Food Without Fear: Identify, Prevent, and Treat Food Allergies, Intolerances, and Sensitivities

by Ruchi Gupta MD, MPH, Kristin Loberg (With)

Overview

A world-renowned researcher and physician offers a groundbreaking approach to identifying an entire spectrum of food-related health conditions, from allergies to sensitivities, and what we can do about them.

A breathtaking one in five people in the U.S. has a health condition related to food—from disruptive sensitivities and intolerances to serious allergic reactions that can send them to the ER. These food-related problems are on a historic rise across all ages. And the spectrum of these ailments is wide and deep, with many tricky “masqueraders” in the mix to create a lot of confusion, potential misdiagnoses, and faulty or poor treatment—and immeasurable suffering for millions of people. The good news: Dr. Ruchi Gupta, on the front lines of this silent epidemic, now shares revolutionary research from her lab and clinical practice. In Food Without Fear, Dr. Gupta illuminates this misunderstood spectrum and offers a new approach to managing adverse reactions to food with a practical plan to end the misery and enjoy eating with ease.
 
This panoramic view empowers you to know what questions to ask your doctor to get the correct diagnosis. From debunking common myths (an allergy and an intolerance aren’t the same thing—but both can have life-threatening consequences) to identifying masqueraders, to understanding triggers (including environmental factors), as well as the microbiome’s role in adverse food reactions, these pages hold the answers. Using a framework of Identify and Empower, Treat, Manage and Prevent, and Thrive, Food Without Fear offers hope, help—and food freedom—to the millions of people who so need it.

Developed by world-renowned researcher Dr. Ruchi Gupta, this revolutionary spectrum approach empowers and informs so you can take charge of your health. In Food Without Fear, you’ll learn:

• The differences between an allergy and an intolerance or sensitivity
• What “masqueraders” are and how to identify them
• Which health conditions are mistaken for food allergies—or can be triggered by them
• The top offenders that can spark an allergy attack or intolerance
• The surprising allergies on the rise (think red meat and exercise)
• The potential connections between genetics, environmental exposures, and risk for developing food-related conditions
• How to S.T.O.P. the misery and chart your healthy path forward

Offering assessments, information on the most up-to-date treatments, and practical tips for keeping yourself safe, Food Without Fear welcomes you back to the table.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306846502
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	08/24/2021
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	310,178
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, is a professor of pediatrics and medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a clinical attending at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Gupta has more than 18 years of experience as a board-certified pediatrician and health researcher and currently serves as the founding director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR). She is world-renowned for her groundbreaking research in the areas of food allergy and asthma epidemiology, most notably for her research on the prevalence of pediatric and adult food allergy in the United States. She has also significantly contributed to academic research in the areas of food allergy prevention, socioeconomic disparities in care, and the daily management of these conditions. To reduce the burden of these diseases and improve health equity, she and her team develop, evaluate, and disseminate interventions for families and conduct work to inform local, national, and international health policy. 

Dr. Gupta is the author of the Food Allergy Experience, has written and co-authored over 170 peer-reviewed research manuscripts, and has had her work featured on major TV networks and in print media. 

Kristin Loberg has a lengthy list of successful collaborations with eleven New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers to her credit. Kristin earned her degree from Cornell University, and lives in Los Angeles. She is a member of the Author's Guild, PEN, and teaches an intensive proposal-writing workshop at UCLA annually.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Welcome to Food Freedom v

Test Your Food IQ xix

Decoding Your Food Reactions: The Questionnaire xxiii

What is Your Story? xxix

Part I The Food Reaction Spectrum: Where are You?

1 Body Backlash

The Surprising Rise of Reactions to Food in the 21st Century and the Search for Answers 3

2 "Allergies" are Not All Created Equal

Anatomy of Immune-Based Reactions vs. Masqueraders on the Spectrum 23

3 The Genome, Epigenome, Microbiome, and Risk for Allergies

Why Our Body Can Become Confused, Bewildered, and Inflamed 47

4 Inflammation, Allergies, Autoimmune Diseases, and Other Ailments

The Hidden Connections of immune Dysfunction 79

5 Caution: May Contain …

A Cornucopia of Confusion 95

Part II Finding Food Freedom: Identify and Empower; Treat; Manage and Prevent; and Thrive

6 Identify and Empower

How to Make Sense of Imperfect Testing Methods 133

7 Treatment

Current and Cutting-Edge Therapies 171

8 Manage and Prevent

Setting the Stage for a Reaction-Free Life 199

9 Thrive in Your Daily World

Cracking the Label Codes and Building Confidence to Live Fearlessly 223

10 Act Locally, Think Globally

What We Can Do as a Society to Turn This Epidemic Around 245

Appendix A The Parent's Playbook 261

Appendix B Resources 276

Appendix C Sample Food Log 281

Acknowledgments 285

Notes 287

Index 308

Editorial Reviews

"Each of us has a unique relationship with food. And beyond the simple consideration of fats, carbs, protein and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals, food serves as a powerful source of information for our bodies. Food Without Fear explores how our individual uniqueness plays into how we respond to the information that our food choices purvey. And the dichotomy between “good” and “bad” foods is explored through the lenses of both leading edge science as well as our food-related responses. Both these data sets empower the reader with tools to optimize food choices and pave the way for a healthier life."—David Perlmutter, MD, Fellow, American College of Nutrition, author, #1 New York Times bestseller Grain Brain and Brain Wash

From the Publisher