FOOD INTOLERANCES or "SENSITIVITIES" can affect you in so many ways.
 
And they’re a lot more common than most people think.
 
I'm not talking about anaphylaxis or immediate allergic reactions that involve an immune response. Those can be serious and life-threatening.  If you have any allergies, you need to steer clear of any traces of foods you are allergic to, and speak with your doctor or pharmacist about emergency medication, if necessary.
 
 
 What I'm talking about, is an intolerance, meaning you do not tolerate a specific food very well and it causes immediate or chronic symptoms anywhere in the body. Symptoms can take hours or even days to show themselves. And symptoms can be located just about anywhere in the body.
        
This is what makes them so tricky to identify.

While Hippocrates coined the phrase, “all disease begins in the gut” thousands of years ago, current research is finding there’s much truth in this ancient piece of wisdom!
 
If you think your intestinal tract is only responsible for digestion and waste elimination, think again… your gut also plays a big role in immune system function, the synthesis of essential nutrients, and balancing neurotransmitters important for brain and mood health.
 
It’s even been referred to as our second brain by experts in the health professional community.



It’s all about the health of our gut

Your intestines are home to billions of bacteria, collectively known as the microbiome. Some of these bacteria are beneficial and some are not, but the balance between the two is really key to normal digestion, proper absorption of nutrients, and promoting a healthy intestinal environment.
 
The integrity and structure of the intestinal walls is also extremely important when it comes to good gut health - and our health overall.
 
The gut lining is a permeable barrier designed to allow certain molecules, like broken down nutrients from food, to crossover into the bloodstream for absorption and use in the body. But, the gut lining should also keep harmful molecules, like toxins and pathogens, from being absorbed.

Many of my clients struggle with various gut problems. To these individuals, I suggest introducing the GAPS Nutritional Program which I find to be the most effective program for gut healing. The power of this program lies in the relatively strict diet protocol and in the essential daily lifestyle habits that support the natural detoxification process.

As a nutritionist, I need to make sure that the client will be able to implement the protocol with success. Therefore, I start with assessing the person's diet and lifestyle habits and later move to discussing the details of transitioning into the program.

The greatest challenge for many of my GAPS-clients is the complete removal of grains from their diet. Many of them cannot imagine preparing their meals without some sort of grain. No bread? No cookies or muffins? No rice or pasta? Not even gluten-free grains? I will be starving all the time!

For centuries, chicken soup has been known as a healing remedy for the common cold. In my house, whenever somebody starts sniffing or coughing, I am already in the kitchen cooking chicken stock in my biggest pot.

However, the benefits of homemade meat stock do not stop there. This magical pale yellow liquid is also a great food for various digestive conditions. It has a soothing effect on any areas of inflammation in the digestive tract while providing the essential nutrients for the rapidly growing cells of the gut lining and therefore supporting cell regeneration. For this reason, meat stock is a staple food on the GAPS Nutritional Program which addresses a plethora of physiological and psychological conditions,all originating in compromised gut function. More information on this program can be found here.

With the season of family and friend get-togethers, delicious food and great wine behind us, many of us welcome January bloated, fatigued, moody and a few pounds heavier. Naturally, we promise ourselves to improve our lifestyle: to go to bed earlier, to take short breaks from social media, to exercise more and to eat healthier. And we seriously mean it!
 
Well, if you’ve already tried and failed to get your eating habits in check, then you know how frustrating “dieting” can be. Undereating and failing to properly balance your meals can make it impossible to get back on track.

Here are five essential steps to begin your transition towards healthy eating and feeling energized!