Many people are unaware that they are having auto immune responses to certain foods that are mainstays of a typical American diet. This is not the type of allergic response that is apparent the moment one eats a food to which one is allergic, or even shortly after. Symptoms may only manifest days later as a low or unstable mood, irritability, fatigue, fogginess, distractibility, anxiety or insomnia. Some people may suffer depressed immunity with frequent viral or bacterial illnesses, joint pain, or digestive abnormalities, sinus problems or eczema, auto-immune disorders and osteoporosis, to name a few. The nature of the symptom can be related to any organ system in the body, but the brain is a very frequent target. Since the onset of the symptoms is delayed, the individual understandably does not link symptoms with the food that was eaten days previously.
The most common dietary sensitivity by far is to gluten, a protein molecule that is part of the wheat, which is such a common part of the typical American diet. Gluten is found in breads, cereals. pastries, pasta, pizza and all the foods that Americans commonly eat multiple times a day. Gluten intolerance is not to be confused with Celiac Disease. Many people will say that they have been tested for Celiac Disease and have been told that they do not have it. They may nevertheless, be allergic to gluten, though the biopsy or blood test was negative. Gluten can be found in several other grains as well, such as rye, barley and kamut. Gluten sensitivity is thought to affect 30-40% of the population. I suspect the number is much higher.
The second most common food allergy is to dairy. Often an individual who is sensitive to gluten is also sensitive to dairy. The other top allergens are eggs, corn, soy, yeast, nuts and seeds, and nightshades (a family of plants that includes potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers) and sugar. Corn, soy and sugar are hidden in many packaged foods and contribute to degrading the health of many people in this country.
A modification of the Paleolithic Diet that is often very helpful to people suffering from auto-immune conditions is called the Paleo Auto Immune Protocol. In my experience, it is an effective approach to dealing with many psychiatric symptoms. It is an elimination diet where an individual avoids the top allergens in the diet for a minimum of 30 days or until there is some improvement of symptoms, and then systematically reintroduces them and monitors for response. Here is a link to an excellent site, Phoenix Helix, which explains and answers many questions about this very effective approach to healing.
