How to Reduce Food Allergies and Improve Gut Health

I’m going to lay down a big fact right now that you may not know: Food allergies are often connected to an imbalance in the gut. Your gut microbiota is so essential for your overall health and well-being that when it gets thrown out of whack, you can experience physical and mental problems throughout your whole body. One thing related to that concept is how your immune system can become very weak.

As much as 70% or 75% of your immune system is located in your gut.

That’s right – your ability to resist any disease or illness and to recover from it is predominantly dictated by your gut health. This means it’s super vital for all of us to keep our digestive process working properly. If most of your body’s ability to keep you healthy means a strong digestion but you have digestive issues, food intolerances can pop up.

 While a poorly operating gut may not cause food allergies, there is recent research that undeniably proves there is a definite link between poor gut health and allergies.

On the positive side of that research, you can make your gut healthier and stronger and simultaneously treat, and in some cases reverse, food allergies.

Here’s how:

For Food Allergy Relief – Get Your Gut Healthy

Okay, we know the health of your digestive system strongly affects your overall health and well-being. If you are one of the 32 million Americans with a food allergy, this is good news. All you have to do is balance the ratio of good to bad bacteria in your gut microbiota and abracadabra … your food allergy symptoms are minimal.

If you accidentally encounter food you are allergic to, a healthy gut minimizes how bad the experience can be. While doctors are not sure exactly why a super-powered gut can make food allergies go dormant, that seems to be exactly what happens.

The allergy doesn’t necessarily disappear – your healthy gut and digestive system simply means you don’t respond to the allergic reaction with symptoms, or in some other negative fashion.

Dr. Cathryn R. Nagler works as a professor studying food allergies at the University of Chicago in Illinois in the United States. She points to research which shows “… the (gut) microbiota itself can dictate whether or not you get an allergic response.” She goes on to say that altering your gut bacteria in a positive way can lead to a better quality of life for people with food allergies.

The Quickest Way to a Healthy Gut

Here’s the answer, short and simple: Stop eating mostly fast food and processed foods. This is a great step towards better health whether you have a food allergy or not. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Cut back on or totally eliminate energy drinks, sports drinks and sodas from your diet.

Eat more naturally fresh fruits and vegetables and eat them raw or minimally cooked whenever possible, and organic if you can. Make 70% to 80% of every meal plant-based food. Here’s a list of foods which can quickly restore your gut to optimal health:

• Apples
• Kimchi
• Sauerkraut
• Green bananas
• Whole grains
• Miso
• Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)
• Garlic
• Yogurt
• Cacao Nibs (70% cocoa or more)
• Barley
• Kefir
• Broccoli and asparagus
• Beans, legumes and lintels
• Being on a predominantly plant-based diet

Beating food allergies means eating the above foods, and also avoiding certain foods. The following foods and lifestyle choices wreak havoc on your gut:

• Alcohol
• A diet rich in animal proteins
• Baked goods
• Dairy products
• Processed meats
• Wheat-based food products
• Artificial sweeteners
• Too much stress
• Processed foods, fried foods, restaurant food, fast food
• Refined oils such as soybean and canola, sunflower and safflower oils
• Cigarette smoking
• Carbonated beverages and drinks with added sugar
• Not enough physical activity or exercise
• Poor sleep habits

Be careful when eating chicken, as well as eggs and other dairy products. The dairy and poultry industries use more antibiotics in their food products each year than the medical industry. This can cause you to become resistant to antibiotics, and also leads to an unhealthy gut microbiome.

The Wrap-Up

It’s possible to avoid or minimize food allergies and their impact on your life. The key is to get your gut healthy, which you can easily do by eating more of the gut-friendly foods and avoiding the gut-hating foods and lifestyle choices above.

Have you noticed a correlation with the foods you eat and your gut health – that if you’re taking care of your gut, you seem to experience less food allergies? Let me know your experience in the comments below!

If this relationship between food allergies and gut health was a new concept to you, you definitely want to check out my free guide here on 12 Simple Steps to Bio-Hack Your Family’s Health. There’s a wealth of information to bring your health to a whole a new level of amazing, so be sure to give it a look.

Wishing you well,

Dr. Jessica