energy to deal with it,” she says. Ten, in 2012, Parker got pneumonia, and despite lots of rest, she couldn’t shake it. Frustrated and suspicious
F
that her diet was hindering her healing (she’d given up dairy, to no avail), she finally asked her doctor to test for food allergies—and learned she is allergic to nine foods, including wheat, soy, sesame, corn, potatoes, and sunflower seeds … but not dairy. “While trying to recover from pneumonia, I’d been literally eating everything I was allergic to, so my immune system was trashed,” she says. Once she eliminated these foods, her body began healing, and today her food-triggered woes are all but gone. Parker’s struggles are far from rare. Millions of adults have persistent stomach cramps, nausea, respiratory
troubles, skin rashes, or depression—or a combination—caused by undetected or unmanaged food intolerances or allergies. If you suspect certain foods may be hijacking your health, it’s important for long-term wellness to find out for sure.
How to pinpoint the problem
Rule number one: Don’t self-diagnose, says Jeanette Keith, MD, spokeswoman for the American Gastro- enterological Association. Instead, work with a trusted health professional to identify the problem and map out the healthiest way to manage it. Follow these steps with your provider.
1. Rule out celiac disease
Although it presents much like a food intolerance or allergy, celiac disease is actually an autoimmune disorder that’s aggravated by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. “Celiac disease is an in-between category,” says Robert Wood, MD, chief of allergy and immunology at Te Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. “It’s not considered an allergy, but it involves the immune system, so it’s more than intolerance.” Celiac symptoms often resemble those of sensitivity to
MOST COMMON OFFENDERS IN ADULTS
gluten or lactose, Keith says. Undetected, this disease can lead to nutrient deficiencies, diabetes, gastrointestinal (GI) tract malignancies, and even small-bowel cancers, she warns. “Not everything that rumbles is lactose intolerance. So if you have diarrhea or an irritable bowel, get checked for celiac disease. I worry about this diagnosis being missed.” In fact, a recent study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that nearly 2 million Americans have celiac disease, but close to 80 percent don’t know it. Blood tests and small-bowel biopsies usually detect celiac
disease but must be performed while you’re still eating gluten, says James Li, MD, chair of allergic diseases at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Genetic tests can also reveal whether you’re at risk for celiac (or unlikely to have it). If you have celiac disease: Although there’s no cure, you
can manage the condition by eliminating gluten from your diet. Go to
deliciousliving.com/GIG for gluten-free resources. ➻
ALLERGIES
• Shellfish such as shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab
• Peanuts • Tree nuts • Fish such as salmon INTOLERANCES
• Wheat and other gluten- containing grains
• Sugar found in fruits and honey • Dairy products • Corn products
Sources: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, American Gastroenterological Society
or most of her adult life, Nancy Parker felt sick. Stomach upset and sinus congestion often plagued her after she ate, asthma came and went, and she frequently felt worn down, dizzy, or just “off.” Although Parker suspected certain foods might be making her ill, “I was never at a place in my life where I had the
may 2013 | deliciousliving .com 31
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