Can Health Food Stores Address Food Allergies?

Can Health Food Stores Address Food Allergies?

At health food stores around the world health conscious consumers are complaining more regularly about food allergies with statements in the vein of, “I can’t eat this” or “I can’t eat that.” Why do so many people, in particular shoppers at health food stores, presume that they have food allergies? You rarely, if ever, hear people say, “I’m allergic to coffee, wine or soft drinks”, and yet these are items that many eat and drink frequently without a second thought. So, what’s up with all these patrons at health food stores who insist they have food allergies?

Food allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to the effect produced by a protein molecule in the offending food. This can happen even to those who adhere to a stringent health food diet. The body is not able to break down that particular protein molecule, so it reacts by expelling the offending molecules as quickly as possible. A chemical called ‘histamine’ is produced and symptoms appear in the form of rashes, hives, itching, wheezing, breathing difficulties, and mucus being expelled through the mouth, nose, lungs, and even sexual organs. More acute reactions from food allergies are dizziness, loss of consciousness, drop in blood pressure, vomiting, diarrhea and even death.

Intolerance to specific foods and food allergies are often misdiagnosed by customers searching for solutions at health food stores. With food intolerances resembling lactose intolerance, where the digestive system has problems breaking down the sugar in the milk, the symptoms are much milder. One could experience gas and bloating or diarrhea and cramping. Despite the fact that food intolerance is disagreeable, it is not typically life threatening like food allergies can be in some severe cases. The conventional distresses are intolerances to dairy, gluten, soy and nuts, and all too often anything that shoppers at health food stores deem is too expensive.

The real question people should ask at health food stores is not, “What foods am I allergic to?” But rather, “Why is my immune system adversely effected by food, especially items usually thought of as health food?”

When determining particular food allergies and intolerances, some factors to examine are: What is the trigger food? When is the trigger food being eaten? Is the trigger food being improperly combined with other foods like grains, meats or dairy products? Merely studying labels at health food stores is not necessarily a great way to proceed.

It can be rather exhaustive to hunt down the offending trigger food and how it is being consumed. In fact, most experts on food allergies will advise keeping a chronicle of everything you consume, and when the trigger food is figured out then just pass up eating it. While that sounds easy, if you react to various things including those featured in health food stores, it’s not so uncomplicated. Of course, you can attempt to eliminate the most widespread triggers to food allergies like wheat (gluten), peanuts, dairy, corn and eggs, but if that doesn’t work, then what?

The truth is that the immune system can be motivated to overreact by many substances. The ideal method to deal with food allergies is to bolster the immune system while balancing all the systems of the body equally. Uncover specific health food products that feed the 5 key systems of the body synergistically: immune, endocrine, digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems. Shopping at online health food stores rather than typical health food stores for advanced formulas will deliver better results.

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