Maintain A Healthy Lupus Diet, And Learn To Detect Foods That May Trigger Your Lupus Flare, With A Simple At Home Allergy Test

If you or a loved one has Lupus, than you should know how food can and will affect your health. Not only is a healthy diet for Lupus essential, but being mindful of food allergies, which is also an immune response, is very important. A food allergy is not the same thing as food ‘intolerance’, however. Intolerance to specific foods is an adverse response as with lactose intolerance.

Those with Lupus are even more susceptible to food allergies, which of course may instigate Lupus flares, so it is important to watch for warning signs. There are simple, easy to do allergy tests done at the doctor’s office, and there is also an at-home test you may want to use to stay on top of how your body reacts to the foods you ingest.

Allergy symptoms are easy to detect, but you may not always relate it to an actual allergy itself. According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, here are allergy warnings you should watch out for:

Symptoms of food allergies include:

• Tingling sensation in the mouth
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of the tongue or in the mouth
• Vomiting
• Hives
• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea
• Loss of consciousness
• Sharp decline in blood pressure

If you suspect you have a food allergy, it is important you work with a trusted wellness expert. Simply cutting out foods that trigger your Lupus flares will not address the food trigger and allergy itself, however will be beneficial in keeping you from triggering unwanted symptoms of a potential flare.

Many doctors claim that a special diet for Lupus doesn’t matter, but I challenge that attitude with simple common sense. Even when we are healthy, what we eat affects our energy levels, well being, and our body’s ability to maintain homeostasis. When we are ill, our body's needs for healthy nutrients are even more important in order to combat painful, often debilitating symptoms such as chronic fatigue, arthritis, and muscle pain to name just a few.

You have probably heard of the following tests, regularly performed at the physician’s office. However, the at-home test below may be helpful for you to catch an unknown food trigger, or a new reaction to a food you didn’t previously have, as allergies can and do change over time.

2 Common allergy tests

Pin Prick allergy testing
The pin pricking test is preformed at the doctor’s office through placing a food substance on your skin, and then pricking that area with a tiny needle. A few minute’s later redness or swelling may appear, indicating a food allergy.

The RAST allergy test
The RAST test requires a blood sample that is sent to the lab, where your results will indicate if you have allergies.

An At-Home Allergy Test

The at-home pulse test
This test is simple, easy to do and can be done anywhere, anytime. It involves first finding your ‘baseline’ pulse rate before you eat in order to determine your regular pulse. Go ahead and eat a food item or meal, and keep close watch over your pulse. You should take your pulse 15, 30, and 60 minutes after the food and see if there is any change to your pulse rate. An increase of 10 beats or more may indicate a food allergy.

It is a good idea to start with a single food item. However, when that’s not possible, try and keep your meals simple with few ingredients, so it is easy to narrow down potential food triggers through your testing process.

This approach is helpful in identifying foods that may trigger a Lupus flare, or at minimum foods that make you feel worse. You may want to consider keeping a diary of each meal and how you feel during those intervals.

For those of you with serious allergies, this is not a method to work with especially if you get strong reactions. You should consult with your doctor if that is the case.

Many people don’t realize that it’s the food they eat that may be contributing to their symptoms, with ‘energy drain’, brain fog, ‘burning’ sensations (often in the legs), aches and pains, and dizziness.

Remember, although this test may indicate food triggers, you may not see a significant increase in your pulse rate but you may notice significant changes to how you feel. Keep a record of these to determine if it is in fact the food, or if it is a consequence of something else.

Accurate reporting of the foods you eat, how you feel and your pulse test is a powerful strategy to help you cope with your Lupus symptoms and help prevent unnecessary flares.

90% of all food allergies are caused by just 8 foods

Just 8 foods are responsible for most food allergies. These include eggs, milk, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts (such as cashews, walnuts, and pistachios), shellfish and fish.

You’ll probably know if one of these foods bother you, however many people do not realize the effect of wheat on how they feel. This may be something you may want to pay careful attention to. In addition to these food allergy triggers, if you have Lupus you should stay away from spicy foods, chocolate, processed foods, caffeinated foods, caffeinated drinks or pop and alcohol.

I know managing a diet for Lupus may be difficult, however the benefits far outweigh the costs and your lifestyle will be greatly improved, with more energy to do the important things.

There are many people who can say they are now ‘Lupus-free’, and I’m one of them. There is hope for a Lupus cure, despite the ‘no cure’ prognosis doctors tell you. If you would like to learn a holistic approach to Lupus, and learn how myself and others have reversed Lupus please visit http://www.Healing-Lupus.com