Allergies, Histamine & Gluten Intolerance
Most people are not born with food allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances – they’re acquired.
While some individuals may have genetic predispositions that play a part, most adverse reactions to food develop later in life, and for a variety of reasons. Those factors can range from chronic stress and medication use to repeated exposure to common food additives. In other words, normal life in the modern world!
Just as the reasons for food reactions can vary, the symptoms they cause can also be different from one person to the next. You might experience painful gas and bloating every time you eat wheat, while your neighbor with the same sensitivity might complain of headaches and an itchy rash.
There are actually three different types of reactions to food that can prove problematic: allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances. Each one has its own distinct causes and mechanisms in the body, and understanding them is crucial to your well-being.
Food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerances are not the same thing.
So what’s the difference?
Despite the fact that some people use the terms interchangeably, the three types of food reactions are all different.
1) Food allergies are caused when a specific food protein comes into contact with the intestinal walls or lungs. The body mistakenly identifies that protein as harmful and mounts an immune response, releasing antibodies and other chemicals, including histamines to help flush the targeted proteins out of the body.
Food allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe and may include hives, itching, swelling, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, and life-threatening anaphylaxis. The most common food allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.
2) Food Sensitivities involve a more complex immune reaction that triggers different antibodies and chemicals than food allergies. Food additives such as sulfites, aspartame, MSG, synthetic food dyes, and preservatives like BHT and BHA are common sensitivities, as are gluten (the proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye) and casein (dairy protein).
Food sensitivity symptoms are generally less severe than food allergies and can include gastrointestinal issues, headaches, fatigue, and joint pain. To add to the confusion, these symptoms are often delayed, occurring hours to days after consuming the offending ingredient. Leaky gut is almost always to blame for new food sensitivities.
3) Food Intolerances involve the digestive system, rather than the immune system. They occur when the body lacks certain enzymes needed to digest specific components of food. For instance, a lactose intolerance makes it hard to process the sugars found in dairy. Symptoms of food intolerances are primarily gastrointestinal and can include bloating, gas, diarrhea, and stomach pain.
In the US alone, food allergies increased by an alarming 50% over the past two decades. Common allergies like peanuts and tree nuts more than tripled during the same period, and medical procedures used to treat life-threatening food allergies skyrocketed by 380% over the past 9 years.
That trend is mirrored globally, and instances of food sensitivities and intolerances have climbed even faster. Why? Scientists have a number of theories, and they all center around changes in modern dietary habits and food processing methods, as well as exposure to environmental pollutants.
Sometimes, people also develop something called “histamine intolerance,” where symptoms are triggered by an overabundance of histamine. (You might remember histamine as one of the chemicals your body releases during an allergic reaction.) When histamine is too high, your body can have an immune response to foods that would otherwise be fine, simply because those foods contain or release a lot of histamine themselves. Foods like strawberries, bananas, cured meats, aged cheese, yogurt, coffee, and chocolate are the most common problems for people with histamine intolerance.
Regardless of the root causes, having a bad reaction to something you eat can be scary and painful. We need food to survive, and humans are designed to find eating a social, comforting activity. It’s not easy when food becomes a source of distress instead.
All three types of food reactions are on the rise.
When food starts to feel like the enemy, it’s time to call in reinforcements.
Ann Arbor Holistic Health wellness experts have the tools, knowledge, and personal experience it takes to help you navigate food reactivity. Food sensitivities don’t show up on traditional food allergy testing, so modern functional labs are a great place to start. However, it’s also key to understand exactly why you’re reacting to food in the first place.
The Right Tests
We can help you understand the results of both food sensitivity testing and comprehensive gut function analysis to identify not only which foods are problematic, but also why food sensitivities developed at all.
Next-Level Nutrition
Knowledge is power. Once you know which foods are triggers for you, you can avoid them and begin to restore balance. We can help you with that, so you never have to worry about what’s for dinner.
Whole-Body Wellness Plan
All of the systems in your body are interconnected. Finding and supporting other areas in need can strengthen the entire body, resulting in fewer sensitivities over time.
The Unexpected Truth Behind Phil's Persistent Cough
Food reactions can affect us in unexpected ways. Phil was a 63-year-old client who had a chronic cough for nearly half his life. He worked with people every day, and the cough interfered with his ability to perform his job. Sometimes he would be forced to leave work early, other times he would wake to the sound of his own wheezing.
At the age of 48, he began seeing a pulmonologist. His pulmonologist was extremely knowledgeable. However, the medications that were prescribed only numbed Phil’s discomfort. Nothing he tried provided any long-term relief. When Phil was hospitalized with bronchitis and pneumonia, he accepted that he would live with his cough forever.
Frustrated, but still intent on improving his quality of life, Phil began to look into other influencing factors. He started to read more about how food reactions might affect the respiratory system. Journal articles and websites continuously highlighted the correlation between the two, and Phil decided to schedule a free consultation at Ann Arbor Holistic Health.
During his consultation, he learned about food sensitivity labs and decided to get tested. His results were positive for a significant number of foods. Phil removed these inflammatory foods from his diet, and his respiratory symptoms resolved themselves within a month. Phil has been cough-free ever since.
Phil’s results were life-changing. What would your life be like if you discovered the root causes behind your symptoms and eliminated them?
Warning Signs of Food Sensitivities
Fatigue, drowsiness, or low energy
Frequent headaches or migraines
Stomach bloating, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or flatulence
Clumsiness, lack of coordination, or brain fog
Chronic cough, bronchitis, asthma, colds, or flu
Eczema, psoriasis, acne, or other chronic skin problems
Aching joints or backache
Gradual weight changes
Ringworm, jock itch, or yeast (candida) infections
Miscarriage or infertility
Hemorrhoids, mouth ulcers, or ear pain
Cravings or addiction
Gluten sensitivity, gluten intolerance, and celiac disease are all different. It’s important to know how and why, so you can be aware of what to look for in your own body.
Celiac disease is more than just an upset stomach. It can impair the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and can lead to more serious health issues if left undiagnosed. Find out the facts.
Testing for food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances can provide in-depth analysis about 96+ different foods all at once to find out which ones might be an issue for you.