Are Your Symptoms Related to Food Sensitivities?
Take a look at the chart below. Do you experience any of these symptoms or conditions? If so, the cause is highly probably that it’s related to the food(s) you’re eating.
What’s the Difference Between a Food Allergy, Food Sensitivity & Food Intolerance?
Food Allergy is an IgE reaction of the body's immune system to a food or food ingredient that it recognizes as "foreign." A true food allergy can cause tingling in the mouth, hives, swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, trouble breathing,and dizziness or fainting. It can also cause nausea, vomiting, cramping and diarrhea, signs and symptoms that can also happen with a food intolerance. Food allergies tend to be higher for children, African-Americans, males and those with asthma.
Food Sensitivity is a non-IgE reaction (IgG, IgA, IgM) in which an individual experiences an adverse reaction to a food, a food ingredient or additive. A food sensitivity usually involves the digestive system and the immune system. You can probably eat small amounts of the food without an immediate reaction, however if you continue eating foods your body considers harmful, inflammation increases, gut function and your immune system is compromised shown by the many symptoms in the chart above.
Food sensitivities can lead to elevated levels of “itis” as in inflammation. Food sensitivities are the most common cause of inflammation. Most people have "hidden" food sensitivities that can be a huge factor in any chronic health challenge including fatigue, bloating, chronic pain, IBS, constipation, leaky gut, depression and anxiety.
Food Intolerance is when you body is unable to break down, assimilate, digest or absorb a food, food ingredient or additive. (i.e. lack of digestive enzymes, pancreatic enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCL).
DID YOU KNOW…….
- One of the leading causes of obesity is sensitivity or intolerance to certain foods
- 60-80% of the population is sensitive to one or more foods
- Eating the same foods over and over, day after day after day is one of the most sure-fire methods to developing a food sensitivity or food intolerance
- Food sensitivities and intolerances are a primary cause of fatigue and emotional problems
- Food sensitivities and intolerances have increased 20% in the last ten years
- Do you crave or are you addicted to any specific food(s)? Chances are high that you’re intolerant or sensitive to that food.
- A study reported in The Lancet found that when sensitive foods were eliminated from the diets of migraine sufferers as many as 93 percent of them found relief!
- Hidden food sensitivities are unique to each individual and cause inflammatory diseases, gut dysfunction, weight loss resistance and difficulty losing weight.
- Eating foods you’re sensitive to is toxic to your system and increase inflammation in the body. According to Mark Hyman, M.D., "the two most common sources of inflammation in the 21st century are sugar (and refined carbohydrates) and hidden food allergens (perhaps most important, gluten).”
Watch this 4 minute video for a simple technique to help you discover if you have hidden food sensitivities. Years ago, Dr. Arthur Coca popularized the "pulse test" for food allergies. He found that some (but definitely not all) allergic individuals have a significant increase in their resting pulse after eating a particular food allergen. Others have observed that eating certain trigger foods causes them to retain fluids, which manifests as a significant weight gain that doesn't disappear by the next morning (like most water-weight gain) caused by inflammation.
The Top Trigger Foods responsible for 90 Percent of Food Reactions
| * Milk and dairy products, excluding butter | * Peanuts & tree nuts (almonds, walnuts) |
| * Sugar & artificial sweeteners | * Fish & shellfish |
| * Soy | * Wheat, gluten and grains |
| * Eggs, specifically egg white | * Corn and corn products, including HFCS |
| * Yeast and Brewer’s yeast | * GMOs, pesticides, sulfites, preservatives |
Although unique to each person, aside from the top offenders you can be eating the healthiest of foods and these are the very foods you're sensitive to.
The Solution. The best way to test for food sensitivities is to do an elimination diet and then reintroduce foods. Eliminate these top offending foods: pasteurized dairy products, wheat, gluten, artificial sweeteners, processed soy, sugar, soda, and products containing corn, trans fats and HFCS. Vitamins and protein powders with additives, HFCS, artificial sweeteners and fillers should also be removed from the diet.
You’re probably thinking, “what am I going to eat?” Switch over to nutrient-dense, organic foods that are free of antibiotics, chemicals, preservatives, dyes, xenohormones, pesticides and GMOs.
What you can expect. Endless health benefits: Better sleep, less belly bloating, brain fog, fatigue, aches and pains, a surge in energy, reduced stress, less anxiety and depression, lower cortisol, flatter abs, healthier digestion and elimination, weight loss, and clearer, healthier, younger looking skin.
When you eliminate the foods you’re sensitive or intolerant to, specifically dairy, gluten, wheat, artificial sweeteners, soy and sugar, you may experience withdrawal symptoms similar to withdrawal from other addictive substances like caffeine, nicotine, drugs and alcohol.
To avoid food sensitivities and intolerances, it’s important to get into the habit of rotating all foods every day and reading the list of ingredients on all products and make sure to avoid any product with these ingredients. Better yet, stick with REAL, nutrient-dense foods. On a rotation diet, a food is only eaten once every 4 days. So, if you have eggs on Monday, you will not eat eggs again until Friday. Keep a daily food journal of everything you eat for one week. This can help identify foods your body is sensitive to.
Testing. If you have persistent health issues that continue to persist and don't experience relief no matter what you do, you may want to consider a thorough screening even if you get a negative result on your self-test. Some wish to obtain food sensitivity testing (a non-IgE reaction test) such as an IgG, IgA or IgM test that are completely different than the IgE food allergy test, the skin prick test. It’s important to realize that these tests come with many false negatives and false positives.
Remember this — Food can be medicine or poison…..choose wisely!
Make an appointment. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation. I consult with clients locally in the Phoenix area and with men and women around the world. Thank you! Have a Happy Healthy Day! 
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Sources:
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1505908/
- http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-10/nioe-cma100110.php
- http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-10/njh-far093010.php
- http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673686907749
- http://ard.bmj.com/content/51/3/298.abstract
- http://adc.bmj.com/content/59/4/326.abstract
- http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/PDF/foodallergy.pdf.
- Nowak-Wegrzyn A, et al. Adverse reactions to foods. Medical Clinics of North America. 2006;90:97.
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