Understand Food Sensitivities
Food allergy vs. food intolerance vs. food sensitivity. Understanding the difference.
Food allergies
are an immune system response when the immune system sees a protein or food as a threat.
the immune system produces immunoglobulin E antibodies (IgE); which releases chemicals producing an inflammatory response, e.g. hives.
generally it is an immediate reaction which may be life-threatening e.g. anaphalaxis from a peanut allergy
Food intolerance
occurs when your body cannot properly digest a food, e.g. a dairy intolerance happens due to lack of the enzyme lactase to break down and digest the milk sugar lactose. Symptoms are inconvenient and uncomfortable, but not life-threatening.
Food sensitivity
may also be an immune response but slower than an allergy and often due to an imbalance in the gut.
it means the gut is sensitive and reacting to certain foods causing inflammation in different body systems, for example:
Digestive system - bloating, diarrhoea, digestive pain, IBS, weight issues, blood sugar balance
Nervous system - migraines, brain fog, anxiety, depression, insomnia
Musculoskeletal system - joint or muscle pain
Respiratory system - asthma, wheezing, mucus
The foods that account for 90% of food issues are: peanuts, egg, milk, gluten, wheat, shellfish, fish, soy, tree nuts.
Physical signs that you may have food sensitivities include: puffy eyes or face, eczema, rashes, dark circles under the eyes, feeling exhausted, etc.
Auto-immune conditions also indicate you may have food sensitivies.
Celiac disease is an auto-immune response triggered by gluten - the protein found in wheat, barley and rye; which causes damage to the small intestine. However you may not be celiac but still have a gluten sensitivity with serious, painful and debilitating symptoms. Removing gluten can have immediate effects of relieving symptoms. Part of the problem is that wheat has been hybridised and so is harder to digest, and that it is sprayed with weed killer which also kills gut bacteria. The other part of the problem is inflammation, microbial diversity and toxins.
What causes food sensitivities and food allergies?
Food sensitivities and allergies are multi-factorial with stress, poor diet, decreased microbial diversity, leaky gut, infections and toxins all playing a part.
1. STRESS
Stress whether physical or emotional activates the sympathetic nervous system, i.e “fight or flight” to speed up your heart rate, and draw blood flow away from internal organs to the muscles and areas of your body that need more oxygen, so you can fight or flee to get you out of danger.
Now consider meal time when you are stressed:
you make poor food choices of quick energy on the run, e.g. a pie, a ham sandwich and a cake
you eat quickly and do not chew your food well ->
this results in less salivary enzymes and less digestive enzymes being produced ->
the lack of digestive enzymes makes it difficult for food to be digested ->
undigested food in the small intestine may ferment. Digesting gut bacteria release a gas, resulting in bloating, wind and digestive discomfort.
sugar feeds bad gut bacteria causing a microbial imbalance in the small intestine; which may damage the lining, creating larger gap junctions in the intestinal wall; to allow undigested particles through into the bloodstream (leaky gut) ->
as over 70% of your immune system resides in the gut, when bacteria or undigested food particles or proteins leak through the intestinal wall into the blood, an immune response of inflammatory cytokines is provoked.
WOW! Can you now see how stress, poor diet and eating in a hurry may lead to digestive inflammation and a food sensitivity?
You can address these points by:
Relaxing and taking time to eat.
Making healthy food choices.
Chew your food well.
On an emotional level ask “What are you having a difficult time digesting in your life?”
.2. POOR DIET
In today’s food environment there are a number of known foods that cause inflammation:
sugar devoid of nutrients, and feeds bad gut bacteria.
gluten
dairy
artificial chemicals, additives and emulsifiers which may damage the intestinal lining leading to leaky gut, found in:
- processed, packaged food.
- processed meat e.g. sausage, luncheon, bacon.
- seed oils, e.g. canola, sunflower, corn, soybean oils which go through a refining process of heating, bleaching and deodorising.trans fats (like shortening or margarine often used in commercially baked cakes, cookies and pies).
Reducing these foods reduces inflammation.
Good inflammation is a natural part of the body’s defence system when it is injured. The immune system sends out inflammatory cytokines to deal with harmful or foreign stimuli, to engulf bacteria and heal damaged tissue. When the tissue is healed, inflammation is turned off.
However bad or chronic inflammation occurs when the intestinal wall is consistently injured or leaky due to stress, poor diet or imbalance of bad gut bacteria. That inflammation may travel around the body causing chronic disease.
3. DECREASED DIVERSITY OF THE GUT MICROBIOME
A diverse population of gut microbes is associated with better health; however antibiotics, urbanisation (lack of contact with soil), low fibre and high sugar diet, and chemicals have all contributed to declining microbial diversity.
Sugar feeds bad gut bacteria which can damage the intestinal wall to allow undigested particles and toxins through the intestinal wall (leaky gut).
The immune system detects these foreigners and sends in inflammatory cytokines in an attempt to rid the body of the invaders. This can become an automatic immune response to certain food proteins and a food sensitivity/allergy.
4. INFECTIONS
A viral infection like stomach flu, a bacterial infection like helicobacter pylori or SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), a fungal infection like candida or a parasitic infection may damage the intestinal wall, triggering an immune response or sensitivity to certain foods.
5. TOXINS
Inflammation is an essential immune response to protect from cellular or tissue injury by toxins. Toxin overlead can lead to chronic inflammation. Toxins are everywhere:
chemicals sprayed on our food
synthetic chemical ingredients in processed food
in the water supply
in household cleaners
in personal care products
in pollutants in the air
alcohol
smoking
plastics
medications and vaccines
Vaccination provokes a heightened immune response so your body creates antibodies to the disease; however it may also create antibodies to other food proteins in the blood; e.g. gluten; so when you are again exposed to that food protein, the immune system mounts an inflammatory response.
Vaccine data sheets reveal vaccines may cause an altered immune response which may result in:
food allergy e.g. egg, nut, gluten, dairy allergies have increased significantly since 1990 as the vaccine schedule has doubled.
anaphalaxis
auto-immune conditions which have increased significantly over recent decades.
There is always a cause as to why the immune system goes awry and mistakenly attacks usually healthy proteins, cells, tissues and organs, i.e auto-immune disease.
A reduction in the toxic burden on the body can result in less inflammation and food sensitivities.
Are you ready to do something about your food reactivity?
A naturopathic evaluation can help you identify specific food sensitivities or allergies with testing or an elimination diet and identify and address causes of food sensitivities.
A person may get relief by eliminating problematic foods and can indeed ease the symptoms of food sensitivity; however it is important to address the root causes of reactivity to certain foods in the first place, that is to:
- manage stress,
- optimise digestive function,
- adopt a therapeutic, nutrient rich, high fibre diet,
- reduce inflammation,
- restore the gut microbiome,
- heal the gut lining,
- reduce toxic load
- support the immune system (which may require addressing nutrient deficiencies or infections).
If you would like support to manage food sensitives/allergies and follow nature’s path to help you heal, please connect with me on the contact page.
