The following foods cause about 90% of all true food allergies. These foods are:

Foods that that generally create less severe symptoms are often the source of intolerances. It's not uncommon for such items to dilate blood vessels and increase inflammation, resulting in non-life threatening discomfort. These foods include: 

• Alcoholic beverages 
• Aged, processed, or smoked meats and cheeses 
• Certain vegetables such as tomatoes, avocado or eggplant 
• Some fruits including kiwi, bananas, strawberries or pineapple 
• Vinegar 
• Soy sauce 
• Coffee and black tea 
• Yeast 
• Nuts  

The good news is that even if you have issues with sensitivity to certain foods, you can grow healthier by eating a nutritious diet, cleansing, and taking care to note your body's reaction to the things that you eat. Specifically, you might want to: 

• Start taking a good probiotic, to help build beneficial bacteria within your digestive system. 
• Eliminate processed foods. Switch to a plant-based diet: eat mostly organic fruits and vegetables, as well as whole, non-gluten grains. 
• Eliminate dairy. Many people are sensitive to dairy products and have difficulty digesting them. 
• If you choose to eat meat, look for local, grass-fed, organically farmed animal products raised without antibiotics or hormones. 
• Avoid gluten grains. Experiment instead with quinoa, millet, oat groats and buckwheat. 
• Avoid peanuts and cashews. These often are implicated in allergy and sensitivity problems. Consider eliminating tree nuts, and after a few months, add them back into your diet-one at a time-to observe your body's reaction. If you react, you'll know you found an offender! 
• Avoid distilled vinegars. An exception is raw apple cider vinegar. 

What is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in certain cereal grains such as wheat (including semolina, durum, spelt, triticale) barley, and rye. The protein is what helps serves as a paste to bind ingredients togetherpretty much like glue! Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder caused by gluten intolerance. Many foods contain gluten, including those you might not suspect. When people with celiac disease eat glutenor, in some cases even come into contact with itthey trigger an immune response that ultimately causes damage to their digestive systems. Fortunately, people with celiac disease can find relief by avoiding gluten altogether and rehabilitating the colon with a healthy diet. Many, many of us have sensitivity to gluten. That means gluten has some sort of a negative effect on the body, which might include (but is not limited to) these symptoms:  

• Gas and Bloating 
• Constipation or diarrhea 
• IBS, crohn's, IBD  
• Depression or anxiety  
• Headaches, including migraines 
• Lethargy and fatigue 
• Weight gain 
• Bone or joint pain 
• Anemia 
• Inability to conceive 
• Failure to thrive in children 

It is estimated that 18 million Americans suffer from gluten sensitivity. To decrease your gluten exposure, you'll want to be aware of hidden sources in prepared foods. Put your radar on high alert and dive deeper when you see these ingredients or additives listed on food labels: 

• Binders and emulsifiers 
• Bleu cheese 
• Brown Rice syrup (if barley malt enzyme is used) 
• Caramel coloring (made from barley malt enzymes) 
• Coatings 
• Colorings 
• Dextrins 
• Fillers 
• Hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP) hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) 
• Malt or Malt Flavoring (Barley malt) 
• Modified starch, modified food starch 
• Mono- and di-glycerides  
• Oils (wheat germ oil & any oil with gluten additives) 
• Preservatives 
• Soy Sauce 
• Spices that contain anti-caking agents 
• Starch  
• Vegetable gum (when made from oats) 
• Vegetable protein 
• Vinegars (distilled or white) 

Additionally, Many medicationsincluding prescription medsmay contain gluten. Personal care products such as toothpaste, lotion and lipstick may also cause you trouble if you have an intolerance.