2. Food allergies stemming from leaky gut syndrome.

People with allergies know that these allergies can wreak havoc on their immune system. In particular, wheat (gluten) and dairy (casein and lactose) intolerance can damage the digestive system and trigger a hyper-immune response.

For multiple reasons, allergy tests are actually somewhat controversial. In simple terms, the food allergy test basically exposes your blood and/or white blood cells to a number of different foods, and is then observed for a reaction. There are many different types of allergy tests that show contradictory results when they are run on the same person. And some allergy researchers believe that you can actually have a delayed reaction days after you eat the suspected food. This makes the task of allergy detection even more difficult.

If your blood shows signs of an allergic reaction, it is most likely that you have a leaky gut and that partially digested particles of food are floating around in your bloodstream. The allergic reaction is your immune system mounting a response to this foreign invader. As you work to heal your leaky gut you will find that many, if not most, food reactions simply go away because the digestion of your food becomes so much more complete.

Casein and Gluten

Two of the most common current allergies are wheat and dairy. Casein is found in dairy, and gluten is found in most grains. The partial digestion of casein and gluten produces protein chemicals called "opioids." Like opium, these chemicals bind to certain receptors in the brain and cause withdrawal type symptoms—in other words, cravings. That’s why people with wheat and dairy allergies will actually crave wheat and dairy.

It’s also important to note that the properties of food changes as it goes from raw to cooked. Some people, who may be allergic to pasteurized milk, are not allergic to raw milk. This is because raw foods already contain the enzymes necessary to digest themselves. In the case of raw milk, when it is heated above a certain temperature in the pasteurization process, these enzymes are destroyed. So when the pasteurized milk enters the digestive tract, some people cannot digest the milk because the enzymes necessary to do so have been removed.

Similarly, some people who are allergic to cooked eggs can eat raw eggs without a problem. Raw and/or undercooked food is actually easier to digest than foods that are heavily cooked and/or processed.

The Standard American Diet tends to have a lot of allergenic ingredients that are often "hidden" in heavily processed foods. That’s why it’s often difficult to avoid the foods that you are most allergic to. Digestive enzyme supplements taken before each meal may help the body digest the "hidden" foods that are causing trouble for many people with chronic conditions.


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