When it comes to our choices among my Big 7 Lifestyle Influencers  (#1Stress, #2Sleep, #3Movement, #4Nutrition, #5Supplementation, #6Caffeine, and #7Hydration) it’s my experience that #4Nutrition is the most fraught with myth-understanding. I wish I had nickel for every time a client asked “What should I eat?”  Truth is, I don’t know.

“One man’s meat is another man’s poison” which means literally, not all foods are right for all people.  This is where some detective work is needed to ensure that what we eat is what we need.

I’m a crash-test dummy when it comes to tinkering with my own nutrition choices.  My eating “experiments” include trying different foods, meal timing and adding or taking out vitamins and supplements to see how my body responds.  I monitor my weight, body fat, intra versus extra cellular water (using the Inbody Bioelectrical impedance method) my circumference measurements, and changes in my skin and mood.

Currently, my food plan is devoid of sugar, dairy, gluten, processed foods, starchy white carbs, and soy.   I buy organic, grass-fed, locally sourced and in-season food. Recently with the advice of a registered dietitian, I added bone broth, Kombucca, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT oil, and coconut oil. Yeah, good for me, amirite? We’ll come back to that. (Hint:  Whole one-ingredient foods might be making you fat.)

Over the years, I’ve had vats of blood drawn for comprehensive lab tests to see what’s up with my lipids, blood glucose, gut health, inflammation, sex hormones and thyroid health.  Armed with science-driven insight, I’ve found my “set point” in terms of body fat, weight and how I feel. Until recently.

Taking my own advice, I’ve been writing down how I feel after eating certain foods. I don’t have any classic allergy reactions such as hives, wheezing, or scratchy throat. But I do have bloating, weird stomach pains, body fat gain, moodiness, and joint pain. All of these could be signs of a food sensitivity.

So, being a self-proclaimed health detective, I took action and had a blood test to determine if I have food sensitivities.  This is one way to find out if certain foods don’t agree with you. Another way (and it’s free) is an elimination diet.  Precision Nutrition has a great guide on how to do this yourself, link below.

My results will show if and to what extent I’m sensitive to 96 foods.  From there, I can make better choices on what I eat.  You can get this test at https://shop.lifetimefitness.com/Products/Labs-and-Assessments/Food-Sensitivity/p/Lab_Food_Sensitivity_Var   The price is $280 and includes a lab requisition for the blood test and a consultation with a registered dietitian to review your results.

In next week’s blog, I’ll unveil my results and my plan for moving forward with this new information.

Click http://www.precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?ad=728156 here for a guide on how to your own elimination diet.