Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Lactose Intolerant? Try Homemade Oat Milk

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For those of you out there that can't tolerate cow or goat milk because of a lactose intolerance, you often end up seeking out alternatives and come across things like overpriced oat or rice milk. Well here's a cheap and easy way to get a better quality, better tasting, version of what's in stores, without all those pesky preservatives.

It really is the easiest thing to make. All of the ingredients are most likely already in your kitchen.

All you need is:

1 cup Porridge Oats (not instant oats)
1 tbsp Demerara Sugar, Honey or Agave Nectar (sweeten to taste)
1 tsp Olive or Sunflower Oil
6 cups warm water

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Once you've got all the ingredients just add them in any order and blend for about 10 seconds. The mixture should turn white (like in the picture). If it's still clear your water isn't warm enough. Then strain into a pitcher and you're done. Use in hot and cold cereals or drink it straight.

For a stronger flavor and thicker oat milk let it set for about 30 minutes. You can also make your own rice or almond milk too. Just follow the same instructions as above only add 2 cups cooked brown rice or 500g ground almonds instead. Let the almonds set longer than the rice or oats to get the full flavor.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Allergy Testing and Blood Type Diet Myth

Lately I have been doing so many allergy tests for foods that I've reformatted my consultations. Now when you come to see me the first thing I do is go over everything you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Then, through kinesiology, I test your body systems and all other whole foods that are found in your area. I will never test for Super Macs, Chinese food or the like because I already know the answer and it's an insult to every one's intelligence, including my own.

I used to strictly follow the Blood Type Diet by Dr. Peter D'Adamo with great success. Now since moving to Ireland I've noticed that no two people are the same even if their blood types match. There are several reasons why certain foods do well with one person and not with another.

Reasons Include, but are not limited to:
  • Heredity-We have to date back your specific bloodline, not your blood type, to accurately test for allergies. No one in Ireland can eat wheat and not have some sort of reaction to it. I will discuss types of allergy symptoms below.
  • HCI and enzyme count present in the stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, etc. Too little means food doesn't get broken down. When that happens, whole particles go through your digestive tract and can cause food sensitivities and digestive disorders. (Leaky Gut Syndrome).
  • Blood Type can play a roll in what you are sensitive to. Even if you have all enzymes and HCI present, you can still not process healthy foods correctly and that leads to weight gain, weight loss, digestive disorders, and even undigested proteins in your bloodstream. That is never a good thing. Proteins in the blood can lead to agglutination (sticky cells) and cause tumors that may or may not become malignant. Never go by blood type alone as a rule.
  • Weak immune system response.

Here is an excerpt I found in the book 'Food Allergy Relief' by James Braly, M.D.

"A food allergy develops when your immune system, by means of an odd mixture of immune cells, antibodies, and chemical mediators, reacts in an attempt to reject a food in your diet. Food allergy can result in death-from intestinal lymphomas, osteoporotic hip fractures, and asthma-or can create a living hell with years of unending pain and misery."

This is scary considering most people have no clue as to why they are sick or where the sickness stems from. Well guess what? 80% of your immune system stems from your gut. That's right. What you put in is what you get out. People use the phrase "You are what you eat". I like to go one step further and say "You are what you eat, digest, assimilate, and don't eliminate". If you have foods that you can't digest or cause allergies sitting in your colon, what do you think it's doing to the friendly flora that's supposed to be present? Or the nutrients that aren't being absorbed into your bloodstream because you're colon is toxic or inflammed? It's killing you.

There are 4 types of immune reactions in food allergy. Types 1, 2, 3, and 4. I will discuss Types 1 and 3 as they are the most common. More than one type of allergy can occur at the same time.

Type 1: Immediate-Onset Food Allergies

  • Occurs in less than 5% of the population and mostly in children.
  • Symptoms are stomach cramping, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, dull aching, bloating, heartburn, indigestion, constipation, gas, skin rashes, hives, eczema, swelling, wheezing, asthma, the sneezing stuff nose of a patient with allergic rhinitis, or the most dreaded, anaphylaxis.
  • Other symptoms/diseases that are caused by food allergies are Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, epilepsy, and psoriasis.
  • Happens from a few minutes to two hours after consumption.

Type 3-Delayed-Onset Food Allergy

  • More common than Type 1
  • Occurs from 2 hours to several days after consumption of allergenic foods (migraines occur within 48 hours)
  • Reactions emanate from organs or tissue provoking more than 100 allergenic symptoms and well over 100 medical diseases.

A partial list includes:

  • Allergic Rhinitis, nonseasonal
  • Ankyslosing Spondylitis
  • Anxiety, panic attacks
  • Asthma
  • ADHD
  • Autism (due to milk and gluten in cereals)
  • Bed-Wetting
  • Depression
  • Diabetes, insulin-dependent (Type 1)
  • Eczema
  • Epilepsy
  • Fatigue, chronic
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Headaches (migraines, cluster)
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chrone's, ulcerative colitis, and Celiac Disease)
  • Iron deficiency anemia
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Middle ear disease
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sleep disorders

So before you rush you or your child to the doctor for a mental or physical ailment or disease, consider changing your diet first. A holistic nutritionist may be just what you need to feel better both physically and mentally. Supplements can be taken so flush your body of toxins, repopulate friendly flora, reverse allergies to certain foods, and help prevent or reverse poor nutrient status in patients with mal-absorption.

Helpful supplements are Quercetin Bioflavonoid, Probiotics, MSM, Glutamine, Omega Fatty Acids, and Vitamins and Minerals. Keeping a balance of healthy nutrients found in fruits and vegetables is the best line of defense. Rotation diets are highly recommended to relieve the gut of allergens. Slow reincorporation of allergenic foods, except dairy and glutens, is also recommended with certain supplements to build the body's immune response. Thus allowing you a larger menu to choose from.

Consult your doctor or Natural Health Consultant.