Food intolerance is a reaction to natural chemicals in our food that causes inflammation and a variety of unpleasant symptoms, affecting up to 20% of the population. It is different to an allergy, which is a full-blown IgE-mediated immune reaction, usually to the protein in a specific food and affects around 4% of people. Intolerance is either a delayed immune response involving IgG antibodies, or a nervous system reaction, and both can present with very similar symptoms to allergy*.
Humble potatoes (moderate salicylates, powerful antioxidant)
Food chemicals are in every food in varying amounts and certain groups of foods contain similar chemicals. For example, salicylates are found in many brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices and honey. Amines are in processed meats and fish, cheeses, most nuts and seeds and sauces. Glutamates are both natural and artificial (MSG), and have that rich, umami taste. Histamine-containing foods (wine, cheese, chocolate), sulphites (in wine and dried fruits) and other additives can also cause adverse reactions. IgG immune reactions are more commonly to foods such as wheat, gluten, dairy and soy, but can be to any food, not just high chemical foods.
Keep it under your threshold
Quantity is the key with intolerance. Eating a little of the foods you’re intolerant to might not cause a reaction, however once a person’s threshold for that chemical has been reached, symptoms will appear. This makes it hard to identify which foods are causing the problem, as the reaction is often delayed or built up over time.
Reactions to these natural food chemicals can be just as bad as reactions to artificial colours, flavours and preservatives – and similar in nature. Symptoms can include:
- gut issues – pain, diarrhoea, bloating;
- behavioural issues – irritable, moody, restless, defiant;
- skin problems – eczema, hives;
- headaches and migraines; and
- feeling run-down.
Brussel sprouts can be very tasty roasted or fried, and are low chemical
Everyone’s threshold is different, and it’s important to work out the amount of your problem foods you can eat before you react, so you can keep your diet as broad and nutritious as possible and most importantly, enjoy your food! For example, my kids used to tolerate no dairy to keep their eczema under control, but now, can have some every week with no reaction.
Intolerance may also be associated with chronic inflammatory disease, such as Crohn’s, IBS and Coeliac, so it’s worth getting tested if you’re concerned something else is going on.
How to test for food intolerances
It’s hard to know if you or your kids have a food intolerance. Symptoms are similar to allergies*, but are often delayed so it’s hard to pinpoint the offending foods. They are also non-specific (from headaches to tummy pain, bad moods and fatigue) and vary widely from person to person. So how do you tell?
There are three main ways (or a combination of all of these). They are elimination diets, IgG testing and kinesiology muscle testing.
Elimination diets
Elimination diets are very effective but limited if your intolerances are not the most common ones. They are also time consuming and you need to be disciplined. A strict diet is followed with low-moderate chemical foods, then foods are added back one group at a time and symptoms are recorded in a food diary. This gives you a good indication of what groups of food chemicals, such as salicylates, amines or glutamates might be causing you problems.
However, there may be other foods you react to, such as gluten, dairy, soy or something less common.
IgG food intolerance test
Getting an IgG test using a finger prick or blood draw may be beneficial. It is a quick, effective way to see what foods may be causing a reaction, but might not show up foods that you haven’t been eating.
Like all these methods, they show your sensitivities at the time of testing. Working on your gut health will improve your food intolerances and re-testing might be desirable.
Kinesiology muscle testing
Kinesiology is another way to ‘ask the body’ what foods are causing a reaction, based on the ancient use of muscle testing. This can be done with a recommendation to a kinesiologist or , and saves having to prick little fingers when testing kids.
Carob is a tasty chocolate alternative if amines are a problem for you
Regardless of testing method, you will need to cut out the indicated foods for a period while you work on gut health with the support of a nutritionist who understands intolerances. Contact me for an appointment and I can help you navigate through all the information, find appropriate substitutions for the foods you need to avoid, heal your gut and ensure that nutrition is maintained for optimal health.
*if you suspect allergies, which are an IgE immune reaction and can be life-threatening, please see your doctor and get a referral to an allergy clinic for a skin prick test and specific advice.