LEAP
Is your food making you sick – The LEAP program (Lifestyle, Eating and Performance) addresses the identification and treatment of delayed food sensitivities often associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), migraine, fibromyalgia and other auto- immune diseases.
The LEAP diet is called an ImmunoCalm Nutrition Program and with it, a specially trained Registered Dietitian can help you to reduce or eliminate symptoms due to food or chemical sensitivities, have a healthier lifestyle, well-balanced nutrition, and optimum performance.
LEAP has helped thousands of individuals with food and chemical sensitivities quickly and substantially improve. Some individuals have found they can successfully eliminate chronic health problems when they follow their LEAP diet. If your symptoms are related to your diet, then you need a dietary approach to address these symptoms.
Diet can play an important role in provoking symptoms in many challenging conditions and needs to be appropriately managed to get the best possible outcomes.
Many chronic conditions may be made worse by food and chemical sensitivities. Examples include, but are not limited to, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Migraines, Fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Arthritis, and Autism Spectrum disorders. The following symptoms are often associated with food and chemical sensitivities –
- Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain, Bloating, Distention, Gas, sometimes Nausea & Vomiting
- Heartburn or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Migraine Headaches and Headaches other than Migraine
- Muscle or Joint Pain, Aching, or Stiffness
- General Malaise (feeling lousy), Fatigue, Sleepiness During the Day
- Restlessness, Irritability, Depression, Anxiety, Mood Swings
- Sinus Pain, Runny Nose, Stuffy Nose, Post Nasal Drip, Sore throat
- Skin conditions such as Eczema and Dermatitis
Individuals with food and chemical sensitivities benefit from avoiding the foods and chemicals that trigger pain and inflammation. Keeping a food intake diary and logging symptoms is of little benefit in detecting food sensitivity because the onset of symptoms may be up to 3 days after ingestion of the offending food. Food sensitivity is a dose dependent reaction, meaning that an individual may not have a sensitivity reaction if a very small amount is consumed, and the size of the offending dose varies from one individual to the next. The delayed onset of symptoms and the dose dependent nature of food sensitivities makes sleuthing trigger foods difficult.
The LEAP program utilizes mediator release testing (MRT) to help individuals find relief from food sensitivities. MRT is a simple blood test that quantifies inflammatory release against common foods and chemicals. A blinded peer reviewed scientific study showed MRT to have the highest level of accuracy of any food sensitivity blood test: 94.5% sensitivity and 91.8% specificity.
When we are sensitive to certain foods, our bodies react by releasing pro- inflammatory mediators that cause symptoms. Often people have food sensitivities and they do not know it. MRT takes out the guesswork and offers a scientific approach to detecting food sensitivities. Find out what your food triggers are and begin to feel your best. Contact Victoria Goodman Nutrition Counseling for details.
