Many people have no idea that have been consuming foods that they are allergic to. The allergic reactions range vastly and may not always be so obvious, but because we are so conditioned to ignore the root cause of a reaction- we usually take a drug to relieve the reaction. The main concern of an allergic reaction to foods is inflammation, and inflammation is an underlying motivator of disease.

If you think that you are allergic to a certain food, a simple test would be to record your pulse after eating it. Using a stop watch, sit down and relax for a few minutes. When you are completely relaxed, take your pulse at the wrist. Count the number of beats in a 60 second period. Normal pulse rates are as follows:

• Newborns: 100-160 bpm

• Children (ages 1-10): 70-120 bpm

• Children (above 10): 60-100 bpm

• Adults: 60-100 bpm

• Athletes: 40-60 bpm

After taking your pulse, consume the food that you are testing. Wait 20 minutes and then take your pulse again. If your pulse rate has increased more than 10 beats per minute, omit this food from your diet for at least 1 month. You may reintroduce the food after a month and retry the allergy test. Choose to do this test with one food at a time. Wait for another day to test another food.

Want to dig a bit deeper?

The first step in discovering hidden food allergies is to develop a list of suspect foods. This should be very easy to do if it is implemented just after your juice fast period. As you incorporate foods back into your diet slowly, the attached guide should be used to determine which foods may be wreaking havoc. Use the attached spreadsheet to keep track of how often you consume different foods. Be careful to note each time you consume one of the foods listed. Add up your weekly total for each.