10 Symptoms of Food Allergy or Intolerance

An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system abnormally overreacts to a foreign, otherwise harmless substance. Whether it’s eaten, inhaled through the lungs, injected, or simply touched, the immune system recognizes it as a red flag danger. In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system produces antibodies that cause histamines to release into the bloodstream. The histamines trigger allergic reactions such as coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, rashes, and scratchy throats. Severe cases, known as anaphylaxis, can cause difficulty breathing, asthma attacks, and even death. There is no cure for allergies, although new research linking the bacterial microbiome in the gut with higher risk of certain allergies is making a promising link that some allergies may be connected to lack of certain species of gut microbes. The future of food allergy treatment could very well be all about gut health.

If you have an allergic reaction you may notice a red skin rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or even a drop in blood pressure. Most people know what their allergies are at a young age, but some can develop later in life. The best way to get allergy tested is to go to an allergist and have either a skin prick test or a blood test. Both the blood test and the skin prick tests detect IgE antibodies to specific foods. (IgE is “immunoglobulin E,” the antibody that triggers food allergy symptoms.)

The most common food allergies diagnosed today are: Eggs, fish, milk, tree nuts (including hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, and Brazil nuts), peanuts, shellfish (including shrimps, mussels, and crab), soy, and wheat.

Food Intolerances

Food intolerance symptoms are not life-threatening and usually have a more delayed reaction time, anywhere from 1 to 36 hours depending on the level of sensitivity. They can cause a cocktail of symptoms including rashes, puffiness, migraine headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, stomach pains, cramping, difficulty concentrating, irritability, etc. Food intolerances can be misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, ADHD, chronic fatigue syndrome, auto-immune disease, Lyme’s disease, eczema, psoriasis and other chronic health conditions. Infertility can even be related to food intolerances. Like allergies, an intolerance can develop at any age.

I see a lot of clients with both food allergies and food intolerances. Food intolerances are much more tricky to figure out because you won’t get a positive IgE test like you would with a classic allergy. But, you can still feel like you got hit by a truck even if you only have an intolerance. Doing an elimination diet is key; that means taking out certain foods or groups of food for a period of time. With food allergies, we often have to look at cross-reactive foods to successfully eliminate all of your triggers and get you feeling human again. I will never tell you to stop antihistamines or steroids but I hope that one day you may be able to abandon them on your own. Believe me when I say I know your pain. I think no matter what, you have to work with someone who’s been there.

Many of my clients have already tried eliminating wheat, gluten and dairy by the time they find me; however they are still have flare-ups and can’t figure out why.

Why are Food Allergies on the Rise?

This is the million dollar, or if you add in the pharmaceutical industry + Monsanto’s profits, the trillion dollar question. I am not a medical doctor and I can only speak from personal experience, but in my non-medical opinion, I think there are 3 major reasons why food allergies have been on the rise, especially in the last 20 years:

1. More genetically modified foods (GMO) in the food chain containing unnatural proteins in high amounts, making the body over-reactive to all types of natural proteins found in normal food;
2. Years of over-prescribed antibiotics that have disturbed natural gut flora and eliminated many good bacteria needed to digest proteins in food;
3. Massive overuse of pesticides and chemical food additives that simply put the body into toxic overdrive.

Sadly, most research is combined with trials of new drugs and does not look for natural “cures.” If you don’t believe me, check out this announcement from John Hopkins researchers where they’ve a “made the connection” between restless leg syndrome and high levels of glutamate in the brain…and guess what? They’re going to make a new drug for it! Of course, no doctor will tell you to simply stop eating foods high in Monosodium Glutamate to reduce your high glutamate levels naturally! Do you see what we are really up against here?

Release Date: May 7, 2013 Johns Hopkins researchers believe they may have discovered an explanation for the sleepless nights associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS), a symptom that persists even when the disruptive, overwhelming nocturnal urge to move the legs is treated successfully with medication. The small new study, headed by Richard P. Allen, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, used MRI to image the brain and found glutamate — a neurotransmitter involved in arousal — in abnormally high levels in people with RLS. The more glutamate the researchers found in the brains of those with RLS, the worse their sleep. If confirmed, the study’s results may change the way RLS is treated. Allen says there are already drugs on the market, such as the anticonvulsive gabapentin enacarbil, that can reduce glutamate levels in the brain, but they have not been given as a first-line treatment for RLS patients.

How to Find Relief

When you work with me, I start by asking about your symptoms. Do you have headaches, are you sensitive to light? Do you have trouble concentrating? Hot feet at night? Sticky eyes? It’s like a maze; when I get a YES, I know which way to turn and ask again. After that, I ask a series of questions in great detail about what you eat. If you use tomato sauce, I might ask to read me the ingredients. If you use supplements, I ask which ones and what brands. If you eat yogurt or rice pasta or get vegan soup from your local veggie restaurant, I may ask to track down the ingredients. I ask what kind of oil, vinegar, spices, and even what type of salt you use. I want to know what you order when you go out and what your favorites foods are. I know what patterns to look for with your symptoms because I’ve worked with over 4,000 clients and I’ve learned the patterns.

I can save you years of misery by personalizing an elimination diet for you. Once we identify your high allergen foods, I help you understand how to order at restaurants, what to do when traveling, how to deal with social situations and essentially how to live a safe and healthy life even with food sensitivities. I may also advise some type of detox program and added steps to rebuild your gut health, depending on the case.

I explain the reasoning for every change so you understand and learn what to look out for in the future. You do NOT have to go on a raw food or even vegan diet to get results.

Two things you will need to succeed in overcoming food allergies and intolerances:
1) Patience.
2) Perseverance.

That’s the reality. Take a deep breathe, accept that it will take time but know that you CAN find relief.

For these cases, it is essential to book a Skype session so we can discuss your situation in detail. Usually there is a progression of steps and it takes time in between to see what’s working. In my experience, the 2-month program is best for real results.