Conference rocks::weight_control

899.0. "Food Intolerance" by ULYSSE::GALLACHER () Thu Oct 12 1995 20:35

    Hello,

    I've just got some literature about a "diet", available in the UK only
    that tests a blood sample against around 100 common foods (for example,
    wheat, bakers yeast, as well as lots of individual types of meat, fish,
    fruit and vegetables), to check for intolerances. You then remove any
    foods to which you are intolerant from your diet - simple eh?

    The theory is that if you are intolerant to a food, it aggravates the
    lining of the intestine allowing partially digested foodstuffs to enter
    the bloodstream where they attack one type of white blood cell, causing
    it to leak toxic chemicals.

    According to their literature, this causes inflammation and fluid
    retention, which is responsible for a high proportion of weight gain
    and fluctuation. The company also say that avoiding foods to which you
    have an intolerance can also help relieve inflammatory conditions -
    sorry, I left my info. at home so I can't list them! They did mention
    PMS, and also improve the condition of your skin and hair as you are no
    longer "poisoning" yourself.

    Finally, they say that removing foods to which you are intolerant
    improves the efficiency of the intestine meaning that less fat is
    absorbed from all foods, and cravings, especially for carbohydrates,
    disappear.

    Any thoughts on this? Does it sound feasible to those of you with some
    medical knowledge? I thought it was an interesting idea anyway and
    worth posting for comments. I know that my weight often fluctuates
    wildly over a few days, even when I haven't eaten much.

    Linda

    Why does a daily weight variance matter?
    
    How do they test for food intolerance? Do they actually find undigested
    food in the blood? Sounds a little strange to me.
    
    The repair part sounds like what the Herbalife program is supposed to
    do. How is this different?

    Hello,

    a daily weight variance doesn't matter to me, I hardly ever use scales
    anyway, but water retention and that "bloated" feeling are
    uncomfortable and something I could easily live without, which I why
    this test interested me.
    
    Apparently, the test uses standard haemotology analysers to analyse
    blood incubated with nearly one hundred common foods. Radio frequency
    pulses ascertain which foods have caused damage to the white blood
    cells, and which foods haven't. 

    I don't know anything about herballife, so I can't comment on your
    last sentence. Just to be clear, I'm asking for comments on this, I
    thought it was an interesting idea. I haven't had the test.
    

    
    Amy,
    
    Herbalife works slightly differently from this, and yet both approaches 
    used together would actually complement each other quite nicely.
    
    Cindy