28th January, 2005

PICTURES: Lise Gagne (iStockphoto.com) "It may be that by following a systematic cleansing, elimination and food allergy challenge, you can help to recharge and at the same time reveal foods that are not good for you. Not only will you get a short term boost in energy and vitality that others will notice in your eyes and complexion, and shed a few kilos of retained fluid. You will also discover foods that don’t like you, and by removing these foods from your life you will discover new levels of well-being and progressive weight loss as your metabolism enjoys a less toxic existence."

Dr NICK HODGSON

How many times have your New Year’s resolutions included the promise to go on a diet?

Many of us never get any further than the promise, while others find a ‘revolutionary new diet’ book promising all the secrets from weight loss to a better sex-life. This usually goes well for a week or two and we may lose a kilo or three, but before long we find ourselves trapped in our old ways, and the calories start to find new places to store themselves.

Have you ever noticed that the miracle diet that works wonders for one of your best friends – seems to make you put on the weight that she lost? Have you ever wondered whether there are particular foods that just aren’t good for your body – but everyone else in your household can eat in volumes?

Ever wondered how to fast or cleanse without starving yourself?

Do you suspect that you may be suffering from the effects of mysterious allergies that you don’t know how to uncover? Do you suffer with chronic and recurrent sinusitis, permanent mucous in the back of the throat, trouble with the bowels moving, tiredness and fatigue, generalised aches and pains?

It may be that by following a systematic cleansing, elimination and food allergy challenge, you can help to recharge and at the same time reveal foods that are not good for you. Not only will you get a short term boost in energy and vitality that others will notice in your eyes and complexion, and shed a few kilos of retained fluid. You will also discover foods that don’t like you, and by removing these foods from your life you will discover new levels of well-being and progressive weight loss as your metabolism enjoys a less toxic existence.

This whole process takes only two weeks to complete, and it is best to pick a fortnight where you won't be too stressed and busy - physically or mentally.

Cleanse the ‘Temple’. The Bible is often quoted as advising us to treat our body as if it was a temple. However, to get this new outlook off to a good start may first require some spring cleaning.

Fasting has been with us for many generations. Even the Old Testament abounds in periods of fasting. In this context fasting was used as preparation for a significant spiritual event and as part of a sacrificial process. But was there more to this than just a metaphorical psychological process of focusing on God? It would appear that the physiologically cleansing effects of a fast could also provide a clearing of the mind and body to enhance the benefits of a spiritual awakening.

Now for the even better news: fasting does not have to be a cruel and traumatic process, driving you to the point of weakness and submission!

By greatly simplifying your diet for a couple of weeks you can avoid many of the pains, withdrawals, massive cravings and hallucinations that can accompany a diet of H2O. Week one is the cleansing week - the week to give your body a well-earned rest from the toxic load of the average western diet; the week to rediscover lost energy and clarity! Week two is an opportunity to learn more about your own personal body and to discover how different food types affect your metabolism - the beginning of a new way of eating.

Food - keep it simple. First we will discuss the cleansing stage, as without a good clean-out, you will never be able to reveal your problem foods. Be warned that the first few days of week one can be a bit tough with some withdrawal and cleansing symptoms, and the middle days with some craving. Once you get through these tough days, usually the ‘cloud’ of tiredness and discomfort will be replaced by a ‘clear-sky’ of energy and clarity.

Step 1) Eliminate all food from the diet. Substitute with three meals a day of the following:
a) 1/4 - 1/2 cup steamed rice (preferably brown).
b) 400 - 500mls of purified water. Pear juice (no preservatives) diluted 50/50 with water can also be used.
c) Three cups from the following vegetables in any combination (raw, baked or steamed or blended into a soup): beetroot, asparagus, carrot, parsnip, pumpkin, sweet potato, celery, lettuce, choko, mungbean sprouts, shallots, green or yellow beans, Brussell sprouts, artichoke and /or bamboo shoots.
d) Garlic or saffron can be used to season. No sauces, butter, oil, margarine or fat should be used.

Step 2) Drink at least two litres (about eight glasses) of purified, spring or filtered water per day, in-between meals. Withdrawal and cleansing symptoms may include headaches, muscle aching, fatigue, fast heart rate, irritability and depression. These often occur in the first three to four days (try to avoid masking these with paracetamol, aspirin or anti-inflammatory - they will pass.)

Step 3) Take note of any cravings you experience as these are often your problem foods.

Step 4) At regular intervals, take your own pulse rate, and record. Your normal heart rate will be used as a yard stick for determining problem foods in week two.

Exposing foods that don’t like you. After completing a week of the cleansing you will have achieved an excellent detoxification and cleansing. Most people feel full of life and vigour at the completion of the cleanse stage. Your body will also have entered a ‘hyperacute stage’. This means is that as you re-introduce different food groups; if you are either allergic or intolerant to that food, your body will express reactive symptoms in a markedly exaggerated form. It means now is the best possible time to do an inventory of different food groups to determine if you do have any allergies or intolerances.

What's the difference between an allergy and an intolerance I hear you say? An allergy is when you actually have an immune reaction to a protein in the food - for some poorly understood reason, your body thinks the protein in the food is almost like a virus, so it tries to destroy it with immune cells. Some people may experience a sneezing fit after eating the foods when the sinuses congest as well as aches and pains - almost like you are coming down with something. Usually, because you are consuming so many different food types all the time, you are unable to distinguish which food is causing the problem.

Intolerance, on the other hand, is a type of toxic reaction to particular chemicals within foods. Again the mechanisms are poorly understood, but look at it as though for some reason your particular metabolism deals with certain chemicals poorly so they tend to build up in the system till they become almost poisonous. Headaches, migraines, fatigue, depression, and/or lethargy are common symptoms of becoming toxic.

Drinking at least two litres of purified, spring or filtered water a day is essential to the cleansing process.

Obviously there are prime suspects that produce the bulk of allergies and intolerances: dairy is the prime suspect with chronic sinus and nasal congestion, colourings are the prime suspect for hyping-up kids, salicylates are the prime suspects for asthma, and the list goes on.

Food allergy and intolerance testing. Systematically add foods back into the diet one at a time in the following order: milk, wheat, yeast, soy, citrus, shellfish, corn, eggs, potato, tomato, banana, dried fruits, colourings and flavourings.

Eat a significant amount of each food type, along with portions of the cleansing diet. Monitor yourself for significant increases in pulse rate and any of the following symptoms: fatigue, tummy upset, skin rash or itching, diarrhoea, muscle cramps, joint pain, confusion, vision changes, irritability, depression. Make note of any other symptoms.

Don't introduce the next food group until you have monitored yourself for at least three hours with no symptoms or until the symptoms from the last food group subside and your pulse returns to normal.

(If you would like a worksheet, send an email to me at ogchiro@bigpond.net.au with your details and I can either email, fax or post you a copy.)

If there are foods where you are not sure if you reacted, then introduce them again at the end of the list.

Once you have completed this process you can return to a normal diet - minus the foods you reacted to! Over the next few weeks you can try to introduce these foods in small quantities. If you continue to get a fairly rapid and dramatic reaction, it is most likely an allergy: in this case you will need to think about avoiding these foods pretty strictly.

If the reaction varies in intensity and predictability it is most likely intolerance: in this case you just need to watch yourself with these foods. You will probably find that you can cope in small quantities, but if you start to pig out, binge or eat these foods consistently, then look out!

For the first few weeks, it is worth monitoring your pulse and symptoms following each meal. Sometimes you will discover you are reacting and you are not sure which food you ate did it. If you keep some notes and perhaps do some more research on the recurring suspects you will often find more offenders.

What a great concept! You don’t have to totally change your diet to get better results - you just need to get to know your own body better. By reducing the stresses on your body that comes from eating foods that don’t like you, you will digest and process the foods that do like you more effectively resulting in more energy and clearer thinking, less fluid and toxic retention, a reduced load on your digestive organs, and decreased muck floating around in your blood. In short, a temple worth living in!

The information contained is this article is of a general nature only. For advice on your specific situation, please consult your medical professional.

© Nick Hodgson

Dr Nick Hodgson is a chiropractor.
You can read more articles like this one at www.healthetalk.com.au