Episode Details

The Investigation

I recently did an episode where I answered your questions and invited you to ask more. I was flooded with emails (thank you!). One of the most common topics of these email inquiries was food allergies and sensitivities. From causes, to diagnosis, to how to deal with it - this episode aims to demystify food sensitivities and answer your questions. 

Food Allergy vs. Food Sensitivity vs. Food Intolerance

These three terms often cause confusion because people are unclear of the differences. A food allergy means that there is a specific protein in a food that is acting as an antigen that is generating an immunologic reaction. Food without a specific protein (like sugar for example) cannot cause a true food allergy. 

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a reaction to it. Sometimes the body is unable to process certain foods properly. This could be caused by an immune dysfunction, build-up of toxins, or a deficiency in certain enzymes. These reactions can cause symptoms but may not always cause these symptoms everytime you eat the food. These are food sensitivities, not allergies because they can come and go depending on the environment. 

A second misuse of the term ‘food allergy’ is when people actually mean ‘food intolerance.’ A common example of this is lactose intolerance. In this case, the body is not having an immunological reaction to an antigen but rather it has an inability to produce the enzymes to properly digest the food.  

A food allergy is typically something someone is born with while food sensitivities and food intolerances can develop over time. 

Symptoms of Food Reactions

Some of the most common reactions to food sensitivities or intolerances include dermatological symptoms (rashes and dermatitis), gastrointestinal problems, loss of appetite, mal-absorption syndrome created by inflammatory bowel reactions to the offending protein, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, ulcerations, autoimmune phenomenon (like arthritis, lupus, MS, autoimmune thyroiditis), neurological degenerations, migraines, anxiety, seizures, asthma and other respiratory disorders, as well as fatigue and obesity. A food reaction could involve one or several of these symptoms. 

Testing for Food Sensitivities and Intolerances

It can be very frustrating trying to solve a health mystery caused by a food sensitivity or intolerance because conventional testing (the skin prick) doesn’t always reveal the true cause of an issue. It is quite possible to get a false-negative with this test when it comes to food. 

My go to test is from Vibrant Wellness. It looks at both the IgG and IgA pathway in relation to common allergens like gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and nuts as well as each food’s breakdown products. By testing over 25 different markers, this test gives a much much more accurate picture.

Right now the test is only available to my patients however we are looking at ways that we can offer this test to my listeners. Email me if you are interested. 

Causes of Food Sensitivities

1. Lack of Variety. There are a lot of the same proteins in our food because of convenience and processed foods and we tend to develop delayed allergies to foods that we are overexposed to. For example, there is wheat, corn, soy and dairy in almost every packaged food. In addition, many of us do not have much variety in our diets. Seasonal availability used to help us with this but now all foods are pretty much available at all times of the year. 
2. Gut Biome Imbalance. Eating the same foods consistently can certainly be a big trigger but it’s not the only potential cause. The environment in our gut is another huge trigger. When we have dysbiosis (an overgrowth of bad bacteria, yeast & parasites in our gut) our microbiome becomes