By: Judy Davie, Founder of The Food Coach
 Anyone with a food allergy knows about it. The body experiences an immune reaction to a specific food, the effect is immediate and the reactions can be fatal. It might sound slightly perverse to suggest that it's better to have an allergy than a food intolerance but at least with an allergy you know about it. You identify the offending food and avoid it altogether.
A food allergy is often called a true allergy and classified as a Type 1 food allergy. With food intolerance the body will also experience an immune response but the antibodies produced (IgG) differ to those produced with an allergy (IgE). Reactions may be felt several days after eating the offending food/s and as a result, food intolerance can remain undetected for an entire lifetime. People live their lives in a semi state of wellness and suffer from a range of symptoms which include any, some, or all of the following:
Common symptoms of food intolerance
| RESPIRATORY | Respiratory problems, rhinitis, sinusitis, asthma, sore throat | | GASTROINTESTINAL | Vomiting, bloating, cramps, nausea, feelings of fullness, constipation, diarrhoea, colic, IBS, digestive problems, crohns, coeliac disease | | SKIN | Eczema, dermatitis, acne, psoriasis, redness, dry skin | | CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM | Migraines, headaches, vertigo, trouble concentrating, depression, hyperactivity | | ARTHRITIC CONDITIONS | Arthritis, muscle pain, weakness, cramps, fibromyalgia | | EYES | Dry eyes, watery eyes, redness, puffy eyes | | ENDOCRINE SYSTEM | Type 1 & 2 Diabetes, thyroid problems | | CARDIOVASCULAR | Arterial hypertension | | WEIGHT | Weight gain, weight loss, obesity |
Food intolerance caused by a damaged gut
It's the classic chicken and egg question, what comes first, the damaged gut or the food intolerance?
While the chicken and egg question remains a mystery, with food intolerance, it's a damaged gut. Food intolerances can only occur when the intestines are inflamed and /or damaged. In today's world any number of things including stress, infections, medicinal and recreational drugs, overeating, an imbalance of intestinal bacteria, and even aging, can damage the gut. As a result the gut becomes more permeable and undigested foods or food parts slip through the intestines into the bloodstream where they are recognised by the immune system as being foreign. Back to the chicken and egg scenario, a symptom of increased IgG antibodies may include further inflammation and irritability to the digestive lining, consequently this results in an increase in food intolerances.
Food intolerance-an epidemic
The British Allergy Foundation assumes that 45% of the population in Europe and the U.S. suffer from food intolerance, with women twice as badly affected as men. Given that the Australian diet is comparatively similar to that of the UK and the USA, it is fairly safe to assume a similar statistic for our own country.
Testing for food intolerances
In Europe, food gastroenterologists, paediatricians (especially those who specialise in behavioural disorders), ENT specialists and dermatologists use food intolerance testing as a regular part of their consultation practise, and while it is gradually gaining recognition in Australia it is still considered more 'alternative' here than overseas.
To conduct a test, a blood test is taken and the blood is then analysed to ascertain whether IgG antibodies, the body's built-in markers of specific food intolerances, are present. Nowadays we no longer have to subject ourselves to overly restrictive elimination diets to identify, sometimes inaccurately, intolerance to broad categories of foods. Tests today pinpoint specific food intolerances and that means that we no longer have to cut out complete food groups.
With blood testing, if the test result showed, for example, an intolerance to tuna, a person could still enjoy salmon, snapper and other species of fish. A test that showed an intolerance to cow's milk might still allow goat's milk, cheese and yoghurt. It therefore allows you to eliminate "problem" foods while maintaining a balanced diet free of any food intolerance. There are various food intolerance tests available, the most comprehensive test, identifying up to 272 trigger food types. The test not only identifies offending foods but also shows the level of intolerance, from mild to severe.
So how do you know if you have a food intolerance? Well, you may have a food intolerance if you experience some of the following:
You often feel tired after a meal
You are afflicted by flatulence, constipation, diarrhoea or by irritable bowel syndrome
You have weight problems and/or your weight changes quite drastically from day to day or you struggle with obesity
Your complaints get better if you fast
You are plagued by inflammatory skin diseases and by itching
You suffer from migraine, chronic fatigue or even depression
You have to cope with hyperactivity /attention deficit problems
You suspect you might have a gluten (wheat) intolerance
You have symptoms that seem related to foods or to meal times
A personal note
Let me finish with a story that plagues me today.
Growing up as a child we were encouraged to drink milk. My father was a dentist and he believed we should drink milk for calcium and strong teeth. And while my mother supported his views she did not drink it herself. (My mother had been in a car accident as a child and had all her teeth knocked out so from that respect she probably felt it didn't matter). She also didn't like milk.
In her 70's she introduced milk to her diet as a preventative measure to avoid osteoporosis. Each day she diligently drank three large glasses of milk with each meal. A few years later she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. At no time during her treatment did any of the doctors suggest that this late onset condition may be a result of food intolerance. She was prescribed the standard anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and I sat quietly back bowing to medical expertise.
What I suspected back then I am more convinced of today. My mother suffered from an intolerance to cow's dairy.
It is too late for my mother, who died in 2007, but not too late for anyone who instinctively knows he/she could feel better.
It you suspect you suffer from a food intolerance please don't self diagnose and eliminate entire food groups. Take the test and then armed with accurate information manage your diet accordingly. Don't forget if you are intolerant to one or more foods you can plan your meals and eliminate these foods from your diet as a member of the Food Coach Club. If you are not a member join here
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