Food sensitivities are increasingly common nowadays.
Do you experience any of these symptoms? If so, it may be related to the food(s) you’re eating.
Food Allergy is an IgE reaction of the body’s immune system to a food or food ingredient that it recognizes as “foreign.” A true food allergy can cause tingling in the mouth, hives, swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, trouble breathing, dizziness, fainting or anaphylaxis. It can also cause nausea, vomiting, cramping and diarrhea, signs and symptoms that can also happen with a food intolerance. Food allergies tend to be higher for children, African-Americans, males and those with asthma.
Food Sensitivity is a non-IgE reaction (IgG, IgA, IgM) in which an individual experiences an adverse reaction to a food, a food ingredient, additive or nutrient. A food sensitivity involves the digestive system and the immune system, and even brain function. You can probably eat small amounts of the food without an immediate reaction, however if you continue eating foods that your body considers harmful, inflammation increases, gut function is compromised, and your immune system is affected.
Food Intolerance (similar reaction as food sensitivity) is when you body is intolerant to a specific food, and unable to breakdown, assimilate, digest or absorb a food, food ingredient or additive. (i.e. lack of digestive enzymes, pancreatic enzymes, bile or hydrochloric acid (HCL).
Foods and chemicals on our food that are responsible for 90% of food sensitivities
Food sensitivities are unique to each person. Aside from the top offenders, you can be eating the healthiest foods, and these may be the very foods that you’re sensitive to and are problematic for you.
“One man’s food is another man’s poison.”
☑️ Watch this 4 minute video for a simple technique to help you discover if you have hidden food sensitivities.
Years ago, Dr. Arthur Coca popularized the “pulse test” for food allergies. He found that some (but definitely not all) allergic individuals have a significant increase in their resting pulse rate after eating a particular food allergen. Others have observed that eating certain trigger foods causes them to retain fluids, which manifests as a significant weight gain that doesn’t disappear by the next morning (like most water-weight gain) caused by inflammation.
The Solution. Once you detect and rule out the specific food sensitivity, eliminate the specific food for a full 12 weeks, and then reintroduce the food.
What you can expect. Endless health benefits: Better sleep, less belly bloating and brain fog, relief from headaches, joint and muscle pain, a surge in energy, less anxiety and depression, lower cortisol, flatter abs, healthier digestion and elimination, weight loss, and clearer, healthier, younger looking skin.
When you eliminate the foods you’re sensitive to, specifically dairy, gluten, wheat, artificial sweeteners, soy and sugar, you may experience withdrawal symptoms similar to withdrawal from other addictive substances like caffeine, nicotine, drugs and alcohol.
To avoid food sensitivities, it’s important to get into the habit of rotating all foods every day, add diversity to your diet, and read the list of ingredients on all products.
Eat a diversity of nutrient-dense organic foods. On a rotation diet, a food is only eaten once every 4 days. So, if you have eggs on Monday, you will not eat eggs again until Friday. Keep a daily food journal of everything you eat for one week. This can help identify foods that may be posing a problem for you.
Food Sensitivity Testing. If you continue to experience persistent health issues without relief no matter what you do, you may want to consider a thorough screening even if you get a negative result on the at-home self-test. You may consider a food sensitivity test (a non-IgE reaction test) such as an IgG, IgA or IgM test that is completely different than the IgE food allergy test, the skin prick test. It’s important to realize that these tests come with many false negatives and false positives.