So, you might have some foods you eat that you know “Don’t agree with you”. If you are able to identify these, consider yourself lucky! In many cases, we are consuming foods all the time that are causing health issues, but we don’t even know that they are causing a problem.
If you eat something and immediately feel bloated, have other digestive issues or get a runny nose, you know that food wasn’t something you should eat very often. But, sometimes those issues can take around 72 hours or more to show up as an issue. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember what I had for breakfast 3 days ago! So, we go about our lives and continue to eat these foods while they are continuing to have a negative impact on our health.
Did you know that these foods are actually causing an immune reaction in your body? It’s similar to a full-blown allergy like the famous peanut allergies or the allergies we can have to things like pollen, mold or ragweed in the air. That is why they don’t show up on a ALLERGY test. They are not allergies, they are SENSITIVITIES. It’s just not as severe of a reaction, and it’s a lot less immediate. Over time, however, these foods, if continued to be consumed, can have huge health consequences.
As you immune system becomes involved, some of these foods may look like different organs and tissues in the body, so auto immune conditions can be triggered by food sensitivities. Poor digestive health overall can make this problem worse, so an evaluation of food sensitivities must always be accompanied by a deep dive into over digestive health to make sure the lining of your gut is in good shape and not “leaky” where these substances can get into your bloodstream and cause issues.
Food sensitivities can cause overall inflammation in the body and make you feel achy, sore and stiff. That is what inflammation does, lights a fire in your body. As mentioned above, they can also trigger autoimmune conditions. I have seen food sensitivities cause breathing problems that mimic asthma. Once addressed, the results were nothing short of totally amazing! Headaches are another common complaint that can be traced back to food sensitivities.
Being tired, having digestive difficulties, struggling with headaches and breathing problems might seem totally unrelated to what you eat, but I have seen it in many instances. Those types of problems steal your joy, make you grumpy and lay a foundation of poor health for the future. All from eating something that you might have never guessed was an issue for you.
The elimination of Wheat products and Dairy products is usually a great starting point if you suspect you are eating something that doesn’t work for you. But, in some cases there are still some other foods that are causing your body to have an immune reaction. There are several different ways to dig deeper into that. They include keeping a detailed food journal, using heart rate variability along with a food journal and functional blood testing that reacts your blood with a number of foods (and environmental allergens) to determine if an allergy or sensitivity exists. The third option is what most people prefer because it’s easier than keeping a journal and tracking everything you eat and closely monitoring your heart rate variability (which takes a special device or fancy fitness tracker).
If you suspect you are eating something that doesn’t make you feel well, working with a Functional Medicine professional, like myself, can have a huge impact on your health. It may be what finally helps you finally get the results you are looking for with your health!
To your health,
Dr. Jeni
