Low Reaction Acne Diet

Food Addiction

Another interesting finding among people with food sensitivities is that they are often hooked on the very food they are reacting to. This can lead to bingeing on the foods that harm them most. Many such people describe these foods as leaving them feeling dopey or giving them a temporary energy or mood lift. It is not known exactly how this works, but it is believed that proteins in such foods may act in a similar way to the body's natural endorphins, which switch off pain and give a natural 'high'.

Scientists have made endorphin-like substances from the proteins in wheat, milk, barley and com and shown that they bind to the body's endorphin receptor sites. If you suspect that this may be the case, think of the foods you feel you' couldn't live without' and you may well find that they are the ones you are sensitive to. If you stop eating the suspect foods, you may feel a little worse for a few days before you feel better, rather like going' cold turkey' when giving up an addiction.

While food sensitivities may not necessarily be the root cause of a skin problem, they could well be an exacerbating factor and are well worth investigating with the help of a nutritionist or other health practitioner. There are several reasons why you may develop sensitivities: for instance, lack of digestive enzymes, leaky gut, frequent intake of gut irritants (such as chemicals, coffee and alcohol), lowered immunity or an over-proliferation of 'bad' bacteria in the gut.

Elimination Diets

It is essential to deal with the root cause of the sensitivities by identifying the most likely culprits. This is the key to overcoming food sensitivities. There are some diets which can be used to detect which foods are triggering a reaction, principally based on eliminating suspect foods.

Mono-elimination diet

Anyone suspected food or food group should be avoided for at least two weeks. Choose to avoid, one at a time, from:

• Wheat products - bread, most cereals, pasta, pizza, biscuits, muffins, cakes, pastries and pies
• Dairy products - anything made from or containing milk such as cheese, yoghurt or fromage frais
• Eggs and anything containing eggs
• Citrus fruits - oranges, tangerines, lemons, grapefruit and lime
• Processed foods - anything containing preservatives, coloring and artificial flavoring

While you are avoiding that particular food or food group notice any changes, or not, in your skin condition. After two weeks, reintroduce the food - have it two or three times a day for a few days to see if it triggers any reaction. If you do react when reintroducing it, go back to avoiding it. Otherwise, have it as you normally would. Once you've done this with one food, go on to the next and do the same.

Multi-elimination diet

In this diet, the most commonly allergy provoking foods are eliminated from the diet and any others that you know you are sensitive to, plus any that you eat almost daily. Those which should definitely be avoided are the ones listed under the mono-elimination diet, above. We very much recommend that you follow this diet under the guidance of an experienced health professional. With children, it is absolutely essential to have the guidance of an experienced practitioner to ensure that they are getting the full range of required nutrients.

Foods to include in the diet are:

• All vegetables (except potatoes, tomatoes and sweet corn which are on the 'suspect' list)
• Fruits (pears, papaya and bananas are particularly unlikely to cause reactions)
• Rice, millet, buckwheat and quinoa (grains available in most health food stores)
• Oats, rye and barley (although some people are sensitive to the gluten they contain)
• Fresh, unprocessed, unsmoked meats and fish
• Beans and lentils (although some, people are sensitive to Soya)

After four weeks of avoiding all these foods, each food is reintroduced one by one, with a five-day gap before introducing the next one. This way it is clear which foods are producing symptoms or not. It may be worth drawing up a chart when you start reintroducing the foods - noting what you started eating, when and if you had any skin (or other) reactions.

If a food does trigger a reaction when it is reintroduced, it should be avoided for at least another six months, after which time you can retest by eating it again. During that avoidance time, you should work to improve your digestive and immune systems in order to minimize your chances of being sensitive to such foods.