Food allergies are on the rise across the world, and particularly so in the west. One report by the BBC links one key area to this – western food habits. The amount of food consumed and its natural imbalance is creating a situation where new allergies are being created – or old vulnerabilities exacerbated. Getting back to basics, and away from processed foods, can be accomplished through the raw food diet; what’s more, a raw diet may help you to avoid allergens and promote a greater natural balance for your body, ultimately avoiding developing these issues in the first place.
Risk factors
Allergens are everywhere in ready-made and pre-packaged foods. This can, and has, had deadly consequences. In the United Kingdom, teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after eating an improperly labeled baguette from a sandwich shop, which had been baked using sesame. As a result, new laws have come into force to mandate the inclusion of certain allergens on food packaging. Interestingly, this has been replicated in US law; the FDAs FASTER regulations now include sesame on their list of key allergens which must be flagged up if contained in pre-packaged food. Unfortunately, this list only extends to 9 substances – as those diagnosed with allergies know, almost any food can trigger an allergic reaction and due to the almost countless number of them, the law will never be all-encompassing.
The raw diet
Raw diets are somewhat similar to veganism, according to Healthline, in that they exclusively combine raw, ready-to-eat ingredients. What sets the diet apart is that cooking is not allowed – all ‘raw’ foods must never have reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Juicing, blending, dehydrating, soaking and sprouting are all in, however. What this effectively means is that you have absolute control over what you are putting in your body. When you can see every single food laid out in front of you, and you aren’t consuming pre-prepared foods that have countless ingredients baked in, you can be assured of their quality.
The benefit to allergies
A report by New Statesman outlines the key factors that prevent developing allergies – eating a diverse diet, having healthy vitamin D levels, and being exposed to bacteria and microbes on a regular basis. That fits the bill of someone enjoying a raw diet. The foods you eat will ideally be fresh-from-farm; they’re organic, varied, and healthy. They will provide you with the levels of bacteria and microbe interaction required to effectively bolster your immune system and ensure that innocuous foods are not going to create a severe allergic reaction. In many ways, living naturally is the key to avoiding allergies. Promoting the natural health and resilience of your body, as it evolved over millions of years, can prevent problems. While certain allergens such as those in chemicals and those you’re proven to have a reaction to should be avoided, others can bolster the immune system.
The difficulty with moving to a raw food diet when you have allergies is that some of the best foods – typically nuts and pulses – might be off the table. With new advancements in immunology treatment, there’s a genuine chance that this could be reversed. In the meanwhile, bolster your body’s natural rhythms by eating naturally.
This is a collaborative post.
