Food Allergy and Weight Gain
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One would think that an individual with milk allergy would consume less fat than a person without it or a person with wheat allergy would naturally consume a lower amount of carbohydrates.
Wouldn’t it also be safe to assume that a person with egg allergy has no choice but to avoid rich desserts and sugary baked goods?
In some cases this is true, but in others the foods that an individual has an immune sensitivity to are the very foods they crave the most. When these foods are consumed, they may produce certain reactions that cause severe cravings for the food and they may actually stimulate the appetite and decrease metabolism.
It is believed that compulsive overeating is rarely about gluttony—addictive food allergy may be to blame.
Current research suggests that partially digested compounds in food allergens can cause food addiction.
In some individuals, these compounds may mimic some of the same effects of highly addictive substances such as morphine-like opioid drugs. This means the trigger food will produce an intense high that lasts for a very short time after the food is consumed. Once the high wears off, what do you think happens? The allergic individual ends up reaching for the same food again and again and in large amounts—in a short period of time.
Constantly consuming trigger foods is not just about the high. If an allergic person keeps eating the “bad” foods, the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms can be avoided.
This compulsive eating behavior or binge-eating causes the individual to consume far more calories and fat than the body needs and in most cases the offending foods are not the healthiest choices. Even when trigger foods are healthy, the build-up of partially digested compounds in food allergens may still increase appetite and cripple metabolism. So no matter how much the allergic person diets or exercises, the metabolism will never work at 100%. This means, it will be extremely difficult for an allergic person to lose weight—even if they
Addictive Food Allergy and Water Weight Gain
Besides overeating, allergic individuals may experience weight gain as a result of water retention or “edema.” It is believed that the body retains water in response to the irritation and inflammation caused by offending compounds in the body’s tissues. If you’ve ever seen a morbidly obese person, you will notice abnormal swelling around the ankles, legs and knees and in the fingers. When obese or overweight individuals are placed on a diet that restricts offending foods, water weight gain is typically the first thing to go. The body no longer retains water in response to irritation and inflammation in the body’s tissues.
Tomorrow - Addictive Food Allergy Treatment
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