In this article I reveal the differences between food allergies, food intolerances, and food sensitivities. Why does it matter? The testing and treatment plan will depend on what kind of reaction you are having. Ever wonder why you react to some foods only some of the time? Do you feel like you are reacting to everything? Wondering if food allergies might be causing your heartburn, headaches or other symptoms? This article should shed some light.

First, a caveat of sorts. I want to highlight the fact that food reactions vary from person to person. For some, eating wheat might cause hives, while other might get constipation, or diarrhea…or migraines…and the list goes on. This is one of the reasons identifying adverse food reactions can be so challenging on your own. I use either an elimination diet or testing - or sometimes both with my patients. Feel free to schedule a free discovery call to learn more.

How to identify? Elimination diet, ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) serum tests for IgA, IgE, IgG and IgG4, with compliment C3d. The gold standard is the elimination diet and reintroduction challenge.

What to do if you have food sensitivities? Identify and remove offending food, heal the gut, and then carefully reintroduce that food.

How to identify? Elimination diet, hydrogen breath test (lactose), skin prick test (histamine) and a variety of blood tests.

What to do? This one is a little more complicated, depending on the intolerance. For example, if you are lactose intolerant, you’ll want to avoid dairy that contains lactose (not all of it does!), and for some, taking lactase enzymes allows them to continue eating lactose. Some intolerances, however, like histamine or oxalate, may have developed as a result of poor liver function, genetic variations, microbiome imbalances or even chronic stress, so understanding the underlying cause will inform your treatment plan.

Most of my recipes are gluten free, including my Buckwheat Crepes and Creamy Cauliflower Soup. My Gut-Healing Meal Plan is also gluten free and packed with gut-happy recipes.

So, in summary:

• Food sensitivities and intolerances can be helped with dietary changes and/or gut healing, but the underlying cause should be identified before treatment.

• Reactive foods can be identified via the elimination diet and reintroduction challenge (gold standard) or testing.

• Understanding which foods or food groups you are reacting to is necessary for the healing process to begin.

  
  

Remember, one-on-one professional guidance is just a click away, book your free discovery call here.

You deserve to be well!

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 The views and nutrition, naturopathic and herbal recommendations expressed by Camille Hoffman and Hoffman Natural Health’s programs, website, publications and newsletters, do not constitute a practitioner-patient relationship, are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service and are for informational purposes only. The statements and content found in these programs, website, publications and newsletters have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The treatments described may have known and unknown side effects and health hazards. Each user is solely responsible for their own healthcare choices and decisions. Camille Hoffman advises the website user to discuss these ideas with a healthcare professional or physician before trying them. Camille Hoffman does not accept any responsibility for any positive or adverse effects a person claims to experience, directly or indirectly, from the ideas and contents of this website. 

SOURCES

1. Elli, L. et al. (2015). Diagnosis of gluten related disorders: Celiac disease, wheat allergy and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. World journal of gastroenterology, 21(23), 7110. doi:https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v21.i23.7110

2. Tuck, C. et al. (2019). Food Intolerances. Nutrients, 11(7). doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071684

3. Vasquez, A. (2016). Textbook of clinical nutrition and functional medicine, Volume 2, fouth edition