Is it Food Allergy or Intolerance?

Bloated tummy? Brain fog? A pounding head?

If mysterious symptoms appear hours or even days after you eat certain foods, maybe you are experiencing food intolerance? You may ask yourself if you have food allergies. Let’s look at the difference.

What is a food intolerance?

A food intolerance is trouble digesting a certain food. 

Reactions due to non-allergic intolerances (food intolerances) can be delayed by up to several days and are often long-lasting. Some people who experience food intolerances have a threshold for the offending food and can eat it in small amounts; larger quantities or more frequent consumption of the food will bring about a reaction.

Food intolerances induce undesirable reactions to the trigger food, including:

• gastrointestinal symptoms
• eczema
• headaches
• hives
• lethargy
• migraines
• respiratory symptoms
• sneezing
• itchy and runny nose
• watery eyes

Food intolerances may also play a role in irritable bowel syndrome, which is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder.

What is a food Allergies?

Allergic reactions are usually immediate and are brought on by even minute amounts of an allergen (see “Is it a food allergy 

A food allergy involves the immune system vs the digestive system.

True food allergies trigger an immune system response and often involve immunoglobulin E (IgE), which are antibodies produced by the immune system. (Non-IgE-mediated allergies also exist but are less well understood.) 

In the case of an IgE-mediated food allergy, instead of fighting off invaders, IgE binds to benign substances like food proteins. These immune system triggers are known as allergens.

In children, 85 percent of food allergies involve cows’ milk, egg, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, or wheat. In adults, the most common allergens include peanuts, tree nuts, and seafood.

To be classified as an IgE-mediated response to a food, symptoms must occur within two hours of exposure. 

Exposure usually occurs through eating, but skin exposure or inhalation of food residue may also activate a response.

Allergen binding causes the release of inflammatory substances that promote recognizable allergy symptoms like skin reactions (hives, rash, and swelling)—the most common IgE-mediated food allergy symptoms—as well as gastrointestinal discomfort (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain), itching or tingling in the mouth, runny nose, and sneezing. Symptoms like difficulty breathing, rapid pulse, dizziness, or fainting may also occur. 

Note that with many of these symptoms, you could be having a severe reaction known as anaphylaxis and should seek emergency medical help immediately.

Unlike food intolerances, food allergies can be fatal. Due to the potential danger of allergy tests, they are typically performed in a specialized clinic.

Both food intolerances and food allergies may play a major role in hormonal imbalance.

Be proactive—not reactive

Reduce then avoid these inflammatory ingredients:

• Refined and modern grains
• Wrong kind of fats
• Refined sugars
• Corn
• Soy that is not traditionally prepared
• All Genetically Modified Organisms
• Pork
• Peanuts
• Foods intolerances such as gluten, dairy, nuts, grains, corn, night shade* vegetables
• Pasteurized/homogenized milk even if organic. For gluten sensitive individuals it’s best to avoid dairy products until inflammation is gone.

*Nightshades include: Ashwagandha, Bell peppers (a.k.a. sweet peppers), Bush tomato, Cape gooseberry (also known as ground cherries—not to be confused with regular cherries), Cocona, Eggplant, Garden huckleberry (not to be confused with regular huckleberries), Goji berries (a.k.a. wolfberry), Hot peppers (such as chili peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, chili-based spices, red pepper, cayenne), Kutjera, Naranjillas, Paprika, Pepinos, Pimentos, Potatoes (but not sweet potatoes), Tamarillos, Tomatillos, Tomatoes

Reset your gut

To reset your gut and system to operate optimally, go on an organic mostly plant based diet for 60-180 days depending on your body’s needs and ability to reset.

Eat colorful produce that have plant intelligence. Color is an important part of our diet. We are biologically programmed to respond to colorful foods. After all, those color signals are how nature lets us know that foods are ripe and ready to eat.

If you are having any inflammation, get rid of all (ancient and modern) grains and gluten (dairy if sensitive to gluten) initially. Then slowly, after your gut heals, re-introduce ancient grains that are properly prepared using ancient wisdom. 

Regardless of whether you are tolerant or not, avoid modern grains that have been processed using modern methods at all times. For a deeper understanding, read Fifty Shades of Grain: The Truth about Eating Bread and Feeling Great

Include gut friendly foods: 

You want your system to be balanced. Since we are mostly made up of bacteria (more than cells), let’s make sure we have more friendly bacteria than not. Probiotics are the “good bacteria” that live inside your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and aid in repairing your gut lining. They’re helpful for supporting the immune system, facilitating digestion, decreasing inflammation, and the production of hormones.

• Fermented foods: yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha
• High in fiber: vegetables, fruits, avocados, raspberries, lentils and split peas, sprouted whole grain and seeds, and legumes (aim for 25-30 grams of dietary fiber a day)
• Prebiotic: bananas, artichokes, chicory roots, oats, garlic, onion, and legumes
• Healthy fats: ghee, coconut oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and olive oil
• Omega-3 fatty acids: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) help to modulate the immune system and are potentially allergy protective. Fish oil supplements are high in omega-3s

Include Low Glycemic foods to keep blood sugar in check:

• Non starchy vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli, spinach, green beans
• Nuts and seeds
• Beans and legumes
• Yogurt and fermented dairy
• Traditionally processed ancient grains
• Fruit
• Healthy fats
• Quality protein
• Acidic foods that act alkaline when consumed – yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, fermented yogurt

If eating animal protein (after you reset your system), make sure it comes from a trustworthy and sustainable source. Organic and fully grass fed meats (with bone intact and slow cooked). Eggs from organically raised pastured free range chickens. Recommended brands are within the Smart Shopping Guide; ask me about it.

Digestive enzymes

These help you assimilate nutrients. The enzyme lactase, for example, helps with absorption of lactose.

What causes a food intolerance?

There are many possible explanations for a food intolerance.  The list below are triggers not the cause. The cause is almost always from body being out of balance; physically, emotionally, energetically, mentally and/or spiritually.

Reactions could occur due to a deficiency in an enzyme required to break down the trigger food, which is what occurs in lactose (milk sugar) intolerance. 

With lactose intolerance, gastrointestinal responses are common and include bloating, cramps, diarrhea, and flatulence.

Fructose intolerance, on the other hand, involves the inability to absorb fructose (found in fruits and added to some foods as a sweetener), or it may be induced by an imbalance of fructose versus glucose in the intestines. Unabsorbed fructose ferments in the colon and leads to symptoms similar to those of lactose intolerance.

Meanwhile, non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a recognized condition associated with consumption of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale. In affected people, eating gluten may cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as anemia, brain fog, chronic fatigue, depression, joint and muscle pain, numbness in extremities, weight loss, and changes in attention. 

In order to diagnose NCGS, both celiac disease (an autoimmune disease triggered by eating gluten) and wheat allergy must first be ruled out.

Overconsumption of a food or food additive can cause unpleasant consequences in some people. 

Naturally occurring chemicals and food additives that are linked with food intolerances include:

• amines (in beer, cheese, chocolate, wine, and yeast extracts)
• glutamates (in cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, stock cubes, and yeast extracts)
• salicylates (in beer, nuts, wine, herbs and spices, jam, honey, yeast extracts, tea, and coffee)
• flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial sweeteners and colorings, preservatives, and sulfites.

Diagnosing food intolerance can be challenging with conventional methodologies

Elimination Diet

Yes, an elimination diets is one way to isolate the food culprit.

It may be effective but it is also very dangerous as it deprives your body of the nutrients it needs to heal.

Basically with the elimination diet, you strictly avoid all suspect foods for at least two weeks to establish whether symptoms abate. Then, reintroduce one food at a time, spaced out over a few days, to determine if symptoms reappear.

Because avoiding a number of foods may restrict your nutrient intake, it is imperitibe to work with a nutritionist or naturopath to ensure you don’t become deficient.

Trying to figure out the culprit through lab test is another good chase.

This is a good time to share one of my client’s story.

Lara came to me a couple of years ago. She was fed up chasing after her health. She was a singer….well she was until she couldn’t sing because her allergies caused nodules which affected her ability to express the only way she loved to.  This was devastating to her. The light inside of her was slowly dimming.  I felt her sadness. My goodness, I couldn’t imagine not being able to dance one day. 

Her doctor was suggesting many invasive and expensive procedures to solve the problem. She was dreading having a huge needle puncture through her skin to biopsy her nodules. 

On top of feeling the loss of not being able to sing, she was experiencing mental fog, moodiness, anxiety and unexplainable weight gain. Her husband left her because she couldn’t be the woman her husband expected! That is another story that she needed to learn that it wasn’t her fault. She was not feeling herself. 

Her hormonal panels showed normal but she was showing all the signs of hormonal imbalance.

At first a functional doctor led her to Paleo diet which “advised” her to consume cauliflower instead of potatoes and cashews instead of cheese

Her Microbiome test said that she was to avoid all four of the above foods.

The Nutrition Genome told her that she needed to consume vitamin A from animal sources.

But her MTHFR test said that she couldn’t eat animal products.

She was so confused because when she went on a “healthy” diet, she gained weight and wasn’t able to take it off. She became allergic to so many things that she had to go on an elimination diet……for a LOOOOONG TWO YEARS!!!!    That made her feel so isolated and disconnected from society and from the joy of eating real food. She wondered “what the hell can I eat?” 

She did not want to turn into a breatharian (someone who lives off thin air)!

Holy Cow!  Can you imagine living life without eating satiating food?!? 

Over the years, she visited 5 “Natural/functional” doctors and nutritionists.  She had put her life savings on lab tests and doctor’s fees. She had spent over $112,000 over the 5 years. She had nothing to show for it except waste of energy, time, money and more confusion, deprivation and hopelessness.

Is that recipe for crazy making or what?

I hear a version of this almost on a daily basis. 

Lara and I worked for a few months on getting to the root cause of her issues. It wasn’t easy nor a quick fix. However, Lara was hopeful and a good student.  Following an intuitive detoxing and nutritional protocol based on her body’s needs, she was able to reset her gut to a balanced mode. Simultaneously, Lara and I were addressing her mind, energetic, spiritual and emotional bodies.  None of it required long term addiction to expensive supplements or deprivational diets nor useless lab tests.  She can now eat good foods and feel included in social settings.  She slowly but surely gained her singing voice back which is bringing joy to her life.