Food sensitivities can affect the body with a myriad of symptoms. Often people are not aware of the many ways that the body can react to foods. There are different types of food allergies or sensitivities. The less obvious and non-life-threatening type of food sensitivities are usually the culprits that are much harder to recognize as the offenders as the reaction is often delayed.
Symptoms related to delayed response food sensitivities normally occur within 30 minutes to 3 days after eating the offending food! The symptoms can be anything from headaches, digestive issues, eczema and chronic colds to name a few. 95% of people with food allergies have this type of allergy. Delayed onset sensitivities can be detected through a blood test called an ELISA IgG Food Allergy Panel or by an allergy elimination diet.
Immediate response food allergies or IgE allergies usually occur within 30 minutes of consuming the allergen and the symptoms are often severe and even life threatening. Only 5% of people with food allergies have this type of allergy. Scratch testing is often how these allergies are detected.
Most Common Food Sensitivity Symptoms:
(read more details on each of these below)
- Acne
- Childhood bed wetting
- Digestive issues
- Eczema
- Headaches/Migraines
- Joint pain
- Mood disorders
- Recurring Ear infections
- Sinus issues
- Weight gain
Common Food Sensitivity Symptoms
Sinus congestion, infections and sinus pain are a common result of food sensitivities. Ingesting allergenic foods can cause the sinus passages to inflame and produce mucous. Elimination of the offending allergenic food leads to clear passages and easy breathing!
In childhood bed wetting, spasms chronically constrict the bladder muscles which leads to smaller bladder volume and less ability to hold urine, especially overnight.
One researcher measured bladder volume in bed wetting children by threading a balloon into the bladder and inflating it to measure the volume. After the offending food allergies were eliminated, not only did the bed wetting disappear but when he measured the bladder volume again, he found that it had increased by as much as 50 percent (and even more in some cases). Discovering which food your child is sensitive to will very often eliminate bed-wetting!
Food sensitivities are common especially in the first three years of life. As many as 79% of children with recurrent ear infections develop them because of food sensitivities or allergies. The most common foods that children may be sensitivities or allergic to are:
- Dairy
- Soy
- Eggs
- Wheat/Gluten
- Fish
- Peanuts
The reaction can cause the tube connecting the ear to the throat to swell. When this happens, fluids that normally contain bacteria in the throat get trapped in the ear. The warm, dark tube in the ear is a perfect place for bacteria to grow. This can cause an ear infection to develop. Once the underlying food sensitivity has been identified and eliminated, the ear infections clear up.
Food sensitivities are the number one cause of acne and the worse the acne the more likely food sensitivities are involved. Eating a food to which the body is reactive to leads to a continuous toxic reaction. In such a case, the immune system fights the food as if it were an invading organism. This can cause inflammation in the skin resulting in acne. Eliminating the specific food sensitivity completely clears the skin in most cases
When the immune system overreacts to certain foods, the increased histamine in joint tissue causes inflammation and irritation. The inflammation of the joint tissue causes swelling which places excess pressure and stress on the joints, leading to pain and arthritis symptoms! Eliminating food sensitivities dramatically decreases the pain!
Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have been linked to delayed onset food sensitivities. Certain foods produce inflammation and irritation in the digestive system. This inflammation results in symptoms like gas, bloating, cramping, diarrhea and/or constipation. Studies have shown that elimination of foods producing an IgG reaction can alleviate IBS symptoms. This has been proven MANY times in my practice with patients! Removing the food sensitivity eliminates the IBS symptoms time and time again!
Researchers have discovered that the deposition of antibody-allergen complexes in nervous system tissues may contribute to hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, inability to concentrate and other mood disorders. There is also compounding evidence that eliminating IgG food sensitivities improves attentiveness in children as well as depression and/or anxiety in all ages.
Antibody-allergen complexes which occur in food sensitivities or allergies cause inflammation which then leads to fluid retention and weight gain. To fight the inflammation, the body releases a chemical called ghrelin which also happens to be an appetite stimulant. Thus, IgG food reactions can cause weight gain in two ways: fluid retention and increased appetite!
Many people with chronic headaches suffer from them for years with no permanent relief. Whether you have migraine headaches, tension headaches, sinus headaches or an undetermined form of headache, it is very possible that you are suffering from food allergy or sensitivity-induced inflammation. Recent research on migraines indicates that food sensitivities mediated by IgG-type antibodies can be specifically to blame. I personally suffered with chronic headaches for over a decade until I discovered that I had an egg sensitivity. Once I stopped eating eggs, my daily headaches completely went away!
It is estimated that nearly 100% of people suffering with itchy and bothersome eczema have some type of allergy or sensitivity! Testing can uncover the culprit and by eliminating the offending food the eczema often clears quite quickly.