Do you ever feel bloated and gassy after a meal? Or maybe you feel sluggish and tired and it seems like it’s coming out of nowhere. You may be eating something that your body doesn’t agree with. The tricky thing about a food sensitivity is that the symptoms can vary and may include:
- Migraines
- Foggy brain, depression, anxiety
- Fatigue
- Gas & Bloating
- Diarrhea, Constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Weight gain
- Arthritis
- Eczema, recurrent ear infections
- ADHD
- Recurrent infections
The difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity is that in an allergy the symptoms are usually acute and happen right after eating the offending food such as asthma, swelling and hives. These reactions are mediated by our IgE antibody and can be diagnosed with a skin-prick test.
A food sensitivity is usually more subtle and the symptoms may only gradually show up a few days after eating the offending food. The antibody that mediates these symptoms is often the immunoglobulin IgG.
Identifying a cause-effect relationship between ingestion of specific foods and development of symptoms is said to be further complicated by the tendency of people to become addicted to the foods to which they are sensitive. Hidden food sensitivities can be unmasked by a so-called elimination diet. This is when the top allergenic foods are eliminated from the diet for a period of time and then re-introduced one at a time to see what kind of reaction the body has.
Another way to test for food sensitivities is to do an IgG blood test. In my office, I use a finger prick test in which a few drops of blood are put on a sample paper and the mailed to the lab in the USA after it dries. It can test 96 or 184 foods and in 3-4 weeks we get the results and it becomes clear which foods you should stay away from. It doesn’t always mean that you can’t have the offending foods ever again. It usually means that the foods were eating too often and a sensitivity was created. After the gut is able to heal with proper nutrition, probiotics and healing herbs, then the foods can be re-introduced one at a time and their reaction can be evaluated.
If you ignore your food sensitivities, then you may be at risk for chronic inflammatory conditions such as metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, arthritis, Crohn’s or Colitis and many more. Because your digestive system houses the majority of our immune system it is critical to have a healthy bowel function for a better quality of life.