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. |
