Food Sensitivities & Intolerances

How do you support people with food sensitivities and intolerances at Collective Health Center?

When it comes to our nutrition and diet, there are so many wonderful things we can incorporate to keep our bodies functioning at their healthiest both inside and out. But for a lot of people, food sensitivities and intolerances can block them from being able to enjoy and receive those nutrients. Everything from skin rashes, chronic intestinal issues, and headaches affect millions of people worldwide and are caused by some type of food sensitivity and related diseases.

Before diving into how to help manage sensitivities and intolerances, we must discuss the difference between the two as well as the difference between them and a food allergy. Every body is different in the way that it processes and handles different foods. By looking into whether it is a sensitivity, intolerance, or allergy, I am able to work with my patients on an individual level to identify nutrition that works best for their bodies.

While all three of these conditions are our body’s responses to certain foods, food intolerances are the only ones that are not associated with an immune system response to foods. Food intolerance is, simply, where a food does not agree with us. Intolerances are caused by our bodies not being able to break down certain foods. A lot of the time this is seen with dairy products (ie lactose intolerance), but can also seen with a number of other foods including foods high in caffeine, salicylates, amines, sulfites, FODMAPS, or fructose.  Because of this lack of food breaking down, intolerances can cause gut inflammation otherwise known as leaky gut or intestinal permeability which can, in time, create more health problems down the line.

A food sensitivity is taking intolerance up a level by impacting the immune system of our bodies. With sensitivity, the cells in our body have a negative response to the foods and end up causing inflammation to occur as a result of our immune system trying to protect itself. Unfortunately, a sensitivity can stay in your system for up to a few days before showing any sign of immune response. A food allergy on the other hand usually is displayed much more instantly. Our bodies identify the agent that is causing irritation – whatever it is we are allergic to - and will cause an immune response to send help to fight the allergen and cause inflammation almost immediately.

To combat sensitivity or intolerance, we must figure out what our bodies are indifferent to. There are different tests and methods to help identify the foods causing imbalances and point in a direction of inflammatory foods. The gold standard for determining food sensitivity is through an Elimination Challenge Diet. While bloodwork and other testing may show what we have some intolerances with, the Elimination Challenge Diet is an additional important step that can help affirm which symptoms can be provoked by specific foods.

So, what exactly is this Elimination Challenge Diet anyway? It is the process of cutting out the foods that you may be sensitive or intolerant to for enough time to reset our immune system then gradually incorporating it back into our system to see clear reactions, if any at all. Like all immune based tests, this challenge will only pick up on immune responses of foods that a patient is already eating, so it is not useful if you are already on a restrictive diet. I have a lot of patients who are already on restricted diets when they come to me with these issues and have found that dietary diversity is key to not only helping prevent issues like food sensitivities, but to also optimize the gut’s immune-health!  This diet helps us to truly understand our sensitivities and intolerances. I have seen that often patients are able to build up resilience for foods that may not be severe intolerances, expanding their nutritious foods options and dietary diversity, which is so important for overall health.

By identifying the specific sensitivities, I am able to help my patients provide great relief as well as support to debilitating health issues. Once the triggers are identified, I work with each patient individually to create methods and strategies that allow them to still enjoy foods and proper nutrition. In some instances, it is complete avoidance to those kryptonite foods that are determined with the Elimination Challenge Diet, and other times it may require food rotations that bring these items back into our diet for a little while. With the rotation, we should always know our limits so that we can still enjoy those foods without overdoing it and consuming too much or too frequently.

Interested in trying out the Elimination Challenge Diet or learning more about food sensitivities and intolerances? Reach out to me via the contact form below to get started on a nutritional plan that works individually for your lifestyle and body!