I Removed the Offending Food and Now My Child Feels Worse!
When the correct trigger food is removed from a child’s diet, it is not unusual for their symptoms to temporarily increase. Rather than being a sign that they are getting worse, it is a positive sign that the body is beginning to heal and that the correct food has been removed. If, however, parents are not made aware of this fact, they often become concerned and add the food back to the child’s diet as they feel their symptoms are increasing. If the foods being removed are gluten and dairy based foods, there is an increased likelihood that withdrawal symptoms will occur. When these foods enter the body through an inflamed and leaking digestive tract, the particles are incompletely digested but are able to fit through the large spaces between the cells in the bowel wall. These large particles are very similar in structure to substances such as heroin and morphine in the opiate family and thus commonly produce symptoms such as overwhelming cravings and brain fog. These symptoms improve once the food has been removed 100% for several days.
This principle of withdrawal also applies to other foods. When any food that is the major, underlying cause of a symptom is removed, these symptoms often temporarily worsen. If the food created a runny nose, then the person’s nose may run excessively for a few days before it begins to improve. The withdrawal symptoms are always an exaggeration of the symptom being created by the food. They usually last about 3 to 4 days and can be improved with an age appropriate dose of Gravol. If people are unaware of this phenomenon, they often stop the diet as they believe they are actually getting worse.
It is also important to note that once you have been off an offending food for a period of weeks or even days, consumption of the food will often lead to an exaggerated response and an increase in symptoms. This is often one of the things that helps people stay committed and motivated to the diet as eating the food again can be very unpleasant.
So, if you remove a food from your family’s diet, don’t be surprised if their symptoms worsen temporarily. It passes in a few days and is a sign you are on the right track. Persevere and you will find improved health on the other side!
