People often don’t realize just how much of their health concerns are associated with the foods they eat. Moods, intestinal health, body weight, and other issues can be directly correlated with food sensitivity reactions. I see it time and time again in my practice—someone has a host of symptoms and, in the end, it’s actually a food sensitivity that’s wreaking havoc on his or her body.
For instance, in December of 2006, Sally came into my office with a laundry list of symptoms. She had been diagnosed with asthma, acid reflux and other digestive imbalances, chronic fatigue, and a host of psychiatric disorders, including atypical bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression. Due to Sally’s chronic fatigue, she could only function for about 5 to 6 hours per day.
After bouncing around from specialist to specialist for 10 years, Sally was referred to my office by one of her neurologists. It appeared obvious from her symptoms list that she was reacting to gluten and potentially a few other food proteins. After three sessions, Sally (and her husband) reluctantly agreed to try an Elimination Diet to identify possible foods that could be making her symptoms worse. On day 12 of the diet, Sally’s chronic fatigue all but disappeared.
Finally
The asthma vanished and her mood stabilized. After 9 months of dietary changes, Sally is healthier than ever and experiences 15 hours of abundant energy per day as long as she avoids gluten, dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy. In addition to cooking many of the recipes from this book as daily staples, Sally also added a number of cultured and fermented foods to her diet, including kombucha, cultured vegetables, and homemade, gluten-free sourdough bread. The only complaint she has now is that she needs to spend money on new clothes as she continues to lose weight.
