Holidays, stress and food reactions (YES they are connected)
Things are getting busier by the day, and we're facing a slew of holiday cocoa and cookie parties, potlucks and more. And if you've got a child with food reactions, it can be stressful!
Which is the last thing you need during the busy holidays! So let's take the mystery out of food sensitivities:
Foods like gluten, dairy, and sugar; pathogenic invasions like candida; poor digestion; and stress lead to leaky gut.
Leaky gut allows food proteins to leak into the bloodstream, where they don't belong.
Your child's immune system notices the leaked food proteins "invaders" and creates antibodies to that food - which shows up as a reaction to that food.
When a child is prone to leaky gut, testing may reveal antibodies to most of their favorite foods - because these are the foods that most often leak and trigger their immune system.
Make sense?
OK, what do we do about it?
Well, you know I support taking gluten and dairy out of a child's diet 100% for four weeks, and reintroducing to see what happens. This will empower you and anyone who cares for your child, and your child to witness mental and physical changes associated with those foods.
But this may be more of a January project... the holidays are in full swing and it can be challenging to suddenly swap out your favorite foods!
When infections are a problem, which they typically are, we'll identify them with the most advanced, targeted testing and begin a customized protocol to address them.
Start now, and you'll have some new habits to begin the new year.
You might be thinking... Is there anything we can do now to make the holidays less reactive??
YES!!!
It's how I begin almost all of my private programs.
When you understand that:
Stress leads to inflammation and leaky gut.
Stress reduces digestion and poorly digested food triggers more inflammation.
Inflammation leads to more infection and more leaky gut (both internal sources of... stress!).
...you understand how important it is to address stress to support digestion, helping to reduce leaky gut and avoid new food sensitivities.
Right now, you can begin with the steps most of my private clients start with (because they're so effective!):
Here are my two top tips to get into rest-and-digest mode with your family before dinner to help reduce and avoid new food reactions:
1. deep belly breaths & share gratitudes before dinner together (and during dinner too!)
2. try my favorite parasympathetic support drops before dinner (and anytime during the day!)
Easy, right??
This you can do.
Even during the holidays.
These are my two top tips, and you can bet I'll be using then both all month long - we use them all year!
Let me know what you try, and how it goes!
Love,
Elissa
PS Try these rest and digest support drops before dinner to reduce leaky gut and avoid new food reactions.