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Food Sensitivities vs. Food Allergies There is increasing evidence that food sensitivities are more common and have a wider and more varied impact on our health than previously realized. Although often equated with food allergies, food sensitivities also include food intolerances which, unlike allergies, are toxic reactions to foods that do not involve the immune system and are often more difficult to diagnose. Many of the symptoms of food sensitivities including vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the stool, eczema, urticaria (hives), skin rashes, wheezing and runny noses, are associated with an allergic reaction to specific foods. However, food sensitivities may also cause fatigue, gas, bloating, mood swings, nervousness, migraines and eating disorders. These symptoms which are more commonly related to food intolerance are less often associated with the consumption of food. Clinical research is accumulating evidence that the sensitivity to food can also increase the severity of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and other diseases normally not considered food related. So what are food sensitivities? Let us help you understand more about the causes of food sensitivities, how they affect your health and how the World's Healthiest Foods website can help you to select the foods that will help you maintain optimal physical, mental and emotional well being. WHAT ARE FOOD SENSITIVITIES? Food sensitivities include many different types of sensitivities to food which may arise for a wide variety of reasons making it a complex, oftentimes confusing and not easily defined area of study. Diagnosis can also be difficult because symptoms may be delayed for up to two days after a food has been consumed. In general, food sensitivities are the result of toxic responses to food and are divided into two categories: allergic responses; and food intolerances. Food Allergies Involve the Immune System Food allergies are defined as toxic clinical reactions to food or food additives that involve the immune system. The immune system is a complex system whose cells and molecules are found throughout your body to protect it from potentially harmful foreign molecules. It is most active in the areas of the body which have some direct contact with the outside world such as the skin, lungs, nose and gastrointestinal tract. The majority of potentially harmful molecules enter your body through your intestinal tract therefore, it is not surprising that over 60% of immune activity occurs in this area. The immune system is made up of a team of different types of cells that, while each having their own specific function, work together to protect the body from foreign invaders: B-cells produce antibodies; T-cells conduct surveillance for potentially dangerous molecules and kills dangerous cells such as disease-causing bacteria; and macrophages are the scavenger cells of your body acting like garbage trucks, cleaning up residue and removing potentially dangerous substances. A surveillance team of cells determines whether newly introduced molecules pose a threat to your system. New molecules are constantly being introduced into the intestinal tract by the food that we eat. An allergic reaction occurs when your body identifies molecules as potentially harmful and toxic; these molecules are called antigens. The surveillance cells bind to the antigens activating the immune cells to release histamine and other chemicals which then signals the scavenger macrophages to come to the site and destroy them. Allergic reactions involving excessive histamine release can cause anaphylactic reactions (difficulty in breathing) which are responsible for 29,000 people in the United States ending up in the emergency ward each year. When the surveillance immune cells bind to an antigen and send out chemical messengers, they also communicate to other immune cells, the B-cells, which are instructed to make antibodies to the antigen. Antibodies are long, branched molecules that have places for recognition and binding (attachment) of the antigen on one side, and a site on the other end that can call into action other immune responses. An antibody will only bind one specific antigen and nothing else. When the antibody binds, or sticks, to the dangerous molecule it is acts like a red flag identifying the molecule as something potentially damaging that should be removed. Your macrophage cells are often called the "scavenger" cells of the immune system and are specifically designed to remove damaging molecules from the body. After the antibody binds to a dangerous molecule the macrophages consume the molecule, taking it out of circulation and destroying it. Symptoms of Food Allergies The most common symptoms for food allergies include vomiting, diarrhea, blood in stools, eczema, hives, skin rashes, wheezing and a runny nose. Symptoms can vary depending upon a number of variables including age, the type of allergen (antigen), and the amount of food consumed. It may be difficult to associate the symptoms of an allergic reaction to a particular food because the response time can be highly variable. For example, an allergic response to eating fish will usually occur within minutes after consumption in the form of a rash, hives or asthma or a combination of these symptoms. However, the symptoms of an allergic reaction to cow's milk may be delayed for 24 to 48 hours after consuming the milk; these symptoms may also be low-grade and last for several days. If this does not make diagnosis difficult enough, reactions to foods made from cow's milk may also vary depending on how it was produced and the portion of the milk to which you are allergic. Delayed allergic reactions to foods are difficult to identify without eliminating the food from your diet for at least several weeks and slowly reintroducing it while taking note of any physical, emotional or mental changes as it is being reintroduced. Foods That Cause Allergic Reactions Over 140 different foods have been identified as causes of allergic reactions. The foods that are most frequently associated with inducing allergies are: Cow's milk is one of the first foods to consider eliminating from your diet when attempting to determine the foods to which you may be allergic. It contains over 25 different molecules which have been identified by scientists as having the potential to elicit an allergic food response. One of the most common allergens in cow's milk is a protein called casein which is used in many products and is even found in soy based foods to boost their protein content. If you suspect an allergy to cow's milk you should also avoid other products made from or containing milk including cream, creamy sauces, ice cream and milk chocolate. How a food has been prepared, processed, handled and stored can also have an effect on whether a food will cause an allergic reaction. For example, some molecules responsible for allergic reactions can be destroyed by heat. Individuals with allergies to cow's milk have reported that drinking heated milk does not cause the symptoms associated with their milk allergies suggesting that the molecules that are toxic to these individuals have been destroyed by the heating process. However, the molecules in peanuts that can cause highly toxic responses in people allergic to peanuts are known to be very stable and unaffected by even long periods of heating. What Foods Can You Eat If You Have Food Allergies? Among the foods which are least often associated with any type of food allergy are: Winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes are not only uncommon as allergens but also provide exceptionally rich sources of health promoting phytonutrients. Electing to eat organically grown foods also helps avoid the intake of pesticides and other allergy producing toxins. Food allergies involve a unique interaction between an individual and particular foods. Listen to your body. There are no hard and fast rules as to what foods cause allergic reactions. You may be able to tolerate the more commonly allergenic foods while unable to tolerate a food which is rarely associated with allergies. Your personal health status and history of eating habits are also consideration when evaluating potential food allergies. The best approach for managing food allergies is to follow the Allergy Avoidance Diet to help determine the foods that may be problematic, and then avoid eating those foods. The World's Healthiest Foods website can help you design a menu for your own specific needs that will enable you to avoid the foods that are toxic for your body, while maintaining variety in your diet and enjoying good tasting, easy to prepare meals. HOW DO I DETERMINE THE FOODS RIGHT FOR ME? Have you ever kept track of what happens to you after you eat certain foods? Many healthcare practitioners and physicians believe that the only definitive way to identify the foods that are toxic to your body is by using the Allergy Avoidance Diet and keeping a diary of symptoms. The Allergy Avoidance Diet is described in more detail on this web-site. In an Allergy Avoidance Diet (also called an Elimination Diet), any food that is suspected to cause an allergy or intolerance reaction is removed from the diet and replaced with foods that are least likely to cause a toxic response. The hypoallergenic foods, or those foods with a low-allergy-potential, include pears, apples, most vegetables, most beans and legumes (except peanuts, which are actually a legume rather than a nut) and the "non-gluten" grains (such as rice, millet, quinoa, and amaranth. Rice is particularly beneficial as part of the Allergy Avoidance Diet as it is also not on the list of the 20 foods that are most likely to contain pesticide residues and is not known to contain goitrogens, oxalates, or purines. Whole, organically grown, brown rice is an excellent choice for an Allergy Avoidance Diet. The foods most likely to cause a toxic response include cow's milk, wheat, gluten-containing products, nuts, shellfish and fish, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, and foods with artificial colorings or preservatives. Citrus foods and tomatoes are often included as foods to avoid, depending on the suspected food sensitivities. A food and symptom diary is kept while on the Allergy Avoidance Diet. After a period of two to three weeks, foods that have been avoided can be carefully re-introduced one-by-one while keeping a diary of symptoms. This re-introduction of foods is called the "Challenge" phase of the Allergy Avoidance Diet, and only one suspected food should be reintroduced at a time. A period of two to four days per food introduced should allow time for delayed-response symptoms to appear. Without this time period, you might determine you are sensitive to the wrong food. If your symptoms are significant, you should consider working with a healthcare practitioner during the challenge period since re-introduction of a food to which you are extremely sensitive can result in more severe symptoms. <<< Back to Nutrition Article Archive |
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