Are Your Healthy Foods Making You Sick

Healthy eating is important.

So, how can it be that some people

- eat healthfully but don't feel truly healthy?

- are fanatical about health and healthy eating and they're still not healthy?

- no matter what they do, just cannot get healthy?

Do they have "bad genes?" Are they destined to be unhealthy? Or is there some other explanation?

Do you see yourself or someone you know in this scenario?

Let's look at what it means to be healthy.

When you're healthy, you

- feel good

- have a lot of energy

- have a zest for life

- have a positive mindset

- experience vitality in body, mind and spirit

An optimal state of health occurs when your

- body chemistry is in balance

- cells are nourished down to the deepest cellular level

- body is absorbing all the nutrients it needs

- body is working like a fine tuned machine

So, how is it that some people work really hard at being healthy and are doing everything right yet still are not able to achieve excellent health?

The truth is that optimal wellbeing sometimes takes more than a healthy diet, regular exercise and a positive mindset. You are unique. There's no one else on the face of the earth exactly like you. Your needs are unique. You must meet your unique needs to realize your true health potential.

It's true some people, no matter how they live their life, seem to be robust and fit. They're among the few who've been blessed with a strong genetic makeup and they don't seem to have to work at being healthy.

If you're not one of them, don't worry there's still hope. It's just a matter of a little detective work.

First, healthy foods are classified according to the nutrients they contain and their potential to produce health enhancing benefits in general. But, not all so-called healthy foods may be healthy for you.

You've heard of some people being allergic to foods like eggs, peanuts or dairy. Maybe you're one of them or you know someone who has food allergies. While some people have severe, maybe even life-threatening reactions to these foods, others thrive on them.

Generally with food allergies, your reaction is instantaneous or occurs within 2 hours of eating the food.

Another kind of allergy, a hidden food allergy, causes a reaction anywhere from several hours to 3 days after you've eaten the food. It can cause migraines, digestive upset, arthritis, fatigue, skin disorders and many more ailments you probably wouldn't associate with food. These are food sensitivities or food intolerance.

When you eat foods you're sensitive to, it causes an inflammatory reaction in your body. As long as you continue to eat intolerant foods, the inflammation continues and your health declines.

Suppose you're intolerant to foods like broccoli or salmon. Everything you read tells you they're healthy foods which protect you from things like cancer and heart disease. You eat them frequently because they're supposed to be so good for you.

But instead of feeling better, you feel worse. Your joints are getting stiff. Your skin is breaking out. Headaches are occurring frequently. You're frustrated. You're doing so many good things for your health and instead of feeling better, you feel worse.

Does this sound like you or someone you know?

Food sensitivities are insidious. Most people don't have a clue they're sensitive to certain foods. And finding out what foods you're sensitive to can be a challenge.

You can try to figure it out on your own by following an elimination diet. However, this can take a long time to determine all your sensitive foods and, in my experience, most people can't stick with it long enough to determine all their sensitivities.

An easier way to discover your food sensitivities is the ALCAT Test. It's a blood test that challenges the part of your immune system responsible for food sensitivities against different foods to determine your immune response. The strength of the response tells if you have a severe, moderate or mild sensitivity or none at all.

You can choose to test between 100 and 200 different foods. And in two weeks, you have a report listing all your sensitive foods, the degree of sensitivity, and your safe foods. It's that simple. Imagine how long it would take to test that many foods on an elimination diet!