A rotation diet can help to manage food intolerance, but it is not a cure. At the same time as reintroducing foods or taking artificial nutrition, it makes sense to try to improve or overcome the underlying cause of your food intolerance.
It is useful to rule out any diagnosable illnesses or true food allergies, and to get tested for bacterial, viral, parasitic or yeast (candida) infections.
Rotation and elimination diets can help to manage food intolerance, but it is not a cure. At the same time as reintroducing foods or taking artificial nutrition, it makes sense to try to improve or overcome the underlying cause of your food intolerance. It is useful to rule out any diagnosable illnesses or true food allergies, and to get tested for bacterial, viral, parasitic or yeast (candida) infections.
Leaky gut, digestive enzyme deficiency, malabsorption or malnutrition may all be exacerbating intolerance. Your GP or dietician may be able to help you with some of these, or you might need to find an experienced nutritionist.
A registered nutritional therapist can also advise on appropriate vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements to reduce sensitivity, or aid digestion. Remember to check supplement ingredients carefully for known allergens – capsules and powders are likely to have the least number of non-essential ingredients. It is possible to become sensitive to herbal remedies just as easily as any other food or seasoning, so include details of supplements in your food/symptom diary. Have a look at the book The GAPs Diet by Natasha Campbell McBride to see if it might be suitable for you, a nutritional therapist can advise.
If you are hypersensitive to foods, there is a strong chance that you are also reacting to other allergens, including household chemicals. (Likewise, people who suffer from chemical/ electro- sensitivity may also have multiple food intolerance.) It makes sense to try to reduce the number of toxins and allergens in your home, to give your body a chance to recuperate.
If your body is always in a state of high alert because it is reacting to environmental allergies, it is more likely to overreact to foods – increasing food intolerance. To lessen food sensitivity reactions, reduce the number of toxins and environmental allergens in your home environment. Rotate all toothpastes and moisturising oils and regularly change brands of washing powder, washing up liquid and soaps, so you don’t build up an intolerance to one particular brand. Reduce the levels of WI-Fi in your home and workplace. Details of how to reduce environmental and chemical allergens are given in the section on Chemical Sensitivity and electro-sensitivity.
To speed up recovery, do all you can to boost and heal your immune system and make sure you are not sitting or sleeping in a geopathically stressed place. Most importantly, set aside time for periods of deep relaxation or meditation at least once a day. No matter what your energy levels, make sure you have something positive to look forward to and if necessary, consider counselling to help keep everything in perspective.
