Food Sensitivities: Symptoms, Causes, and How to Heal Your Gut
Do you often feel like something you’ve eaten doesn’t agree with you? Maybe you’re experiencing symptoms like heartburn, bloating, or altered bowel habits. Skin rashes, achy joints and sleep disturbances are also lesser-known symptoms.
This is a common condition often caused by food sensitivities. And since we often eat multiple foods in a meal, it can be hard to tell which specific foods may be causing the symptoms. Also, it can take 48-72 hours before the symptoms develop, which further complicates identifying the particular foods causing symptoms.
Why do some people develop food sensitivities? There are a number of reasons. But first, some gut anatomy.
Think of your digestive tract as a hollow tube. This tube runs from your mouth through your anus. Your stomach is highly acidic and it’s where most protein digestion takes place. The small intestine is where most broken-down food particles are digested and transported from this hollow tube into your blood stream. And the large intestine is where digestive waste is formed into poop.
The cells that line the small intestine are just one cell layer thick and they’re covered in a protective mucus layer. Sometimes the process of transporting food particles across these cells can become compromised. There are structures called tight junctions that hold the cells closely together. These tight junctions can become weak and allow undigested food particles to slip thorough. Once in the blood stream, your immune system identifies these improperly digested food particles as invaders. And just like it would for a virus or bacteria, your immune system launches an attack on these particles and antibodies are formed in the process.
The result – your body reacts to the inflammation, and food sensitivities develop.
There are several issues that can cause food sensitivities and it’s not uncommon to have more than one at the same time:
Diet that’s high in processed food and sugar, and low in fiber
Overuse of NASIDS for pain
Infections – viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic
Chronic stress
Chronic inflammation
Autoimmune conditions
Smoking and excess alcohol
Food sensitivities are most often resolved by a combination of:
Identifying the specific foods that are causing inflammation
Eating foods that are healing to the compromised gut
Addressing any of the underlying conditions
This healing process is usually temporary – lasting a few months. Once the inflammation has calmed down and the gut lining is healthy again, the foods that were eliminated can be reintroduced one at a time.
Food sensitivity testing can be useful to help identify which foods are the most problematic. If you’re experiencing frequent digestive symptoms – heartburn, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea, skin rashes, achy joints or sleep disturbances, it may be worth identifying foods and habits that are keeping you uncomfortable.
Schedule a free 30-minute nutritional consultation with me and we’ll make a plan to get you feeling your best again. Schedule your nutritional consult HERE.
