Food Intolerance: Are you aware of the danger?

The clinical picture which manifests itself with symptoms such as easy and quick weight gain, fatigue, abdominal swelling, intestinal obstruction, diarrhea, proneness to depression, caused by lack of some enzymes in the body, disturbances in intestinal flora and temporal intestinal syndrome is called “Food Intolerance”.  We have gathered the following information about this widespread, insidious, health problem, for you.

According to a statement made by World Health Organization (WHO) in June 2006, Food Intolerance is health problem encountered by half of the world population. According to a research made, it had been diagnosed in one billion persons. At that time, WHO had predicted that this number would rise to 1.5 billion.

The symptoms of food intolerance are observed within 3-24 hours. Since the patients could eat so many different things within these 24 hours, generally it is not possible to determine the food causing the problem. Food intolerance is different than food allergy. Food allergy is observed in a smaller number of people and it could have lethal effects within much shorter period of time.

If the necessary precautions are not taken, food intolerance may cause so many health problems. These disorders are as follows: obesity due to reduced metabolism, weight creep, constipation, diarrhea, gas, abdominal swelling, stomach cramps, epigastric pain, asthma, respiratory diseases, chronic pharyngitis, colds, mouth sores, Crohn’s disease, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), continuous runny nose, migraine, headache, insomnia, pimples, chronic eczema, urticaria, psoriasis and depression.

Fır this reason, the food that we consume by assuming that they are healthy, could, on the contrary, cause negative effects on our bodies. For example, parsley is known to be helpful in eliminating edema. But if you have intolerance against parsley, you can observe the quite the opposite: an increase in the level of edema due to indigestion of that food.

According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, if someone has food intolerance, he or she can get an extra weight of 15-20 kg within one year. If this food is quitted, then it is possible to lose 10-15 kg within one year.

If you diet but you cannot loose weigh, if you feel bloating for a long time after meal, if you feel tired chronically, and if you feel unhappy for no reason while you are normally a happy person, and if you have  constant headache, that makes you a candidate for food intolerance.

Today “York Test” is applied in order to determine the type of food that you have food intolerance. The York Test was developed by York Company in UK in 1994. It was further developed in 2004 and it started to be used extensively. The success of the York Test Company was rewarded by Queen personally (it is alleged that this test was specifically developed for Queen.

Basically, this test determines the food, for which you have intolerance, and food for which your food intolerance is on the limits, and the food that must be included in your diet.

In the past, the results would be given in several pages, showing at least 40-45 types of food. Today, with “Subclass 4IgG Examination” technique where new generation York Test is utilized, passive intolerances are eliminated from the results and 3-4 foods, for which you have active and net intolerance, are determined.

This test would not only save you from your existing problems but also it would bring several additional benefits. For example, once quit consuming the food causing your headache, you will not only give up using unnecessary medicines but you will no longer have intestinal bloating. Besides you will also witness that you will lose weight that you are not able to get rid of despite all your attempts.

The data showing the significant improvement after determination of intolerance through this test is quite assertive. The rate of significant improvement is 80% for gastro-intestinal problems; 81% psychological problem, 78% for neurological problems and   76% for dermatological problems.

According to the results of the profiling test that was made in our country with 126 thousand people within a 4-years period, the most frequent allergens were found to be the products that were widely consumed in our traditional cuisine: butter, cheese, yogurt, yeast (in 3 person out of 10, this is considered to be related to unnecessary use of antibiotics) bread containing yeasts e times higher than normal levels, garlic, egg, and also cashew (newly introduced to intestinal flora in our country).

Food intolerance slows down the metabolism, decreases the level of “serotonin”, happiness hormone, leading to weight gain despite low calorie consumption and to proneness to depression.

Food intolerance test is widely used all over the world. The current York test is one of them, which is very popular. Dieticians in UK would certainly like to see the tests results for food intolerance before applying a program on their patients. This application is included in the check-up system. In Turkey test is commonly used by artists (İclal Aydın, Mesut Yar, Derya Baykal), bureaucrats, managers of big companies etc. It is not covered by health security.

Nevertheless, “York Test” is still a controversial test in scientific community and for many scientists; its results are for the time being not reliable. The test costs on average between TL 750-1000.

Health is a whole. The clinical symptoms of a chronic health problem could vary from one person to another. I am of the belief that it is not possible to solve a chronic health problem 70-80% just by a single test and/or protective measure. For certain, by good nourishment, you can get into shape, get rid of your extra weight, and in the meantime protect yourself from cancer and could lead a happy and enthusiastic life at any age.

If correct nutrition, is an input, in terms of the amount of calories and content, you should show the necessary care for the content of your food, make calorie calculations and with “appropriate exercise programs” calculate your daily energy consumption as an output and by this way maintaining the balance between the two, which is very specific for you.

Health Camp diaries considers this test as a valuable standard health screening method for correct nutrition and suggests it especially for those young people who eats before their computers in an unbalanced and uncontrolled manner and those people, who are either over-weight or who has a high level conscience of body form, spend their time in sport halls trying to get into shape, eventually to anyone who wants to consume food and “to live” consciously/selectively.

In fact, in an infallible manner and natural way, you are equal to the arithmetic result of the things that you eat. Whatever, however much and whenever you eat, healthy or unhealthy, you have already turn into the potentiality of the things that you have eaten and you continue to do so. This is worth considering. There is a saying in Turkish “Can Boğazdan gelir” (bread is the staff of life ) that is you live with what you  through your mouth, that passes through your throat) but it is also correct to say that you may die because of what you eat, that passes through your throat.