While most people associate eating with pleasure, for some, the relationship with food is more complicated. Many struggle with food-related allergies and/or sensitivities that cause inflammation and can lead to poor health.

Health-related issues such as autoimmune illnesses, irritable bowel and digestive problems, chronic fatigue, migraines, depression/anxiety, brain fog, asthma, joint pain, and skin flare-ups can be triggered or worsened by food choices. But how do you know which foods are bad for you and which are okay to eat?

Elimination Dieting

Elimination diets offer an option for people caught in a cycle of inflammation and who struggle with one or more health issues. They offer a noninvasive way to gather information about your body so you can avoid the foods that irritate your system.

“Elimination diets, which remove all possible culprits like dairy, gluten, soy, sugar, and others from a patient’s diet for several weeks before reintroducing foods one at a time, are a common first step” in treatment, says gastroenterologist Gerard Mullin, MD, of Johns Hopkins Hospital. But, he adds, it’s not necessary to start “too big” and eliminate everything at once. Sometimes just one or two foods are the problem.

Choose a Method That Fits You

As with all health regimens, the protocol needs to work for the person. The success of an elimination plan depends on a person’s lifestyle, history, and willingness to stick to the diet.

Elimination diets may increase the stress of already living with a chronic medical condition. The organization and tracking required can lead to burnout and feelings of hopelessness. Some people with chronic health conditions already struggle with nutritional deficiencies and maintaining healthy weight. Elimination diets can focus on “discovery” at the expense of much-needed nutrition and calories.

When too many food items are eliminated at once, follow-through is difficult. Elimination can imply “going without,” and it can be hard to comply when many of your go-to foods are taken off the table, so to speak.

Even when you faithfully follow an elimination diet, it might still be unclear which foods are causing problems and how they are related to your symptoms. In that case, you may want to work under the guidance of a healthcare practitioner.

If you’d rather ease into an elimination diet, other options exist.

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a good place to start. Sometimes the pleasure and taste of food seems worth the heartburn, headache, and sluggishness. However, mindful eating requires paying attention to foods you crave, foods you have an aversion to, and foods that make you feel tired, bloated, and sick. Being mindful of these patterns and knowing your history is a first step toward making choices that enhance health and well-being.

Johns Hopkins Medicine identifies the most common food allergens as:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Wheat
• Soy
• Tree nuts
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Peanuts

Also, some foods, such as gluten and artificial sweeteners and additives, are known to cause inflammation in the body.

Start by reviewing how much of your diet consists of these foods. Eliminating one of these items at a time may be enough for you to start feeling better. But, depending on your medical history, you may need to eliminate all of the common allergens before your symptoms begin to subside.

Holistic Alternatives

If any version of an elimination diet doesn’t suit your needs, there are other options to address food allergies and sensitivities. Blood tests for food allergies in addition to a holistic approach called Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET) can answer questions while offering a noninvasive treatment to eliminate allergies to food, for instance.

Keep in mind that it’s important to be aware of your health history and to create an integrative plan that works for you.

What’s the best European Formula available in the USA?

We know Moms want the best for their baby and are dedicated label readers. European baby formulas are known for their superior ingredients and quality standards. So, what is the best European baby formula? Read on to learn about important criteria to consider.

You’ve made the choice to use baby formula – and you want the best. European food standards are different from those in the US, where all genetically modified foods and ingredients must be declared. Great European baby formula starts with high quality non-GMO ingredients.

Closer to mother’s milk or short ingredients list?

Moms who want a high quality European formula often seek the ‘purest’ formula – which may be interpreted as one with a shorter ingredient list. But, is “less” really “more” when it comes to baby formula?

It’s tempting to want formula with simple and familiar ingredients, but this ‘golden’ rule of food for adults cannot be applied to the complexities of baby formula.

Know the gold standard

Breast milk is the gold standard in infant nutrition. This is very important to know and to keep in mind. This means that parents who have made the decision to formula-feed should choose a baby formula modeled after key breast milk attributes.

While breast milk is dynamic, complex and impossible to replicate, here are some important features to consider:

• Lactose is the main carbohydrate
• The proteins are gentle on tiny tummies
• It contains more whey than casein proteins
• Certain fats are found in specific structures

Now that you know the gold standard, here’s what to look for in best baby formula:

• Lactose as the main carbohydrate
• Naturally easy to digest proteins (such as goat milk)
• An adapted whey to casein ratio
• Fat that is modeled after important breast milk fats

Kabrita goat milk formula: European formula inspired by mother’s milk

The Kabrita Difference is simple: a high quality European formula modeled after breast milk, designed to maintain the natural comfort of your little one during feeding transitions, such as weaning, supplementing or changing formulas due to skin or tummy troubles.

Kabrita goat milk formula contains naturally easy to digest goat milk protein, added whey, lactose as the main carbohydrate and important fat modelled after breast milk fats. Kabrita goat milk formula is available for sale on shelves across the US.

Are you curious to see if Kabrita Goat Milk Formula is right for your family? Check out kabritaUSA.com for our special offer.

There is no single milk that is ideal as your baby transitions from breast milk or infant formula. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing whole cow’s milk at 12 months, but this may not be right for your toddler. Read on to learn about cow’s milk alternatives and goat’s milk formula, which is naturally easy to digest and offers excellent nutrition.

Cow’s Milk: A Common First Choice

Cow’s milk is readily available, nutrient dense, and widely enjoyed by young children. But if you make a connection between cow’s milk and symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, congestion, or eczema in your little one, or if you avoid cow’s milk as a matter of personal preference, you may be searching for an alternative for your child.

Nutritional suitability and food quality are two criteria to consider when it comes to finding the best cow’s milk alternative for your family. Goat’s milk-based formula excels in both.

Nutrients Matter

Children under the age of 2 require nutrient-dense foods to support their rapid growth and development. A cow’s milk alternative that is nutritionally suitable will support their daily needs; it may also decrease the risk of more common toddler nutrient deficiencies, such as iron, vitamin D, and omega 3-fatty acids.

Nondairy Alternatives

Common nondairy, cow’s milk alternatives, such as rice, almond, cashew, and soymilk may be a solution for children with symptoms related to cow’s milk consumption. While delicious for older children and adults, they may not, however, provide the important nutrition toddlers need.

Nut milks, for example, lack adequate vitamin K, B vitamins, folic acid, and a number of critical minerals, including iron; they are also low in protein, typically offering 1 gram (or less) per cup.

Goat’s Milk as an Alternative

Goat’s milk protein forms a smaller and softer curd in the tummy compared to cow’s milk protein. And, it is broken down faster than cow’s milk protein. Goat’s milk is naturally easy to digest and may be a solution for some children with symptoms related to cow’s milk consumption.*

Like many nondairy cow’s milk alternatives, goat’s milk also lacks important toddler nutrients, including folate, iron, and vitamins D, B12, and C, as well as omega-3 fatty acids (DHA). A fortified goat’s milk-based formula may be an excellent choice to best meet toddlers’ daily nutrition needs.

Focus on Food Quality

A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics says that US children encounter pesticides every day. Choosing high-quality organic and/or non-GMO foods for your little one, including your cow’s milk alternative, may help reduce food-based exposure to pesticides.

When it comes to non-GMO food labeling, it’s good to know that European non-GMO foods meet the same standard as one of the largest third-party certifiers in the US, The Non-GMO Project. Both verify products that contain less than 0.9 percent GMO ingredients. In selecting a cow’s milk alternative, a common-sense approach is to understand food labels and look for seals such as European Non-GMO, USDA Organic, and Non-GMO Project Verified.

Finding the best cow’s milk alternative for your toddler can be tricky. By gaining a deeper understanding of toddler’s nutrient needs, taking the time to read food labels, and learning about the pedigree of food ingredients, families can confidently select the best choice to meet your little one’s unique needs.

*Not suitable for cow’s milk protein allergy

A fermented dairy product, kefir is rich in antioxidants as well as lactobacilli and bifidus bacteria. The word "kefir" comes from the Turkish word keif, which means "feeling good." While many Americans pronounce the word as "KEE-fer," the correct way to pronounce it is "kuh-FEAR."

Kefir outperforms yogurt in both CFU (colony forming units) and the number of strains of probiotics it offers. Each cup of kefir may contain up to 12 different strains of live, active cultures. These strains of good bacteria can help cure recurring Clostridium difficile infections (the diarrhea-causing bacteria that plagues hospital patients), reduce the duration of respiratory infections in the elderly, protect the body from toxins, relieve cold and flu symptoms in children, and fight yeast infections.

This tangy, thick beverage also contains active yeast and bacteria to aid digestion, encourage gut health, and help keep weight int check. Probiotics are recommended for anyone taking antibiotics, which destroy beneficial as well as harmful bacteria.

According to Andrew Weil, MD, kefir may be a better choice than yogurt for some lactose-intolerant individuals.

Despite your best intentions, do you find yourself dodging the gym and diving into the chips instead? The compulsion to repeat negative behaviors is a common one. Sure, routine feels familiar, which is reason enough to do it. But when it’s bad for you, yet hard to give up, a simple desire can become a dependency or, even worse, an addiction.

Fortunately, you can turn harmful habits into healthful choices.

How to Stop Habitual Eating

Identify the Cause

Start by knowing why you’re prone to bad eating habits. “Most habits that have an addictive quality provide some kind of positive reinforcement, at least at the onset,” says Amy Lanou, Ph.D., nutritionist and assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville.

• Sugary Foods

  Eating a candy bar satisfies your sweet tooth. Meanwhile, the chocolate and sugar elevate your mood because they stimulate the brain’s release of dopamine and other feel-good chemicals.

• Cheese and Other Dairy

  Cheese is another. “It contains casomorphins, a similar molecular structure as morphine, which makes you feel good,” Dr. Lanou continues. “The theory is that this chemical exists to make the baby want more milk. But we’ve taken what’s naturally present, designed to help the mammal survive, and concentrated it into a widely eaten food.”

Other people can’t resist salty or fatty foods.

How Cravings Turn Into Addiction

“For a while, you can make conscious decisions about eating these,” says Dr. Jeffery Wilkins, director of Addiction Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, Calif.

“Traditional addiction kicks in because of biochemical changes in the brain. With the advent of brain imaging, it’s now possible to see where addiction ‘lives.’ A new decision hierarchy is established in the brain: All you care about is getting ‘the drug.’ The neural pathways for drug addiction are the same as those linked to the enjoyment of certain foods.”

You then need to eat more of the addictive food to satisfy your craving. Even stomachaches, anxiety, or added pounds don’t get you to quit.

“When craving certain foods or activities, you’re actually trying to fill some inner need,” says Dr. Lanou. “It can be anything from attention and affection to relaxation and stress relief.”

The Seven Rs

You may need a counselor’s help, but once you know the cause of your bad habit, you can work to kick it.

Along the way, restore yourself with “exercise and a plant-based, nutrient-rich diet with essential fatty acids,” says Dr. Lanou.

Consider taking a good multivitamin/mineral for additional support.  Your body will thank you for it.

• Recognize

  Name and admit your habit, so you can change it.

• Reassess

  Set new goals for yourself, focusing on what you want, not the opposite.

• Refuse

  “A clean break is more effective than a gradual one,” assures Dr. Lanou, saying three to four weeks ought to do it.

• Replace

  “Swap the bad habit for something pleasurable, such as a handful of raspberries or a walk,” she continues.

• Reinforce

  Hang notes to remind yourself of your goal, and seek support.  

• Record

  Monitor your progress, so you can improve it.

• Reward

  Praise yourself for mini-successes and when you reach your goal.