7 Healthcast: New diet determines sensitive foods

What if you learned that the food you think is good for you is actually sabotaging your weight loss goals?

Food intolerance may cause certain chronic illnesses, including chronic fatigue, migraines, arthritis and even obesity.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are having great success helping people redefine their diets and lose weight.

Michelle Seeber is tired of chronic stomach aches and bloating. She had no idea some of her favorite foods were causing her problems.

The Immunohealth Three D diet is a scientific approach to weight loss by determining what foods you're sensitive to.

"What we do - we find a diet for you, a nutritional program for you, for actual individual. And program for you may not be the program for your sibling, or your parent or your children," said Immunohealth Medical Director Dr. Vlad Kim

Clients give a blood sample and a lab checks for intolerances, sort of like an allergy test.

"It will be nice to have the freedom of knowing just what you should or shouldn't stay away from and then two, if I lose some weight because of it, even better," said Seeber.

Michelle gets her results and learns she's intolerant to dairy products and a few other things.

A nutritional consultant and a doctor explain her food sensitivities and her options.

"In our program if you can't eat white rice, you can usually eat brown rice. If you can't eat wheat, you can eat rye. If you can't have cow milk, you can have goat milk. I mean there are lots of substitutions available," said Kim.

Four and a half weeks later, Michelle totally changed her eating habits.

"I don't have stomach problems anymore. I'm not in pain which is great and I feel great," Seeber

Her fridge and pantry are full of substitute products mostly found in health food stores or in organic aisles.

"It really was easy once you figure out what you can and can't have. It's something I can live with," said Seeber.

It's been a real education.

"You just learn to read ingredients and you plan ahead. So I know what I'm going to have for dinner tonight, I know what I'm going to have tomorrow," said Seeber.

Aside from feeling better, an added benefit is weight loss.

"As of yesterday, I lost eight pounds so that was exciting and I just feel healthier," Seeber said.

The Immunohealth Three D Diet has been used in Europe for more than a decade and claims an 86 percent success rate among fifty thousand clients.

However, it's not cheap -- $700 for the program.

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