Food allergies wreck the mental health of more of my clients than I care to count.

Several years ago, I met a young woman who felt emotionally volatile, anxious, and obsessive. She hated being left alone. She frequently felt like dying. It was especially challenging because she had just broken up with her boyfriend and couldn’t let go of the relationship. And it was impacting the rest of her life as well. As a result, she would cry inconsolably for hours and couldn’t move on. While a part of her was hopeful, another part of her felt stuck with those emotions forever. 

One of the major factors in her recovery was identifying a gluten intolerance. Within a week of removing it from her diet, her suicidal ideations vanished.

We know that up to twenty percent of our population experiences food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances. We also know that the number may be on the rise. What’s less understood are the dire health consequences that result from them.

What Is a Leaky Gut?

The digestive tract lining, or epithelium, is held together by tiny protein staples that maintain its integrity. They can get broken down by antibiotics, poor dietary choices, chronic stress, and environmental toxins. 

As the integrity of the gut lining disintegrates, microscopic particles of food proteins make their way into the bloodstream. They then cause your body to mount an immune response. That immune response causes diverse symptoms from rashes, to migraines, to digestive distress. And, you guessed it, depression and anxiety.  

How Do You Know What Your Food Allergies Are? 

Figuring out which foods you have developed a sensitivity to without testing can be a bit laborious. The immune response that your body creates is surprisingly tough. Because of this, it takes up to twenty-eight days to run its course. That means that a food could be triggering symptoms for nearly a month. You need to remove all traces of the offending food from your diet for up to 28 days. Then you can reintroduce it. 

So, for example, if you’re going to start with gluten, you need to remove all wheat, rye, barley, and spelt. You also need to remove hidden sources like soy sauce. Then, after a month, you can reintroduce it and see how you feel. When the experiment is over, you can address the next food group, like dairy, for example. 

Several food sensitivity tests make this process a lot easier. Alletess, Great Plains Laboratory, and Elisa are all reputable labs. They use blood tests to provide you with results on hundreds of foods in a couple of weeks. 

Where Can I Get My Food Allergies Tested?

We carry the Great Plains Food Sensitivity Test. Why go through months of food elimination and reintroduction, when you can know the answers in just a couple of weeks? $349 provides you with the answer to 190 food sensitivities and an hour with one of our experienced nutritionists. As a result, you’ll walk away empowered to make the right decision for your health and wellbeing. And the best part? The kit is mailed to your home and only requires a finger poke. If you don’t want to do it yourself, simply request the kit that requires a blood draw. Your local lab will happily help you out for a nominal fee (usually $10-$15.) Contact us here to speak to one of our staff and get started today.

Now You Know, What Next?

Whether you test for food allergies or use an elimination diet to figure out your food sensitivities, a typical protocol involves: 

1. Removing the offending food or foods.
2. Working with a knowledgeable practitioner to clean up your diet. They can help you resolve the root cause of your issues. For example, is your diet high in pesticides or antibiotics? Are you under high levels of stress?
3. Taking supplements to help restore the integrity of your digestive tract and support digestion.
4. Restoring your good bacteria.
5. Reintroducing foods as tolerated.

In their paper, Mood Disorders and Gluten: It’s Not All in Your Mind!, Bold et al. wrote: “Gluten elimination may represent an effective treatment strategy for mood disorders in individuals with gluten-related disorders.”

I’m here to tell you that it’s not only effective, but a potentially powerful tool to restore hope and peace of mind without the use of medication.

For even more nutrition tips to help alleviate depression, check out my blog post Is Your Depression and Anxiety Diet Related?

For most people, minor lifestyle changes will make a big difference. However, there are times when the problem runs deeper, and you need professional help. If you’ve tried to figure this out on your own, or you feel like you’re lost in a maze of information and aren’t sure which path to take, don’t give up hope.

We have a range of different approaches that will help you figure out the root cause of your dysfunction and stop the cycle of sickness so you can feel better now. Book your free 30-minute Breakthrough Strategy Session today.