So you went out to eat on Monday night and felt fine…until Wednesday. Then you noticed a bad headache, bloating, and fatigue. So you wonder what you ate on Wednesday to cause it. But it wasn’t what you ate Wednesday. It was what you ate two days ago. Really? Yes. Food sensitivities are tricky and symptoms often don’t happen immediately. Keep on reading for details.
Symptoms
So let’s say you are having some symptoms like brain fog, aches and pains, fatigue, bloating, stomach pain, and stubborn weight gain. Could be a lot of factors that are causing those. But one simple factor that many people overlook is food sensitivities.
What’s the difference in a food sensitivity or a food allergy?
A food sensitivity (intolerance is just another word meaning the same thing) means your digestive system has a hard time breaking down that food. So your digestive system (AKA gut) is sensitive to certain foods or food categories and when you eat them, you may have uncomfortable symptoms like I mentioned above – gas, stomach cramping, headaches, migraines, brain fog, fatigue, heartburn, and trouble losing weight. A food intolerance is not usually life-threatening. And you may be able to eat a small amount of the food without experiencing symptoms. For example, I like to eat nuts. And usually they’re a healthy snack filled with protein, fat, and some carbs. But nuts like almonds cause my joint pain to be worse. So I have to limit them and sometimes totally eliminate them. In fact, I’m currently doing this because I’ve been having some more pain lately.
A food allergy, though, affects your immune system and mistakes a protein or other ingredient as a severe threat. It can cause shortness of breath, hives, swelling, and wheezing. This usually causes a quick response in your body and may even cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. So people who have a food allergy carry an epi-pen (epinephrine) with them at all times.
I have friends who have this or their children do to peanuts, and hives spring up immediately plus trouble breathing. This is scary so if this is you, you shouldn’t eat that food at all or foods with even small amounts in it.
As I mentioned above, nuts cause my joint pains to be worse. But I don’t experience hives or shortness of breath or go into anaphylactic shock. However, since I grew up in Louisiana, we ate a lot of shrimp and shellfish. Since it’s so fresh here. But in my 20s when peeling shrimp I’d get hives. One time shrimp juice squirted in my eye and caused my eye to swell shut. Now I didn’t quit breathing, but those hives indicated a shellfish allergy which I later had confirmed by an allergist. So I can’t eat shellfish anymore.
And so what are some of the most common foods you may be sensitive to?
Here’s a list of the most common: (although your case may be different)
Gluten
Dairy
Eggs
Nuts
Shellfish
Soy
Corn
Sugar
Processed foods
Histamines
Let’s dig a little deeper into some of these:
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley. If you have a sensitivity to it, you have trouble digesting gluten. Now if you have celiac disease, this is an autoimmune disease so you have to avoid gluten the rest of your life because gluten damages your small intestines when you have CD.
Dairy – If you are lactose intolerant, your body doesn’t make enough of the lactase enzyme which helps break down lactose. Lactose is the sugar in dairy products. This is very common to people. And dairy products also contain a protein called casein which may cause inflammation as well which may cause joint pain, bloating, headaches, and foggy thinking.
Also processed foods have a lot of sugar, junk oils, reactive foods listed above, plus chemicals.
Histamines are naturally occurring chemicals in foods such as pineapples, avocados, strawberries, cheese, bananas, and chocolate. Red wine also has them. So if this is you, your body doesn’t make enough diamine oxidase enzyme to break down the histamines which is why you may suffer a reaction.
Why do these cause reactions and sensitivities?
If you have a food intolerance, your body doesn’t make enough of a certain enzyme that your digestive system needs to break down that food or ingredient as I mentioned with dairy and histamines. And expert scientists, doctors, and researchers, aren’t exactly sure why some people develop food sensitivities and others don’t although some GI conditions make you more prone like celiac disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which includes Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
And some experts believe that if you have an autoimmune disease your body is especially sensitive so you may have more reactions to certain foods than others who don’t have autoimmune conditions.
What are complications of food intolerances?
So if food intolerances aren’t a life-threatening emergency, then you might be asking, Leah, why should I even be concerned about this? Well, we eat for fuel and to supply nutrients for our body to function, right? And if you have food sensitivities and avoid certain foods long-term, you may not be getting all the nutrients you need – you know all the vitamins and minerals for excellent health. And if you have nutrient deficiencies long-term, you may experience certain chronic health conditions, illnesses, and premature aging. So you may need to make modifications to help. There are other strategies I’ll be happy to talk to you about privately.
And maybe you don’t have this. Your body may be functioning extremely well so it’s fighting these foods off and you are feeling great. For a while. And then it feels like BOOOM! You all of a sudden can’t lose weight or you have fatigue or headaches – your body is basically toxic due to all these toxic foods you’ve been eating for so long. The toxins have basically build up in your body.
Maybe you’ve been hearing and seeing all the gluten-free items out there and wonder about the hype. You know if someone has celiac, they have to avoid it the rest of their life. But you don’t have that so you think so there’s no point in giving up bread, pasta, etc., right?
Or maybe you are noticing more bloating and stomach cramping – at first after meals but now more frequently. It’s possible you could have some food sensitivities.
So let’s summarize what all we’ve talked about:
Remember, food allergies cause an immediate effect that can be life-threatening whereas a food sensitivity is usually not life-threatening but can cause unpleasant symptoms until you figure out what’s going on. And food sensitivities can lead to nutrient deficiencies long-term.
So maybe that’s you and you don’t have a food allergy where you go into anaphylactic shock. But you have these symptoms of sensitivities. And what’s confusing is you don’t have these right after you eat so you may think NO, It’s not the food I’m eating.
Many people experience symptoms several hours to up to 48 – 72 hours afterwards. As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, maybe you went out to dinner on Monday night and then on Wednesday you start having stomach pains and fatigue and wonder what you ate “that day.” But really it was what you ate on Monday and you are just experiencing a delayed response.
See how tricky your body can be.
That’s why I always talk about being in tune with your own body. Your body is bio-individual. What affects you may not affect me and vice-versa. One of the members in our private group pointed this about soy. She can eat tofu but not soy milk.
So listen to your own body. Don’t ignore the symptoms. If you continue to have these, reach out. Go see your doctor to rule out anything serious. And as I mentioned last week you can do a food diary. Or you can try an elimination diet temporarily.
And if you’re confused and want some guidance from someone who has not only been there personally but helped others walk through this, reach out to me. This is one thing I help clients figure out as a health and wellness coach.
There is hope. Don’t give up. You are not alone.
Leah Cheshire is a national board certified health and wellness coach as well as a speech-language pathologist. After having numerous health issues herself, she embarked on a wellness journey using various nutrition and lifestyle modifications. She then decided to return to school to help others. Leah now works primarily with women who have weight issues, digestive problems, brain fog, and fatigue by providing guidance and accountability to help them decrease symptoms and improve their overall health. If you need help from someone who, not only has helped clients but who also has also been in your shoes, reach out today to set up a free 20-minute session. Click here to schedule.
