By Dr. Lucy Gade

Food Sensitivities Are On The Rise

Food sensitivities are on the rise. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 20% of people worldwide may suffer from food intolerance.

If you are experiencing…

• Unexplained loose stools or constipation
• Gas, cramps, and bloating
• Skin conditions (eczema, acne, psoriasis, and dermatitis)
• Headaches
• Brain Fog
• Joint pain
• Anxiety or Depression
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Hormone imbalance

…then read on!

Recent studies suggest that our Standard American Diet and poor lifestyle habits can negatively affect our gut by causing inflammation, and lowering immunity. Due to their wide range of symptoms and the delay of onset of symptoms (sometimes up to 48 hours), food sensitivities can be difficult to diagnose.

Food Sensitivity Signs & Symptoms

Because food sensitivity symptoms can overlap with other medical conditions, it is often overlooked as a potential cause. Eliminating food sensitivities is a helpful first step to uncover the root cause of many symptoms and illnesses.

What causes Food Sensitivity?

Stress and the Standard American Diet are two of the most common reasons for food sensitivities. They both play a role in disrupting the gut microbiome (good bacteria) and contribute to leaky gut.

What is Leaky Gut?

The intestinal lining determines what things can get into the bloodstream from the gut. In a healthy gut, the intestinal lining is resistant to harmful substances. In someone with “leaky gut” the lining has microscopic cracks, holes, or windows, that allow partially digested food, toxins, and bacteria to penetrate the tissues and enter the bloodstream.

Once these larger food particles are in the bloodstream, the immune system reacts and creates an inflammatory response to protect against them. The immune system is able to remember these “foreign invaders” and every time it encounters one, an inflammatory response follows. Repeated consumption of trigger foods leads to continued inflammation.

Stress

Chronic stress is a big risk factor for developing food sensitivities. When the stress hormone cortisol is released in high amounts it can decrease secretory Immunoglobulin A (IgA). Secretory IgA is an immune antibody that is the first line of defense against bacteria, food residues, yeast, parasites, and viruses in the gut. When it is decreased, the integrity of our intestinal lining is disrupted. This disruption also leads to leaky gut.

The Standard American Diet (SAD)

The SAD diet is loaded with processed, high inflammatory “foods” that contain additives, fillers, processed oils and artificial colors and sweeteners. These “foods” are not recognized by the body and trigger the immune system to create an inflammatory response when they are consumed. The body starts to make antibodies to attack these foreign substances to protect you, but long-term consumption leads to GI inflammation, unbalanced gut bacteria, and eventually leaky gut.

A General Approach to Food Sensitivities

One of the first steps to address food sensitivities is eliminating the food or foods that are causing symptoms. This is called an “elimination diet,” and elimination diets are the gold standard for identifying what foods are bothering you. An elimination diet is a short-term diet that helps identify foods your body can’t tolerate well and removes them from your diet. The five most common foods that lead to sensitivities are: eggs, wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, and nuts.

How do you do an elimination diet?

An elimination diet is divided into two phases: elimination and reintroduction. The elimination phase involves removing foods you suspect trigger your symptoms for a short period of time. Eliminate foods that you think your body can’t tolerate, as well as foods that are notorious for causing uncomfortable symptoms. During this phase, you can determine if your symptoms are due to foods or something else. The next phase is the reintroduction phase, in which you slowly bring eliminated foods back into your diet. Each food group should be introduced individually, over 2–3 days, while looking for symptoms. Some symptoms to watch for include:

• Rashes and skin changes
• Joint pain
• Headaches or migraines
• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping
• Changes in breathing
• Bloating
• Stomach pain or cramps
• Changes in bowel habits

If you experience no symptoms during the period where you reintroduce a food group, you can assume that it is fine to eat that food and move on to the next food group. If you do experience negative symptoms like those mentioned above, then you have successfully identified a trigger food and should remove it from your diet. The best elimination diets are the most restricting. The more foods you remove during the elimination phase, the more likely it is that you will discover which foods trigger uncomfortable symptoms. I don’t recommend removing ONLY one food at a time since most people have SEVERAL food triggers and by only removing one or two of your triggers you will still not feel well if you have five or six foods that are a problem for you.

What can you eat when doing an elimination diet?

Although an elimination diet is very restricting, there is still enough variety to make healthy and delicious meals. Some foods you can eat include:

• Certain fruits: Avoid citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits and high glycemic foods such as bananas and grapes.
• Fruits: Most fruits, excluding those listed above.
• Vegetables: Most vegetables, excluding nightshades.
• In some cases, Grains: ncluding rice and buckwheat.
• Meat and fish: Including turkey, lamb, wild game and cold-water fish like salmon.
• Dairy substitutes: Including coconut milk.
• Fats: Including cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil and coconut oil.
• Beverages: Water and herbal teas.
• Spices, condiments and others: Including black pepper, fresh herbs and spices (excluding cayenne pepper and paprika) and apple cider vinegar.

Benefits of an Elimination Diet

Besides helping you discover which foods cause uncomfortable symptoms so you can remove them from your diet, an elimination diet has many other benefits, including:

➀ It May Reduce Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common gut disorder that affects between 10–15% of people worldwide. Many people find that an elimination diet improves IBS symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps and gas. In one study, 150 people with IBS followed either an elimination diet that excluded trigger foods or a fake elimination diet that excluded the same number of foods but not ones linked with uncomfortable symptoms. People who followed the actual elimination diet reduced their symptoms by 10%, and those who best stuck to the diet reduced symptoms by up to 26%.

➁ It May Help People With Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a chronic condition where allergies trigger inflammation of the esophagus, the tube that delivers food from mouth to stomach. People with EE have difficulty swallowing foods that are dry and dense, increasing their risk of choking. Studies have shown that elimination diets are effective for improving symptoms of EE.

➂ It May Reduce Symptoms of ADHD

ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is a behavioral disorder that affects 3–5% of all children and adults. Studies have shown elimination diets may reduce symptoms of ADHD. In one analysis that looked at 20 studies that restricted certain foods to improve ADHD symptoms, researchers found that elimination diets helped reduce ADHD symptoms among children who were sensitive to foods. However, children should not follow an elimination diet unless supervised by a medical professional.

➃ It May Improve Skin Conditions Like Eczema

Eczema is a group of skin conditions that appear as red, itchy, cracked and inflamed skin. There are many different causes of eczema, but many people find that eating certain foods can worsen their symptoms. Several studies have found that elimination diets may reduce symptoms of eczema. In one study of 15 participants with eczema, 14 found that an elimination diet reduced their symptoms and helped identify their trigger foods.

➄ It May Reduce Chronic Migraines

Roughly 2–3 million people in the US alone suffer from chronic migraines. The causes of migraines are still unclear, but studies have shown that inflammation could be a trigger. An elimination diet removes foods that cause inflammation and has been shown to reduce chronic migraines.

Risks of an Elimination Diet

Elimination diets should only be followed for a short period of time, or between four and eight weeks.

• Following an elimination diet for longer could cause nutrient deficiencies.
• Pregnant women should not do an elimination diet.
• Children and people with known or suspected allergies should only do an elimination diet under the supervision of a doctor.
• Underweight individuals may lose more weight and need to be monitored closely.
• Anyone with disordered eating issues such as anorexia or bulimia may not be candidates for a restrictive eating approach.

What are Food Sensitivity Tests and are they Effective?

If you think that you may have a food sensitivity that could be causing symptoms, then consider doing an elimination diet. Remember, the elimination diet is the gold standard for identifying food triggers as well as a treatment to get rid of food sensitivity symptoms. Here’s the caveat: if you’re removing foods from your diet at random, it can take a long time before you necessarily find the specific foods you’re sensitive to or you may never find them if you have multiple sensitivities. This is where a food sensitivity test can be powerful.

How do Food Sensitivity Tests Work and Which is the Best?

Food sensitivity tests measure IgG antibody levels. When IgG is elevated, your immune system is reacting to a particular food trigger. By measuring IgG levels to foods you can create a list of your specific food triggers. These triggers can then be avoided or used to guide you in your food elimination plan. In our office, we use the KMBO Food Inflammation Test (FIT). KBMO has developed the FIT Test, which measures sensitivities to up to 176 different foods, coloring and additives spanning all major food groups.

• The sample is obtained at home by doing a finger prick, placing a drop of blood on the blood spot card, and mailing it to the laboratory.
• Foods tested are then reported according to no reaction, mild reaction, moderate, high reaction and severe reaction.
• For accurate results, the foods being tested need to be consumed for at least four weeks prior to testing or “no reaction” to that food will be detected by the test. For example, if you know you have a dairy issue and do not consume dairy, the test will be unable to show a dairy sensitivity.
• Absence of a detected sensitivity does not definitively exclude a sensitivity. It may just mean a lack of exposure. So, when interpreting the test results this needs to be kept in mind.
• If you KNOW you have a reaction to a specific food however, do NOT add it in “just to confirm” that you have a reaction.

How does having food sensitivity testing results help?

When patients discover which foods they are sensitive to, they should begin an elimination diet and take out reactive foods for at least 8-12 weeks and assess if there is improvement or reduction of symptoms. By removing offending foods, patients respond more quickly and appropriately to other dietary and lifestyle changes.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Food Sensitivity tests don’t usually test for lactose intolerance or Celiac disease.
• Most food sensitivity tests only test for sensitivities to the proteins in foods, not sugars. If for example you have an IgG response to dairy, this means you are sensitive to the proteins in milk (casein or whey protein), not necessarily the lactose (sugar).
• Food sensitivities should not be avoided forever. But, there is a strict removal and introduction phase: trigger foods should be avoided for at least six weeks and up to three months. Once clinical symptoms have resolved, re-testing or re-introducing yourself to the food sensitivities can tell you if your food sensitivity has resolved.
• No food sensitivity test is necessarily 100% accurate. It is best used as part of an overall intestinal healing program.

Thinking that you may have food sensitivities but not sure what to do next?

If you think you may have a food sensitivity but are not sure, we can help. You can work with our team of doctors and health coaches to perform an elimination diet and/or undergo specialized testing to identify the root causes of your symptoms and get you on track to feeling better soon. With proper testing and treatment, along with nutritional guidance and education, individuals can regain their gut health and enjoy their favorite foods again.

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For more information about my wellness programs and my practice, check out my website drsadaty.com. Hey Look!  You are already here… Ready for the legal disclaimer? Information offered here is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. As with any health recommendations, please contact your doctor to be sure any changes you wish to consider are safe for you!