AYURVEDA PERSPECTIVE ON FOOD ALLERGY

Difficult to digest foods strain the digestive organs and tend to sit stagnant in the gut. The longer a food lays stagnant in the digestive tract, the more the body starts to perceive it as a foreign invader.

Stagnant food also ferments in the intestines, leading to gas, bloating and the formation of metabolic wastes (ama). The spongy small intestine absorbs these wastes into the bloodstream where they circulate and effect all organs, particularly the liver.

The liver struggles to process the influx of toxins, and the immune system may be activated to assist the liver in cleanup. A high volume of these metabolic toxins overwhelms the liver and stresses the immune system, making a person highly reactive and likely to develop an allergy.

Food allergies may also develop after an episode of severe indigestion which compromises your digestive function. Gut inflammation and leaky gut syndrome bring your immune system into close contact with the food you've eaten, creating an opportunity for an allergy to develop.

A history of viral infections can overstimulate the immune system and leave your body predisposed to allergic reactions. Certain viral infections, such as mono, remain in the body for life, usually in a latent or inactive state. The immune system never completely gets a chance to relax after that. Stress and other autoimmune disorders can overstimulate the immune system as well.

Many allergies can actually become addictive, making the offending food incredibly difficult to omit from the diet. A simple way to begin to work with food allergies is to try an elimination diet. Observe this diet of easy to digest meals with five or less ingredients for one week. Avoid eating any processed foods.

Slowly begin to add the difficult foods back in one by one. Give each one a full 48 hours in your system before introducing the next. Keep a food journal during this time and make note of all digestive symptoms and troublesome foods.

A kitchari cleanse can scrub the digestive tract of lingering wastes and reduce high ama levels that are likely irritating the liver and immune system. Avipattikar churna strengthens digestion and reduce ama formation without creating excess heat or provoking an already inflamed GI.

Herbs such as shatavari, licorice root or Joyful Belly's Food Allergy Healing Tea may be appropriate to reduce long standing inflammation in the digestive tract and soothe the liver. For healing and rejuvenating the intestines following food allergies, amalaki is Ayurveda's top choice. For long term management of allergies, generally a Pitta pacifying diet of easy to digest foods and 10 habits for healthy digestion.