We hear it so often avoid wheat, dairy, sugar don't eat this, don't eat that, so many different opinions! How do you know what to do?
There is no one answer for everyone it is an individual decision and it can change over your lifetime.
Consider why you are making the choices to eat what you eat, it may be time, money, ease, comfort eating, cravings there are so many different factors involved.
In previous blogs we have looked at the nutrition, eating and how this impacts on our bodies and our ability to use Kinesiology to muscle test the impact foods are having on our physical, mental, emotion, biochemical states and immune system (see muscle and immune system blog).
Food intolerances
The gut's primary function is the digestion, absorption of nutrients and the excretion of waste.
The process of digestion occurs as food travels through the GI tract, here the digestive organs breakdown the foods into smaller molecules. Chewing foods is the start of the process, it is recommended that you chew your food at least 32 times to break it down or until is has become more liquified. Chewing helps to increase the saliva (98% water so good hydration is required), allowing times for the enzymes and acids to breakdown the food a as food moves through your GI tract. In the stomach the acid, bile and further enzymes continue to reduce particles. The small intestine absorbs most of the nutrient from foods and passes them into the blood where the circulation carried them to other parts of the body.
According to statistics published by the food standard agency it is estimated that 'in the UK, an estimated 2 million people are living with a diagnosed food allergy, and 600,000 (1 in 100) with coeliac disease. These figures exclude those with food intolerances such as lactose intolerance. Allergy UK state that
The UK has some of the highest prevalence rates of allergic conditions in the world, with over 20% of the population affected by one or more allergic disorder. (M. L. Levy, 2004)
A staggering 44% of British adults now suffer from at least one allergy and the number of sufferers is on the rise, growing by around 2 million between 2008 and 2009 alone. Almost half (48%) of sufferers have more than one allergy – that is around 10 million people (Foods Matter, 2010)
Common types of food intolerance include histamine, lactose, gluten, peanuts, eggs, dairy. Allergy UK (https://www.allergyuk.org) has more information and Monday 26th -30th April 2021 is allergy awareness week.
Wheat, dairy and sugar
How do you know if your body is having a hard time digesting any of these foods? Check out the list of symptoms below and you can also get a Functional Kinesiology balance and see what foods are contributing to the imbalance and alternative that your body is able to digest.
Common symptoms are:
Bloating
Tummy pain
Wind
Diarrhoea
Skin itching and rashes
Restriction or pain in diaphragm area
Stomach or bowel issues - inflammation, leaky gut, IBS etc.
Wheat had a major transformation in the 1950s and Norman Borlaug, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the creating on dwarf wheat. This genetically modified wheat was more easier to grow and harvest. Our whole system of farming has changed with the advent of technology and more efficient quicker harvesting processes. The means that we have access to foods all year round rather than seasonally.
Einkorn’s is one of the first grains to be planted and harvested by man 14 chromosomes to modern wheat’s 42 chromosomes increases the gluten content exponentially, making it harder to digest. If the growth and harvesting process is shorter for wheat then consider the changes that have occurred for the dairy farming processes and also for sugar. When you change the natural chemical make up of foods what impact does that have on our bodies abilities to be able to recognise, process and digest the foods?
How do you know if you have a health functioning gut? Consider how often you have bowel movements, ideally it is one or two times a day. The consistency of your stool is important, type 3-4 on the Bristol stool chart is a good gauge, smooth consistency. Symptoms like diarrhoea, constipation, loose stools, haemorrhoids and abdominal symptoms such as gas, bloating, abdominal pain, peeing during the night, straining to pee or poo are some signs of poor bowel health.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of poor gut health then consider the impact of wheat, diary and sugar in your food intake. Look at the balance at each meal, ideally each meal contains a nutrient rich combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Book a Functional Kinesiology session to find out if wheat, dairy and other foods causing imbalances for you.