symptoms on a certain day, reflect on what
you may have eaten differently that day.
Foods that worsen your symptoms are
called Anupashaya in ayurveda.
After you have kept the diary for two
weeks, reflect carefully on the patterns
between any foods consumed and your
symptoms. It’s also important to notice
that sometimes it may not be a particular
food but what it is eaten with and the time
when it is eaten that may worsen your
symptoms. Therefore, pay attention to food
combinations and times of day. For example,
you may not be intolerant to cheese all the
time but only when you eat it along with
carbohydrates or when you eat cheese late
in the evening.Taking action
Remember that unlike true food allergies,
food intolerance does not require you to
avoid a certain food for your entire life. No,
just by removing foods that your body is
intolerant to for some time (usually three
to six months) and by improving your gut
health along with supporting your immune
system, you should be able to re-introduce
the food without harmful effects.
Of course, I would always recommend that
in order to treat food intolerances you are
better off consulting a properly qualified and
experienced ayurvedic practitioner. Why?
Well, if you simply eliminate the food you are
intolerant to and do not work on optimising
your gut health, the symptoms will come back
as soon as you re-introduce the food.Dr Vijay Murthy is a London-based
ayurvedic doctor and naturopath and a
member of the Ayurvedic Practitioners
Association (apa.uk.com)http://www.apa.uk.com
Qualified Trained Insured
Ayurvedic ProfessionalsFor your health needs
Ayu Sanskrit
(from Ayush meaning lifespan)...DEFINITION:
Health...Life...
Veda Sanskrit
(from vid meaning to know)...DEFINITION:
Knowledge...Science...
Ayurveda Sanskrit
- Science and art of improving
quality of life and longevity... - ageless knowledge of health
through life... - the oldest complete
health system...
DEFINITION:
THE SCIENCE OF LIFE
ESSENTIAL NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE PRACTICES
Besides working on any specific food intolerances, you may benefit from the
precautions mentioned below in your everyday nutritional regime. These will
also help to improve your gut health and immunity.
n Avoid processed and packaged food
n Avoid foods with additives, artificial colours and flavours
n Drink plenty of pure water
n Limit stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks
n When possible, try and eat organic food
n When possible, avoid storing cooked food in plastic containers
n Drink ginger tea at least once or twice daily
n Do liquid fasting with warm soups, vegetable juices (not fruit juices)
n Reduce, or even better, avoid sugars
n Eat fibre rich and whole foods
n Use turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and other spices in cooking
n Maintain a healthy exercise and sleeping routine
n Take probiotics by consulting an ayurvedic practitioner after antibiotic
treatment to rebuild healthy intestinal florafoods and at what times. This will then
help you to make connections with the
onset of symptoms related to those foods.
Be aware that unlike food allergies, food
intolerances have a late onset, meaning
you may experience the symptom a day
after consuming the food. Evaluate days
you missed a specific food item and see
if you can relate it to the relief or easing
of symptoms. In ayurveda, this is called
Upashaya or ‘relieving factors’.
If you experience a worsening of the
CHECK LIST
If you’re experiencing one or more
of the symptoms or conditions
below, over an extended period of
time, it could be due to undetected
underlying food intolerance.n Acne that does not respond to
standard medical treatments
n Anxiety and panic attacks with
no specific reason
n Arthritis that is not related
to ageing
n Asthma
n Attention deficit hyper-activity
disorder
n Chronic diarrhea
n Chronic fatigue
n Depression
n Eczema
n Hay fever, even during non-
pollen seasons
n Headaches or migraines
n Muscle aches not related to
exercising
n Difficulty losing weight
n Urticaria (itchy skin)om spirit