We all know that feeling of regret after eating something we love the taste of, but that our stomachs don’t agree with. A cheesy pizza, a sugary ice-cream, a fizzy beer – one minute we’re enjoying a delicious treat or beverage, and the next minute we’re paying for it in tummy aches!
Food sensitivities are common in Australia. In fact, with 1 in 10 Aussie children having a food allergy, we have the highest rate of childhood allergies in the world.
Navigating your food sensitivity can be difficult, murky territory – but that’s why a high-performing naturopath like Luke Clarke can help you identify triggers and create a personalised diet plan. Here’s how:
Gut microbiome testing
‘Go with your gut’ – something we hear a lot, but don’t always follow in terms of dietary needs. Your gut microbiome comprises millions of tiny microbes living in the digestive tract, and its health often has an impact on conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and others.
Testing your gut microbiome is an effective way to navigate food sensitivities. State-of-the-art microbiome testing can allow us to create a personalised diet plan which avoids highly processed foods and swaps them out for plant-based foods, fibre-rich foods and probiotics.
Inflammatory foods
Gut inflammation is often triggered by consumption of inflammatory foods. These include processed foods like potato chips, fried foods like deep fried chicken, refined carbs like white bread and white rice, and other foods that should be consumed in moderation like sweet drinks and processed meats.
Cutting out these inflammatory foods and replacing them with anti-inflammatory foods (such as salmon, berries, avocado and fermented foods) can be helpful in diagnosing your food sensitivities.
Low-FODMAP diet
The low-FODMAP diet is a temporary eating plan. It restricts fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols – foods that include dairy products, cereal and bread, certain fruits such as pears and apples, and beans and lentils. A low-FODMAP diet is a discovery process to determine which foods aggravate your digestion and which foods don’t.
The low-FODMAP diet consists of three steps:
- Stop eating high-FODMAP foods and replace them with low-FODMAP foods.
- Then, introduce them back into your diet and note which ones give you gut problems.
- Once you’ve identified the problematic foods, you can cut them out or limit them in your diet.
With the help of a highly-regarded naturopath, you can identify food sensitivity triggers and take the next step towards a healthier, happier body. Luke Clarke is a practitioner of functional medicine and naturopath in Melbourne who has treated many patients with food sensitivities. Combining science and naturopathic philosophies, Luke Clarke cares about your health and works alongside you to improve it. Contact Luke Clarke for a 10-minute free consultation today.