Do You Have Hidden Food Allergies/Sensitivities??

As adults, we generally assume that by this point in our lives we know which foods we can and cannot eat both due to taste and potential food reactions. However, this is often NOT the case!

Food allergies and sensitivities are really tricky. Why? Well, for various reasons, number one being often times the signs and symptoms that we are reacting to a foods are not experienced as the typical symptoms that would come with food reactions; aka, gastrointestinal (GI). We assume that the feelings we would get from eating foods we are sensitive too would be the obvious: gas, bloating, stomach upset, diarrhea, etc. What we DON'T think of are the myriad of other quite-common symptom such as...

• Fatigue, energy dips/spikes
• Moodiness/Depression/Anxiety
• Brain fog/poor memory
• Insomnia
• Increased cravings, particularly to the very foods you are sensitive to.
• Inflammation/pain/joint pain and stiffness
• Eczema/Acne
• Headaches/Migraines
• Seasonal allergies
• Weight gain or weight loss resistance

...just to name a few! Lets take a look at how food allergies and sensitivities develop and what is actually happening in the body.

HOW DO I DEVELOP FOOD ALLERGIES OR SENSITIVITIES?

First of all, lets distinguish between the two. Allergies are typically easier to detect as they involve the presence of IgE antibodies. These are the ones that will more commonly show up on food allergy tests. Food sensitivities are more commonly undiagnosed as they are related to IgG antibodies, and will often not show up in testing. That is why taking food allergy testing at face value can be risky, as false negatives are quite common.

Both can be present due to heredity, a week immune system and/or nutritional deficiencies, and the most common way food sensitivities and full blown allergies are developed over time is through a reaction to the protein in a given food. For example, the casein in dairy and the gluten in wheat. Interestingly, you may be surprised to know that being lactose intolerant has nothing to do with a reaction to the casein (protein part) of dairy, but here you are reacting to and unable to break down the carbohydrate portion of food because the body lacks the enzyme lactase which breaks down lactose. This is why some people are fine with lactose free milk, because they are reacting to the lactose versus the casein. Two totally separate things!

We can react to any food; however, some of the most common include dairy, wheat, soy, corn, eggs, sugar, and peanuts. People who are extra sensitive to wheat also may experience reactions to all grains, both gluten and non gluten containing. 

What can happen over (typically) prolonged periods of time is the delicious sounding phenomenon of leaky gut syndrome. Yum. This is when a food (or potentially chemical and/or additive) irritant is entering the gut causing damage to the gut lining which is (ideally and if functioning properly) responsible for the filtration of nutrients into the blood stream, and therefore allowing undigested particles to pass through. When this happens, the body alerts the immune system to respond and launches an attack, which we then experience in the form of a food reaction. Again, this reaction can take the form of all of the symptoms mentioned above and many more...point being it is often NOT simply the easy to read GI discomfort you might assume!

It should be noted that while we will not discuss these other common contributors to leaky gut in this article, one may be experiencing impaired gut function also as a result of parasitic or bacterial infection, yeast overgrowth, chronic stress or nutrient deficiencies.

WHAT CAN I DO TO ADDRESS FOOD SENSITIVITIES?

First, it is necessary to pinpoint your particular trigger foods. While you can definitely work with a healthcare professional to do some testing (again, keep in mind that many conventional doctors use lab companies that produce frequent false negatives, so seeking out a naturopath or other functional medicine practitioner is ideal), you can also undergo an elimination diet. This is the process of cutting out inflammatory foods that you may be reacting to for a certain amount of time (I suggest minimum 1 month, even better 2 months), and then reintroducing them one by one in a careful and specific manner that will give you the information you are looking for. Working with a professional can make this process much easier. Contact me directly if you are interested in my Elimination Diet/Sugar Detox Program, which comes with one on one guidance throughout the process.

RESOURCES:

Here are a few really interesting articles to check out for more info. As always, please contact me with any questions, and hope you are wrapping up a healthy and happy summer!

• Article on the connection between gut and brain health
• Short Video from Justinhealth.com on seasonal allergies and food sensitivities
• Article to learn more about leaky gut syndrome