Food sensitivities

Did you know that the following symptoms can all be indicators of food sensitivities?

• Skin rashes— including eczema (atopic dermatitis)

• Bloating

• Fatigue

• Acne

• Headaches and migraines

• Abdominal pain

• Gas

• Heartburn

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

• Nausea

• Irritability, mood swings

• Dry itchy skin (especially at night)

• Frequent ear infections

• Nasal congestion

• Post-nasal drip

• Weight gain or inability to lose weight

• Joint pain

• Asthma

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Puffiness or dark circles under the eyes

• Insomnia

Food sensitivities tend to be multi-factorial. This is one of the reasons why the symptoms of food sensitivities can extend far beyond the digestive tract. The adrenal glands and your stress levels play a role, as does your immune system, and your gut health. Because of this, we are seeing food sensitivities develop later in life, not just in childhood.

Adrenal glands and stress: When your stress levels are high, especially over the long-term, your body can become extra sensitive and reactive to foods. It starts to see them as a threat when under normal conditions (times of lower stress) it would not react. The longer you are under stress, the more likely your body is to be over-reactive to foods. This can lead to multiple food sensitivities over time. Chronic stress can also lead to altered immune system function over time.

Immune system: A large part of the immune system is in the gut, which explains why the immune system and digestive system affect one another. Food sensitivities are often related to a hyperactive immune system which means that your immune system is seeing foods as a threat and reacting as if it is something to get rid of, rather than just a food to be digested by the immune system. This can come from overall poor immune function, long-term stress, inflammation, leaky gut, drug and alcohol use, and poor diet choices.

Gut health: Your gut health is affected by what you eat and also what you don’t eat. Your gut needs a healthy balance of bacteria and this balance is largely determined by your diet.

Things that negatively affect your gut health and microbiome include:

-          Antibiotic use

-          Antacid use

-          Eating processed foods

-          Eating sugar or artificial sweeteners

-          Low fiber intake

-          Lack of probiotics.

So, the best ways to help rebalance your gut microbiome and improve your gut health include:

-          Avoid sugar and processed foods

-          Eat naturally fermented foods and supplement with probiotics

-          Ditch the antacids and antibiotics as much as possible

-          Avoid artificial sweeteners

-          Eat plenty of fiber

-          Eat a diverse diet to maintain a diverse gut bacterial ecosystem

Don’t let food sensitivities take over your diet. Figuring out what your food sensitivities are and what’s causing them is key to helping you get your food freedom back. Contact Dr. Sahni today to schedule your appointment and get to the bottom of your food sensitivities.