Are You Allergic To The Food You’re Eating?

Part One
I think I first realised I had a problem with food when I was about 16 or so. I used to feel tired most of the time and feel bloated with a really hard and stretched tummy after eating a lot. It took me a few years to put the puzzle together, some time at a natural medicine college and loads of reading but I finally figured it out – I had a problem with wheat. I stopped eating it and hey, presto! The problem went away, seemingly overnight.

I find that well balanced nutrition and health for our uniquely individual bodies often occurs in this way. First, we start to become aware of some discomfort or pain or physical eccentricity. Second, we eventually connect that with the act of eating certain foods or behaviours. Third, we do some research, talk to people, go see a health practitioner, ask google or otherwise educate ourselves and lastly, we identify the potential culprit and take it away. Problem solved.

For some, the journey is as simple and straightforward as that. Some people seem to know what foods don’t work for them and so easily avoid them. For others though there can be years between each of these bricks in the road – the path can seem to meander wildly and lead to some bizarre and frustrating discoveries. We’re doing all this stuff for our health but still there’s something’s wrong! We know something’s not quite right. We feel like we should be healthy but we’re not.

Having a closer look at food allergies, food intolerances and food sensitivities can help to fill in the puzzle. This is a big area and as with many health areas, there are differing and conflicting views. This 3 part article aims to give you a brief look at the way our bodies deal with the food we eat and how to become aware of potential reactions that can be damaging to our health, energy and vitality every day. We’ll also have a squiz at some practical ways to address food issues. intolerances and sensitivities.

So what is a food allergy, food intolerance and food sensitivity?

Technically, food allergies are an abnormal response of the body to normal foods. This response or reaction can range from extremely mild to downright deadly according to the intensity of the reaction. The defining factor of what makes a food allergy an allergy is the immune system involvement – our immune system identifies something harmful in a particular food (or, more specifically to proteins in a particular food) and launches a campaign to protect us by releasing massive amounts of histamine and other chemicals that are meant to keep us safe. Instead, in a person who is allergic to a particular food, this reaction can cause rashes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, hives, swelling of the tongue and face and anaphylaxis. People who are majorly allergic usually know about it and so carry around with them an “epipen” containing epinephrine which relaxes the airways.  Other less life-threatening allergies can be handled by strict avoidance of foods that aggravate. Very common food allergies include shell fish, soy products, dairy, peanuts, eggs, tree nuts, and wheat.

Food Intolerances are different to food allergies in that they don’t have an immune system component – they don’t cause a cascade of reactions in the body and are instead, chemical reactions. Food intolerances are the response to certain foods that the body does not have the enzymes to utilise. Lactose intolerance is a common one that we hear about. In lactose intolerance, people lack the enzyme to break down the sugar in milk and so when they eat dairy products they can get symptoms like diarrhea, headaches, bloating and pain in the tummy. Food intolerances are also different to allergies in that sometimes a person with the intolerance can eat small amounts of the offending food without having any problems. Common intolerances are to dairy, chocolate, eggs, flavour enahancers like MSG, food additives and preservaties, strawberries, tomatoes, citrus fruits, gluten and wine.

Food Sensitivities are pretty much the same as food intolerances but I differentiate them here to highlight the experience of many people who’ve been eating a particular food for many years and all of a sudden, being unable to tolerate it – our bodies can become “sensitive” over time and as we change our bodies responses change. Many who’ve ventured into the world of whole food nutrition for a while and then contrasted this with splurges on less than optimal food often experience food sensitivities and symptoms from food. This may simply be a question of increased awareness – perhaps this food always had this effect on you but you just didn’t notice before? Or perhaps it represents a cleaner slate showing more clearly the damaging effects of food we’ve avoided for a while.

Do you know anyone with a food allergy or intolerance? Have you identified foods that simply don’t work for you? What’s your experience of your body responding to food?