
I found that I’m allergic / sensitive to grains. Once I cut out all the grains and reduced other carbohydrates, I was able to drop my extra weight very quickly – and I felt better and had more energy.
As an intuitive myself, I have followed Caroline’s lead in checking my clients for food sensitivities. It is amazing how much better a person can feel when they shift their diet ... and they are less stressed.
You can just about count on the fact that the foods you crave are foods that your body is allergic / sensitive to. If you think that you just can’t give up milk … or bread … or orange juice for a while, you likely have a food allergy problem.
Dr. Elliot Abravanel and Elizabeth King wrote their first NY Times best seller book in 1983 (since updated) called Dr. Abravanel’s Body Type Diet and Lifetime Nutrition Plan. As a weight-loss physician, he discovered that where a person gained their weight was consistent with the types of foods they craved and with their personality in general.
For example,
- Thyroid Types craved caffeine and sweets – and the men gain weight around their middle like a spare tire. Their energy levels would go up and down during the day.
- Adrenal Types craved meat and salty things – and the men gain weight on their belly – the classic “beer belly.” They also have a stocky build and a small butt, and they tend to have steady energy through the day.
- Pituitary Types craved dairy products, and they look like they still carry baby fat. The men continue to have a more adolescent-looking body – and don’t care for exercise. They are more cerebral.
Dr. Abravanel also emphasizes the cycle of stress and food: that when you feel stressed, you will tend to eat the foods you crave which give you a temporary “good feeling,” but actually add to the overall load of stress on your body and keep you from losing weight.
This food allergy issue is about “pay me now or pay me later.”
When you are planning your shower, I recommend that you include a variety of foods that do not have wheat and dairy so that your guests have options.
And for yourself, find out more about your food sensitivities. They may be stressing you – and your family -- more than you realize.
Next month we’ll discuss the stress from drinking and absorbing too little water, and how ionized, alkaline water can rapidly make a difference.
About Rochele Hirsch
Discovering the patterns behind "what is going on" and developing systems to improve effectiveness have been focal points throughout Rochele Hirsch’s life. In 1981, she began to draw on her background in physics, informative systems, organizational effectiveness and color analysis to investigate the patterns of personal effectiveness that make or break success. What she discovered and tested in her own living laboratory may well change the way people understand and use the power of intention. She developed her Theory of How Come, and today helps her clients identify the preconscious "survival tactics" that lead to self-sabotaging behaviors, and eventually, disease or addiction. Rochele is the author of Love the Noun vs. Love the Verb and the Celebrity Newsletter BeforetheBehavior.com
Learn more about Rochele online or by calling her at 1-800-467-0467.
