Written by Tenesha | Dec 9, 2024 4:28:32 PM
Food allergies are misunderstood. Does your body react badly to certain foods? You’re not alone. Food allergies are common but are often misunderstood by doctors and patients alike. If you’ve seen a doctor for food allergies, it’s likely their solution is simply to have you avoid those foods. This can make life miserable, especially when they’re foods you love. In our experience, we’ve found that patients are rarely allergic to the foods that cause them issues. Rather, many common food allergies are food intolerances. This means the gut lining doesn’t function at its best and it can’t break down or absorb certain foods.
Sources of food allergies and intolerances
Food allergies have become more common over the past decade, however, we believe food intolerances are actually to blame. Research shows that an imbalanced diet and consuming too much processed food depletes the body’s stomach lining and can cause Leaky Gut Syndrome (often mistaken for IBS). If nutrient-dense, natural foods like carrots or beets cause discomfort, we’ve found that the foods aren’t to blame – it’s the stomach. To overcome this, we help our patients rebuild and heal their gut lining, rather than avoid wholesome, nutritious foods and ignore the root problem. You can learn more about the RepairVite Diet here. Better gut health impacts more than food intolerances or allergies – it can increase your quality of life on many levels! Think brain function, skin complexion, sleep, immunity... to name a few.
Symptoms of food allergies and food intolerances
It’s easy to ignore some of these symptoms or pass them off as a “normal” reaction to eating certain foods. Common reactions cause by foods that impact your gut can include:
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea or vomiting
- Bloating, cramps and gas
- Constipation
- Difficulty sleeping
- Headaches
- Mood swings or irritability
- Skin inflammation
- Hives or itchy skin
- Swollen lips or eyelids
- Tightness of the throat
- Wheezing, coughing, or difficulty breathing
- Unable to lose weight or weight gain
- Joint pain and Inflammation
Common actual food allergies
Even though food allergies are often intolerances, there are several foods that certain people can’t tolerate at all, even with gut repair. Some foods you may need to permanently cut out of your diet include:
- Cow’s milk and dairy products (casein)
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Wheat (gluten)
- Corn (zein)
We work closely with you to determine if issues from these foods are the result of a damaged gut or if they’re true allergies. The most reliable method we use is food allergy testing.
Food allergy testing & what it can tell you
If you experience any of symptoms from the list above, it’s time to get tested. We use food allergy testing to determine which foods your body has trouble processing as part of the Discover & Reveal stage of The Infinity Way™. Our patients can now access testing from KBMO Diagnostics , creators of the most sensitive food tests available. With a simple blood draw or fingerstick, their technology measures food sensitivities for up to 176 different foods and can test for:
- Food dyes, preservatives, and chemicals in foods
- Gut permeability to identify Leaky Gut Syndrome
- Antibodies for diseases (Autoimmune Disease, IBS, Celiac Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis)
- Gluten and dairy intolerances
- Candida and other bacterial infections in gut
KBMO Diagnostic tests results include a 7-day meal plan for your specific results, created by a registered dietician. Keep your information handy on the go with their convenient mobile app! Another way to determine which foods trigger symptoms is the Elimination Diet. It’s a simple, at-home process of removing certain foods from your diet for 2 weeks, then reintroduce them to observe your body’s reactions. Learn more about the Food Allergy Elimination Diet here . Guided by your test results, we then remove the trouble foods from your diet during the Cleanse & Heal stage to repair and rebuild the gut. This process can take 6 to 9 months, but the benefits can be life-changing; most patients get retested and find fewer red flags! Our patients often find they can handle limited amounts of their problem foods after 3 months because we healed the gut’s permeability. We’ll work with you to create a custom diet and supplement regimen that takes into account your allergy test results so you can live symptom-free! Make an appointment with one of our functional medicine practitioners to find natural relief for food allergies or intolerances.