Are there certain things you find that you eat that don’t sit right after you eat them? Or have you experienced a scary, immediate reaction after eating something?
You may have an allergy to a certain food or a sensitivity—but are they different, and if so, how?
These two terms are often used interchangeably, so it can get confusing.
At In Touch Counseling, Janelle Adams, MA, LMFT, ATR, can help you get back on track to feeling better if certain things you’re eating are causing you consistent gut distress or even more serious symptoms. Through a thorough evaluation and testing, they can determine whether you have an allergy or a sensitivity, and guide you to a way of eating where bloating, chronic stomach upset, and other unpleasant symptoms are things of the past.
If you have a food allergy, it’s defined by an immune system reaction to the food. Unfortunately, this also means that life-threatening reactions can occur. A prime example is when a child has a peanut allergy, gets exposed, and suffers anaphylaxis, leading to frightening symptoms like breathing problems, vomiting, and hives.
Other symptoms include:
This list of symptoms illustrates how serious an allergic reaction to something you ate can be. Other things to remember are that the allergic reaction occurs rapidly after eating the food, and you can experience this type of intense reaction even if you only eat a tiny bit of the food you’re allergic to.
What’s happening with your immune system when you ingest a food you’re allergic to is that it incorrectly identifies specific proteins in the food as enemies. This leads to your body producing immunoglobulin E (IgE), an antibody that prompts the body to release histamine, a chemical that causes these symptoms.
Common food allergies include peanuts and tree nuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, and shellfish.
Though a food sensitivity can produce similar symptoms to those of an allergy, they’re not nearly as severe, reveal themselves over hours or days rather than instantly, and the immune system doesn’t play a role in how symptoms play out. You may also be able to eat a certain amount of a food before sensitivity is felt, while with an allergy, even a small amount causes trouble.
Research about food sensitivities is ongoing, but it’s thought they’re associated with the body’s inability to break down certain compounds in sensitive food. Sensitivities cause systemic inflammation and symptoms like stomach pain, fatigue, skin rashes, and brain fog.
Food sensitivities are often caused by:
FODMAPs are carbohydrates that are difficult to digest for some people, while salicylates are substances often found in plants.
Food allergies can appear at any time in life, and the key guideline to follow in order to avoid dangerous, serious allergy symptoms is to avoid food at all costs. This takes effort, since you’ll need to check at restaurants when you order whether the thing you’re allergic to is contained in a particular dish — even in trace amounts. The same applies when you’re a dinner guest at a friend’s house or wedding. You must be proactive about protecting yourself.
At In Touch Counseling, we offer helpful food sensitivity testing if you’re puzzled as to why you’re having food-related symptoms that disrupt your quality of life. Though testing can be done via a blood draw, through the process of eliminating certain foods over time, or skin prick tests, we offer a simple, minimally invasive testing option that involves just one finger prick, thanks to our partnership with Yorktest, an award-winning food sensitivity and allergy testing company.
The test calculates the amount of IgE antibodies in your bloodstream and is useful for helping you and your In Touch Counseling Services provider discover and address a food sensitivity. It can also uncover a host of conditions you may need treatment for, including autoimmune conditions, ADHD, eczema, anxiety, and more.
Armed with the information the testing provides, you can work with Certified Nutritionist Brittany Butler to create an eating plan that serves you best and cancels out uncomfortable food sensitivity symptoms. This testing and treatment lead to enhanced well-being.
To learn more about problematic symptoms your diet may be causing, contact our Camas office at 360-953-8740 or use our convenient online booking tool.
