If you don't already know by now. I am a strong believer in the power of the ability of food to either heal you or kill you. If you are on a healing journey or are just looking to clean up your diet, you may have started to look into food sensitivities.
This Wellness Wednesday got a little long, so if you don't like 2 part series then stop reading now and you can read both parts next Wednesday. (Feel free to use coupon code: WW0521 at www.Haelan951.com for free US shipping an any products while you wait) 😉
As you dive down this path you will see all types of testing for food sensitivities, intolerances and even allergies but what does all that mean.
Here is a simple breakdown of these terms.
Food allergies happen when the immune system reacts, typically to a protein in that food or food group. If you have a food allergy, your immune system identifies a specific protein as harmful and makes antibodies. This can result in a range of symptoms from rashes to breathing issues.
Food intolerances are not an immune reaction. This is referring to trouble digesting a specific food. Food intolerances can occur due to a lack of specific enzymes needed to digest a particular food. It could also be a reaction to additives or naturally occurring compounds in that food. Individuals with food intolerances may be able to eat small amounts of a specific food but typically a larger amount will cause issues.
Food sensitivity has no standard medical definition. Sometimes, this term is used instead of food intolerance. Other times, it is used as a catch phrase that includes both food allergies and intolerances. But, MANY times it is used as a marketing term. This is where it gets tricky.
One thing I always tell people is, "as you clean up your diet, your body will realize that you are actually listening to it. Therefore, it will start speaking to you." Things like major life transitions, pregnancy, surgery, sickness and so on can cause your body to change and you may develop a sensitivity to a specific food. So it may be good to revisit this conversation with your body on a regular basis.
Personally, I have tried several types of testing to help detect what foods may be causing me issues. But, there is one thing that works MUCH BETTER than the rest.
One of the first things I tried was a blood test from my doctor. It had about 30 foods that it was testing for like: milk, eggs, wheat and so on. That test came back perfect, no intolerance or allergy. This test measured a protein called immunoglobulin E, or IgE. The presence of IgE antibodies generally indicate an immune system response.
The next one was an IgG blood test that included almost 100 foods. The problem is that IgG antibodies have not been shown to reliably identify either food allergies or sensitivities. You may be reacting to something or you may have just had a large amount of a specific food earlier that day. This test did help me to start identifying foods that might be causing issues, however it still proved unreliable on its own.
This lead me to my favorite solution... an Elimination Diet.
I will get to more on how I do this next week in part 2...
