Food Intolerances or Allergy?
Food intolerances or allergies? A lot of people don’t know the difference between allergies and food intolerances - and that’s okay because I’m here to help.
I didn’t know much about food intolerances, except that I was lactose intolerant. The most common food intolerance that you hear is lactose intolerance. That’s when people can’t digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy.
They often can feel this within 30 minutes to a two-hour window after consuming it. I didn’t realize that the food I was eating was affecting my whole body as a whole system. I’ve shared my story before about my experiences with doing testing for my chest pains, fatigue, itchiness and swollen feet All the tests that my medical doctor did came back clear… I was on paper labeled as “perfect health”. I wasn’t though, and some days I couldn’t get out of bed. It wasn’t until I met my naturopath and she told me it was my food. My food? I was eating “healthy” though; but my body was not reacting well to what I was putting into it. I did the hypersensitivity test known as IgG testing, and I eliminated the foods that were marked as elevated. Two weeks later my symptoms were disappearing. That opened the door to helping people – I’ve heard many people suffer and a lot of it is diet.
When food irritates your stomach and you’re not able to digest it properly that’s an intolerance. My story has more to it, but I felt a lot of pain at moments and couldn’t understand why. Here are some symptoms that come along with intolerances.
Symptoms that come with an intolerance
Gas
Cramps
Bloating
Heartburn
Headaches
Irritability
Stomach pains
Low energy
Food Allergy
When we get a reaction to food immediately after eating is an allergy. Symptoms may look like hives, nausea, stomach pain, swollenness, diarrhea, vomiting and redness typically indicate an allergic reaction. It’s immediate and if you’ve experienced this more than once you’d probably already received an IgE testing to confirm the food or know you can’t digest it because of the harmful effects. With food allergies, it’s a life-threatening reaction.
How to find out what’s eating you up?
You’ve done testing, and nothing shows up – but every time you eat a certain food it doesn't sit well. We hear this a lot more than you think, and you probably dismiss it from time to time. If a food is not digesting well, or it’s giving you issues it can stress out your body as whole. It does this by creating inflammation, and inflammation attacks the body. It can lead to further upsets, low stomach acid and organ system dysfunction if we are not paying close attention to how our food is making us feel. With food intolerances it’s a slow painful process that leads to a lot of sickness.
Find out which foods and how much causes disturbances. Avoiding them, or reducing the amount may help not trigger symptoms. Keeping a diary of this is great and you can always refer back to it.
IgG testing is available if you don’t want to keep a food journal. Natural health care practitioners like Alex Muirhead or a naturopath can perform the blood test in their office.
Read food labels, and check ingredients for your trigger foods. Some items may say “natural” or “pure” but often have hidden ingredients that may be causing discomforts. Also, items may have MSG or other additives that cause symptoms – making you feel ill.
Be mindful when eating out, as they may not list all the ingredients on the menu. Ask them specific ingredients within the meals. You don’t want a good night ruined by trips to the washrooms.
If you’re experiencing symptoms after eating that you can’t explain, but feel - I recommend the food journal, it’s cost efficient and the gold standard. You’ll build your intuitive skills as you’re listening to your body.
Food is essential for us to live, but nutritional food for your body gives you the power to enjoy living.
Please note this is not medical advice as I don’t know your medical history or background.
