One Man’s Food is Another Man’s Poison

Sensitivity to certain foods can cause unwanted weight gain, migraines, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders and many more chronic problems. Food intolerance is not an immediate reaction, like a peanut allergy for example. Food intolerance occurs many hours after consumption. With delayed symptoms, it’s difficult to detect which food your body isn’t processing properly. You may be eating healthy food.  But it might NOT be the foods that are healthy for you.

The process of determining food sensitivities is as simple as a blood draw. The food sensitivity test screens for reactions to over 300 foods, chemicals and other substances associated with inflammation that are linked to chronic health problems. After identifying food sensitivities, you eliminate the trigger foods and get on the fast track to good health!

At Seasons, we are extremely pleased with the success stories from patients who have taken the test and eliminated trigger foods from their diet. One of our patients has lost a total of 60 lbs in 7 months since avoiding certain trigger foods. She had no idea that the food she was consuming was making her sick and keeping her from losing weight. Another patient had “excruciating migraines” and was looking for a solution. Since eliminating the foods that she is sensitive to, she has not had a migraine AND lost 20 lbs!

Take control of your health instead of taking medications to treat symptoms. Identifying and eliminating from your diet foods to which you are sensitive can help you shed pounds and feel better!

Food sensitivity testing – the how to.

The process starts with a referral from a doctor or a consultation with our nutritionist, Valerie Costanza, RD. The Seasons staff will verify insurance coverage for the test. Next, a simple blood test is performed and sent off for analysis. Results take approximately 3 weeks and come back on an easy-to-read, color-coded chart. You will meet with the Valerie to review the results and help you make a meal plan that incorporates the foods that are good for you and eliminates the ones that are making you sick. One nutritional consultation with Valerie is complimentary after having food sensitivity testing.

For more information about food sensitivities or to schedule an appointment, contact Seasons Wellness Clinic, Ruston, LA, at 318-255-3223 or Seasons Healthcare, Monroe, LA at 318-387-2828.

Me, Food Sensitivity Testing, and Life!

So it’s been about two months since I received my food sensitivity testing results. Things have been going pretty good. I was really excited after the first two weeks and 5 lb. weight loss. And then I began to get a little bored. I was going to have to really start “working” the list – by that I mean really avoiding my yellow foods (yellow list = mild sensitivity) and stick to my green (green list = no sensitivity). I had done really well avoiding my reds (red list = severe sensitivity) and oranges (orange list = moderate sensitivity). That was the easy part because there weren’t very many! The yellow list (yellow list = mild sensitivity) on the other hand was quite a bit longer!

Grocery shopping has become a little more intense. I am buying more fruits and veggies – but not just any fruits and veggies. Only certain fruits and veggies that appear on my green list! Oh, and did I mention my husband has gotten his food sensitivity test results? That makes grocery shopping even more challenging! Bored? Did I say I was bored? Ha! Not anymore. Now I have a mission!

Being a working mom with two small boys, I have to be prepared: meal planning, activity planning (not really a strong suit of mine), etc. We have always been a family on-the-go trying to eat healthy. But somehow, fast food has snuck into our lives. Let’s face it, it’s just easier.

But no more fast food for this family! With my and my husband’s food sensitivity results, I am armed and ready to tackle the healthy lifestyle…again! We have always enjoyed exercise, being outdoors and considered ourselves healthy. But with work and busy schedules, the diets have fallen by the wayside. My food sensitivity results have given me the perfect opportunity to get my family in check!

I know it won’t be easy to get everyone on board, but the benefits will be worth it! I am so fortunate that my husband is doing this with me and that we will be educating our children along the way. They already are aware of the “green” list and what Mom and Dad can and can’t have. It’s really cute!

And so the journey continues…

Me, Food Sensitivity Testing, and Fear of the Unknown

I did a lot of debating with myself about having food sensitivity testing.

At first I didn’t want to do it. I forbid myself to think that I wanted to do it. Why? I didn’t want to know what it was going to tell me. I was afraid of it. I was afraid that it would tell me that I couldn’t eat the things that I love to eat.

But I know of the success stories. Our patients who have eliminated foods from their diets they were sensitive to feel better and lose weight. And I wanted to feel better. Don’t get me wrong. I feel pretty good. But as the working mom of two young boys, I need every ounce of energy I can possibly generate from my body! Weight loss wasn’t necessarily my goal, but it could be an added bonus.

So here’s a look at me before food sensitivity testing. My symptoms were:

• Headaches
• Tired often
• Lack of energy
• Cravings (carbs, chips, salty)
• GI Symptoms (stomach issues)
• Trouble losing weight
• Didn’t feel 100%

The great irony of this whole story is this–I was telling my patients to do it (and I try to do everything that I tell my patients to do) but I hadn’t had the courage to face it myself. That fear of the unknown can be so overpowering, can’t it? I w anted to be able to tell them first hand what it was like, and why the sacrifices would really be worth taking the test.

And then, 3 weeks after sending my blood to the laboratory, the results arrived. As expected, there were sacrifices that would have to be made.My results revealed that I had a tremendous food sensitivity to — are you ready for this? — coffee. Argh. I crave coffee every day. I was not excited about this. But, I stopped cold turkey. And not only did I stop coffee, I’ve stopped diet cokes, too.

The results? 2 weeks in and I have lost 5 pounds AND I feel a lot better. Significantly better. I’ve gotten back into running and exercising. Even my husband said that he could tell a difference. Just from seeing what it has done for me, he is sold….he came to Seasons yesterday to have his blood drawn to check his food sensitivity.

And that, my friends, is the story. Two weeks and results. It hasn’t been easy. Ridding your body of the causes of inflammation is one of the keys to the health and wellness kingdom.