Naturalpath

Is the extra weight you're carrying around really extra fat? Naturalpath expert Elson Haas, MD believes that some people who feel they have excess fat are actually carrying around a lot of extra fluid.

Haas’s False Fat Diet suggests that some people have an allergic reaction to food. Just like a bee sting can make the body swell with inflammation, a food allergy can cause the bloating and swelling known as false fat. Whole-body inflammation, swelling, and lethargy is the body’s response to the onslaught of eating reactive foods - the most common of which are milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), soy, fish, and shellfish.

Changing your diet to eliminate inflammation and false fat will help with other conditions, including environmental allergies and asthma, skin rashes, digestive disorders, chronic sinus congestion, fatigue, headaches, and insomnia. Freeing the body from these food sensitivities and reactions that lead to false fat often helps people feel better immediately.

Dr. Haas suggests these tips to rid your body of false fat:

1. If you have strong cravings for a particular food, there's a good chance you are reactive. Avoid it for a couple of weeks and see if you feel better. To cut cravings, try additional vitamin C (1000-2000mg), calcium(250-500mg) and magnesium (150-250mg), and the trace mineral, chromium (200-300mcg).
2. Eat a variety of wholesome, natural foods and minimize the processed foods in your diet.
3. Avoid eating the same foods every day, especially wheat, sugar, and dairy products.
4. Chew your food thoroughly to make sure that your digestive tract is working efficiently. If not, have it checked out and re-balanced with the aid of a naturally oriented practitioner. (See another Haas book, The New Detox Diet.)
5. Get regular exercise to help stimulate your metabolism and energy. You will find that it also cuts your appetite and burns calories.
6. Take supportive supplements, including vitamin C and quercetin, vitamin A and zinc, niacin, blue green algaes, and MSM. To enhance your digestion, try hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes, and probiotics.