food & nutrition
GM GEM MAGAZINE LONG ISLAND
Solving The Puzzle of
food alergies
By Yu-Shiaw Chen, Ph.D.
Did you ever have food allergy problem? Are you concerned about your child’s food sensitivity? It is normal that toward certain foods, everyone displays different levels of sensitivity. However, when someone is overly sensitive to certain foods, the body may experience abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas, diarrhea or even misbehavior. Different children from the same family can show food sensitivities in various ways. According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, one of the most important connections between nutrition and our health is how nutrition affects our behavior. The common signs of food sensitivity are listed as the following: abdominal pains, allergies, anxiety, asthma, attention deficit, cough, constipation, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, frequent colds, ear infections, headaches, hyperactivity, irritability, low energy, running nose, skin rashes, sneezes, stomach aches and more. The most common culprits of food allergies are dairy and gluten, which is a large protein molecule, which comes from gluten-containing grains such as wheat, spelt, rye and barley. People who suffer from gluten intolerance, also known as Celiac disease, can benefit from eating a gluten free diet. Further causes of foods allergies are refined white sugar, chocolate, peanuts, eggs, corn, tomato, tree nuts, soy and various food chemicals/additives such as MSG, Aspartame, other sugar substitutes, artificial food coloring and food preservatives. To find out what causes your child’s food allergies, you need to start to keep a weekly food journal. Write down every food item for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Also record your child’s behavior, including any sign of food sensitivity. This observation will help you identify the possible sources of food allergies. In addition, it will lead you to make a correlation between the causes and consequences of your allergies. This is a first step in solving this food allergies puzzle. It may take a while, lots of patience and dedication, but it is possible to resolve the problem of food allergies. I have seen and helped many clients successfully remove their food allergies in my nutritional counseling career.
Yu-Shiaw Chen, Ph.D. Author of “Healthy Eating Wholesome Living” Biochemist & Certified Nutritionist 631.751.4267.linutrition.com
GLATT, PeANuTS AND SLuMBeR PARTIeS By Brandie Shaw When my daughter asked to have a slumber party, I offered to give her $500 and grind cupcakes into the carpet myself. No? In desperation I blurted out ,“How about a pony?” For that I received the ultimate teen display of distain, -- the eye roll. Since pizza is “like sooo lame”, Missy wanted to have spaghetti and meatballs. Hubby fancies himself quite the aficionado de meatballs. Missy flashed him the doe eyes, and he agreed to make them for her party. I picked up 5 lbs. of chopped meat for “Attack of the Teens”; when Missy reminded me that two of the girls keep kosher. I put the beef in the freezer to throw out later when it gets grey and icy and ran to the kosher butcher. Afterwards, Missy cheerfully exclaimed; “Good news! Indira G is coming too. She’s Hindi.” “Holy Cow! Why are we making meat balls?” I chirped in the dulcet tones the neighbors so enjoy as I was on the way to buy ground turkey. To get her Dad to make separate batches, Missy worked him over with the doe eyes, lip pout and a big “I love you daddy!” rendering him powerless to resist. He did mutter something about “balls” that I am glad I didn’t hear. For dessert, Missy wanted cupcakes. One of her guests is a vegan and allergic to peanuts and another has a gluten allergy. How hard can it be to find cupcakes made without, eggs, milk or flour and baked in a peanut-free facility? Life as a parent doesn’t get any easier, but it will always be challenging.
Brandie Shaw enjoys writing and has published numerous articles on beauty, fashion and wellness.