Putting the wrong foods in our digestive tract can result in inflammation of the gut resulting in increased permeability of the gut wall, allowing toxic substances to enter the bloodstream. (See The continuum of life). From there they can spread throughout our body and cause many symptoms. Many people nowadays suffer from food sensitivities, many of our kids as well.
What is the difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity (or food intolerance)?
A food allergy is an immune-mediated reaction to the food. Your immune system identifies a protein in what you eat as an invader, and reacts by producing antibodies to fight it. Food allergies cause an immediate reaction such as skin rashes, swelling, itching, difficulty breathing, dizziness, digestive issues, and anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal (1).
Food sensitivities and intolerances are more common than food allergies, but less known. They don’t involve the immune system and are usually not life-threatening. Since they are also not immediate they are harder to detect. Foods that can’t be broken down properly in your digestive tract will cause inflammation. The gut wall becomes leaky and toxic substances access the bloodstream (1,2).
They cause symptoms like:
– abdominal pain
– bloating, burping
– reflux
– diarrhea
– constipation
– headaches
– fatigue
– joint pain
– brain fog
– asthma
– eczema
– allergies
Since chronic inflammation is the common factor of most diseases, eating inflammatory foods can in the long run also cause and aggravate more severe issues like autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes, mental health problems and even cancer. (3,4)
Common culprits that lead to inflammation in the gut are:
– processed foods (food additives like preservatives, artificial colors and other chemicals (5)
– all GMOs (soy and corn for example are mostly GMO in the US)
– gluten
– dairy
– eggs
– nuts
The best way to identify a food sensitivity is through an elimination diet. Eliminating the most common triggers like gluten and dairy for several weeks is probably a good place to start. GMOs and food dyes also need to be completely and definitively avoided. If eliminating all the common triggers for a few weeks does not show an improvement in symptoms, there is a good chance that your child’s favorite, most commonly ingested foods are triggers. I know, it is very challenging to take away your child’s comfort foods. So, key for an elimination diet with kids is always to start by introducing new foods, finding several new foods your child really likes, before eliminating anything. This may take several weeks, but it’s ok. In the long run it will totally pay off. Then, start eliminating chemicals and processed foods first, eliminate everything on the common culprit list for several weeks. After the symptoms subside you can start to re-introduce the foods, one at a time, just like when you first introduced solid foods to your baby’s diet, and assess for symptoms.
Food sensitivities often end up causing chronic debilitating health issues. When detected early they can save many years of suffering and lots of medical expenses down the road. Today’s healthy diet can and will replace tomorrow’s meds. Please help your child thrive, they deserve it!
A good place to start could be the rainbow challenge. Check out my post Eye-opening “eat the rainbow challenge”. Enjoy!
(1) https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/food-allergy-sensitivity-difference#food-allergies
(2) https://www.verywellhealth.com/most-common-food-sensitivities-1944845
(3) https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Inflammation_A_unifying_theory_of_disease
(4) https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0954852028/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
(5) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/food-dyes-linked-to-allergies-adhd-and-cancer-group-calls-on-us-to-outlaw-their-use/
