You see it at nearly every grocery store these days. The shelves are filled with products claiming that they’re “gluten-free,” “dairy-free,” “wheat-free,” you name it.

People are understanding that food intolerances are a thing and what you eat can impact your health.

I work with numerous women with food intolerances, and it seems like they’re becoming a more common diagnosis all the time.

But sometimes, a diagnosis like sensitivity, allergy, or intolerance to a particular food takes on a life of its own. It can make you feel like you’ve been saddled with a weird condition based solely on a specific food that you can’t have.

Now, if you’ve been spending any time with me here on the blog, you’ve heard me say that harshly denying yourself ANY specific food usually doesn’t end well. (Even if you’re cutting it out for legit health reasons!)

If you’ve ever been told you have a food intolerance, you might’ve been prescribed an elimination diet. Cut out the offending food, problem solved. Seems logical enough, right?

But if you’ve ever been susceptible to binge eating, you also know where ironclad food regulations can lead. And it’s usually straight into the throes of that binge-restrict-repeat cycle.

Over the years, I’ve struggled with just about every food intolerance you can name, and all the nasty health conditions that go with them.

We’re talking adrenal fatigue, low thyroid, hormone imbalances, leaky gut–the whole nine yards.

(My body would pull all kinds of crazy stunts on me, like making me retain five to 10 pounds of water weight just for eating a piece of pizza.)

And in a desperate attempt to make it all go away, I was fighting my body with dieting, control, and restrictions. Which nearly always led to overeating and binges.

It was a seven-year rollercoaster ride that eventually sent my body into a massive breakdown.

And finally, I began my journey to heal my body and to be free with food.  

I learned that to transcend binge and emotional eating, I had to stop trying to control every bite I ate. But I also knew that certain foods naturally triggered an inflammatory response in my body.

But how could I avoid the foods that I knew my body would reject without making them so off limits that I wanted to binge on them? How could I manage what I ate without obsessing about what I couldn’t have?

I learned that there IS a way to sidestep the nasty effects of triggering foods without provoking that urge to binge. You can stay in your power with food while still honoring food intolerances.

Because let’s be real: so many women struggle with this wrinkle in their relationship with food. And it makes them feel like they’ve been hit with a double-whammy.

It’s like, you know that you need to stop fiercely regulating their food, yet your health seems to tie to to specific “food rules” that you can’t escape.

But you can step into your power with food for good, regardless of what sensitivities might exist for you. I made this happen, and I’m excited to be able to share the steps to freedom with you!

Now, before we jump in, a little disclaimer. I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know the particulars of your health situation. If you have severe food-related issues, by all means, listen to your healthcare practitioners.

And if you have a serious health condition like an autoimmune condition or celiac, remember to honor your body what it needs, first and foremost.

But at the same time, remember to listen to your intuition. Because at the end of the day, you are the authority on you.

So with that idea in mind, let me share what has worked for me as well as thousands of our clients here at Beating Binge Eating. And see if any of what I share might help you manage food intolerances while still claiming your power with food!

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Step 1: The process of “elimination” (Or, getting real about restriction). Let’s start with a little scenario. What often happens when someone learns that they have a gluten intolerance?

Just like that, bread becomes public enemy number one. They take all the bread out of their diet, put it on the NO list…and then what happens?

The first chance they get, the binge on bread. And usually regret it pretty fast…

So the first step is to be aware of the downside of strict dietary rules. When you forbid any food, for a good reason or not, your body might fly into a backhanded rebellion.

So let’s look at restriction from a different perspective. What if you focused on the big picture? What if it was about lowering your overall consumption of offending foods instead of pushing yourself to cut them out altogether?

Think of it this way: what’s harder on your body, a small amount of gluten now and then, or cutting out bread for an entire week only to binge on bread on the weekend?

Consider the difference between a small amount of the triggering food now and then versus an all-out binge, and think about what might be more supportive to your overall health.

Step 2: You are not your food sensitivity. Sometimes when you learn that you have a food sensitivity, it has a weird way of morphing into an identity.

Let’s say that you’ve learned that you can’t tolerate gluten. What happens if you proceed to walk through the world thinking, “I can never eat bread,” all the time?

You might start obsessing about being “gluten-free.” Which means you can never have bread, you have no other options, and life as you know it is over. You focus strictly on what you can’t have and create a sort of food-based martyrdom…

Kind of a dramatic example, I know! But what if you used that kind of diagnosis as an opportunity to shift your thoughts?

What if instead of making your life all about what you can’t eat, you considered all the fantastic and nourishing foods that you CAN have?

I suggest opening up to all the new possibilities and adding foods in rather than subtracting foods out. It’s the way to shift your focus to YES and what you get to have instead of fixating on the NO.

Step 3: Remember that one bite isn’t the end of the world (or a reason to binge)! Here’s the thing. Even if gluten is off the table for you, it doesn’t mean that it’s an “all or nothing” game. You can be relatively gluten free and still have a bite of cake from time to time.

It’s the way that you think about that cake that matters the most!

When you always so NO to anything, that thing becomes the focus. And when an all-or-nothing mentality rules you, the “all” part inevitably kicks in and leads you down the path to binging.

Your brain might get muddled with things like…

I can’t have the cake–I can’t stop thinking about the cake–I’m breaking down and eating the cake–I blew it because I ate the cake–I’m gonna keep eating the cake…

I think you see what I mean here

So remember, you can take a step back from the rules at any time. Stay in the present moment, connect with your body, and don’t make one bite a reason to throw in the towel!

Step 4: Remember that this is simply a phase in your journey. For many years, I fought my body in my desperation to feel free. I tried all of the elimination diets and did all the things–dairy free, gluten free, you name it, I probably tried it!

What’s impressive is that these days, I barely eat gluten, dairy, or the rest of it…but I also don’t spend much time thinking about the fact that I don’t eat them, either!

I find that I naturally choose foods that leave me feeling energized, alive, and nourished. That’s the most significant benefit I’ve discovered about letting go of absolute NO when it comes to food.

Here’s the best part of all: most of the food-related health conditions that used to hold me hostage have disappeared. No more adrenal fatigue, my thyroid is near normal again, and my weight is stable.

And my body didn’t heal itself because I ate “correctly.” It wasn’t because I didn’t let a single bite of gluten or dairy ever pass my lips, either.

It was because I healed my relationship with food, and stopped the binge and emotional eating that was stealing my power.

What I’ve learned over the years is that controlling your food–even if it’s for legit health reasons–is only going to backfire.

The secret is to create a free, loving, relaxed relationship with food. A relationship where you can have things in moderation, feel balanced, and back in control. Even if you’re managing a food intolerance along the way.

Because when you normalize your relationship with food, you start to naturally heal a lot of these conditions as your body restores balance. You can work with any food intolerances without letting them rule your life, too.

Sound too simple to be true?

If these all sound like nice ideas in theory but you’re not sure if they’d ever work for you, I have something special to share with you!

Click the image below where I’ve got a special gift for you! We call them, “Craving Cards”, and they’re one of our most popular tools!

If you ever feel night time cravings, sugar cravings, the urge to just say “screw it I’m going to start my diet over tomorrow”, or like you need a little body confidence pick me up… 

Just grab a card, go through the prompts, and shift it instantly!

Click the image above and let me know where to send them!

You’ll also get mini demo video training sessions for each card where I share how to use the cards and some of my best tips for food freedom forever!

With our Craving Cards and Demo Series… 

You’ll learn how to stop cravings in their tracks, feel confident, and get back your power, fast! 

Love,
Brittany

PS: Want the exact freedom and ease with our foods that myself and thousands of our clients get to experience?

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Many of our students have seen a DRASTIC difference in as little as a few days!

It’s our signature program, and up until recently, it was $3000 or more to join.

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