Bio-Individuality. Have you heard that term before? Bio-Individuality is kind of like saying, "There are no two people who are exactly alike on this planet." It means that no body is the same, no mind is the same, and no life is the same from one person to the next. It means taking an individualized approach to the way we deal with health, wellness, and any other lifestyle factors. As any good health coach will tell you, what works in terms of diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes for one person, isn't necessarily what their next client will need!
The important piece about bio-individuality that you need to know about is that all the answers you need are within yourself. Your body intuitively knows the food it thrives on and the food that wishes to abstain from. This is where food allergies and intolerances come in. This is a moderate to extreme way of your body saying to you, "This food doesn't belong here. I know the kids down the street drink milk with every meal, but that's not gonna cut it for me."
Quite often there are foods that don't suit our body well, but since there's no severe reaction of any sort, we don't even know it's there. This happens a lot with the common food allergens of soy, dairy, gluten, corn, and wheat. The funny thing is, the thing we're most likely to be sensitive to is the same thing we're eating every day! People with gluten sensitivities tend to eat bread, cereal, pastries, and the likes day in and day out. People with dairy allergies most likely grew up drinking milk with every meal and still drink a couple glasses a day.
What's happened is that our bodies have become desensitized, meaning that we've become so used to the symptoms of ill health, that they seem normal. These symptoms can range from headaches to PMS and mucus to constipation. We accept these as part of what's normal when each is a sign of an underlying issue, one that often resides with food sensitivities.
So how do you test for food sensitivities? It's actually easier than you might think. You don't need pins and needles at the allergist's or even a blood examination from your doctor. Testing for food sensitivities can be done in the comfort of your own home with a little help from your neighborhood grocery store.
For 7 days, take each of the common allergens (listed above) out of your diet, along with any food you notice you eat a lot of. On the 8th day add back in one of the potential allergens. Notice if any of those symptoms (like sinus problems or headaches) comes back. If not, it's safe to say your body does alright with that food. The next day, introduce another food back into your diet. Once again, notice the way your body reacts to the reintroduction of this food. Repeat until all the foods are added back in. If something stirs up those symptoms, make note of it and avoid that food as much as possible.
There are special foods for almost any type of intolerance these days. Foods made without soy, corn, wheat, gluten, and dairy, among other things. You can find these online or at your local supermarket. Even better, start cooking at home more so you know exactly what's going into your foods!
Shannon Lagasse, The Young and Fresh Health Coach, teaches women who are struggling to lose weight how to drop the pounds easily and enjoyably by empowering them to find freedom from restrictive dieting, deprivation, rigorous exercise regimes, and beliefs about food that are holding them back from having their ideal body. To schedule your F.R.E.E. Breakthrough to BodyLove Session and to receive her inspirational weekly health & wellness articles on natural ways to get the body and life you want, visit http://www.youngandfreshhealth.com/.
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