Hidden Trigger Foods Can Be Tricky: Food sensitivities and allergies can sidetrack even the healthiest of diets, guides Dr. Paul Stallone

Eating the right diet can do much more than maintain a trim waistline. We’ve known for a while the right foods will keep us healthy, and bad foods will make us overweight and prone to disease. However, who decides what the right foods are? We would probably consider any fresh, organic fruit or vegetable as a healthy snack, but these foods and many others can actually be causing disease or contributing to its appearance years from now.

The reason why organic broccoli or free-range chicken could be creating chaos is simple: Our body may have developed a sensitivity to that particular item or combination of items. Every time we eat it, even a small amount, the body responds. Symptoms can include bloating, gas, belching, constipation, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, memory fog, insomnia, joint pain, weight gain, skin issue, rapid heartbeat and inflammation.

Most food sensitivity symptoms will result in only short-term discomfort. However if a trigger food is consumed daily, symptoms can create changes in our daily routine. If fatigue is our body’s response to a daily breakfast of eggs, then we might start to add more cups of coffee throughout the day. Or, if our afternoon snack of raw almonds induces a headache later that night, we might tend to withdraw from family interaction. Many people will reach for over-the-counter medication to treat symptoms that are entirely preventable.

Because symptoms vary from person to person, so will the severity of each symptom, and trigger foods may cause mild to severe reactions. For example, a banana could cause some mild bloating, while garlic could provoke a migraine that lasts for days. A frustrating factor is that it can take four days after eating garlic before we experience that migraine. Most people only evaluate choices they have made the day of the symptom, not the dinner from three nights ago.

A migraine here and there is nothing compared to a hidden danger that food sensitivities could be causing. Inflammation could be taking years from our life by influencing serious illnesses like cancer, heart disease and even Alzheimer’s disease. Inflammation is a natural process our bodies use to heal, but in a chronic state of inflammation, the immune system mistakenly affects normal cells and this becomes highly destructive over time. By eliminating the foods that cause inflammation, we may not only treat some current conditions, but also reduce the risk of heart disease.

Foods can either cause or treat disease; it just depends on our individual needs and goals. Food is something we need in order to survive, and it’s crucial to make sure certain types aren’t silently hurting us. Anyone will benefit greatly from a food sensitivity test, but those with unexplainable symptoms should seek professional help immediately to avoid long-term complications.

Paul Stallone, NMD, founded the Arizona Integrative Medical Center, located at 8144 E. Cactus Rd., Ste. 820, in Scottsdale. He combines natural/alternative/conventional treatments to best fit and benefit each individual patient’s needs. For more information, call 480-214-3922 or visit DrStallone.com.