If you have ever suspected that you might have a sensitivity to a certain food or ingredient, you’re not crazy.

In a previous post, I discussed the difference between a food allergy, a food intolerance and a food sensitivity, so if you’re confused about those terms, get acquainted by reviewing that post.

I titled this “7 Signs and Symptoms”, but in reality, there are actually seven areas of the body where we typically observe signs and symptoms —and we are learning about more every day.

Let’s start with a flow chart that illustrates the general cause and effect of a food sensitivity:

From the graphic, we see that although the underlying contributing factors may differ, the gut is ground zero in regards to where the cascade of damage is initiated. I’ll be dedicating a series of posts to the gut later on, but for now let’s focus on the last segment of the graphic: Distant signs and symptoms.

I mentioned in my earlier post that symptoms from food sensitivities may not show up for hours or even days and can look a lot like symptoms seen in other conditions. As you read through this list of seven areas where symptoms can occur, keep in mind that other medical reasons why you may be having symptoms should also be ruled out. I always recommend you also consult your physician.

The list below contains both symptoms that can be triggered by foods as well as conditions that can be aggravated by food sensitivities:

1. The Gastrointestinal Tract

• Sores in the mouth
• Indigestion
• Heartburn
• Bloating
• Gas
• Chronic nausea and/or vomiting
• Chronic constipation or diarrhea
• Leaky gut: Yes, it can be a contributing factor and an effect of food sensitivities.
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): A review published in 2018 remarked that over 80% patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome report that their symptoms are triggered after ingesting certain foods. i

2. The Brain and Behavior

Mental health can be profoundly impacted by sensitivities to food. For example, approximately 30% of people with schizophrenia have high levels of the antibody against gliadin–a major protein found in gluten, compared to people without schizophrenia. ii A small study published in 2019 in the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience (Kelly 2019) observed that schizophrenic patients who had gluten removed from their diet for 5 weeks had improved psychiatric and gastrointestinal symptoms. Here are other areas of the brain and mental health shown to be affected by food sensitivities:

• Headaches or Migraines
• Insomnia
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Schizophrenia
• ADHD
• Autism

3. The Skin

• Acne
• Psoriasis
• Eczema
• Rosacea
• Unexplained rashes
• Hair loss
• Dark circles under or irritation around the eyes

4. The Respiratory System

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Ringing in ears
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Excessive phlegm
• Frequent coughing or sore throat
• Postnasal drip
• Sneezing attacks
• Recurring ear infections

In some instances, food sensitivities can be sneaky. Aside from the famous food triggers like gluten, dairy, shellfish and soy, some people can react to chemicals that naturally occur in or are added to foods. A study done with 119 patients with nasal polyps (Esmaeilzedeh 2017) found that almost 70% of them were sensitive to salicylates, a chemical naturally occurring in aspirin and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and other foods.iii

5. Muscles and Joints

• Weakness
• Aches
• Swelling and stiffness
• Fibromyalgia

6. Endocrine System

The thyroid is well studied in the functional nutrition world for its relationship with food triggers, however food sensitivities can also affect other hormones and even impact premenstrual syndrome.

7. Autoimmunity

• Celiac disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus
• Scleroderma
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Multiple Sclerosis

When I meet with my patients I take the time to educate them about how food can be triggering their symptoms, -or in the case of autoimmunity, how certain foods can worsen their symptoms–and what that looks like in the body’s different pathways. If you’ve been following my posts, you’ll remember that the gold standard for testing food sensitivities is the elimination diet, which I explain more in this post.

I’ll be talking more about food sensitivities, mental health, leaky gut and the mechanisms behind some of these 7 areas in future posts.

References:

i. Soares RLS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Food Intolerance and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. A New Clinical Challenge. Arq Gastroenterol. 2018;55(4):417-422. doi:10.1590/S0004-2803.201800000-88

ii  Kelly DL, Demyanovich HK, Rodriguez KM, et al. Randomized controlled trial of a gluten-free diet in patients with schizophrenia positive for antigliadin antibodies (AGA IgG): a pilot feasibility study. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2019;44(4):269-276. doi:10.1503/jpn.180174

iii Esmaeilzedeh H, Esmaeilzadeh E, Faramarzi M, Nabavi M, Farhadi M. Salicylate Food Intolerance and Aspirin Hypersensitivity in Nasal Polyposis. Iran J Immunol. 2017;14(1):81-88.

This funny little meme has been making its way around Insta-Land lately and while it prompts many smiley-face emojis, it is unfortunately all too true. It is a common theme among the women in my tribe and those I see in my practice: we carry around the number of times we’ve reheated our morning coffee, how little sleep we’ve gotten, how little we’ve eaten and our busyness–like badges of honor. Why is that? What is it that society imposes on us that deposits the narrative in our heads that it’s okay, almost noble, to sacrifice our own health for the “greater good”, meaning our kids, other people, our work or the unrealistic idea that we must look like we have Pinterest-worthy lives at all times? After a while these proverbial badges of honor lose their luster and lead to Nothing.But.Stress.

And stress leads to S-I-C-K.

Stress is a threat to our health on every level. Stress affects our blood pressure, blood sugar, sleep, immune system, digestion, thyroid and even our serotonin levels. It’s no shocker that women seek treatment for stress-related concerns and things like anxiety and depression at roughly twice the rate that men do. Stress even deteriorates us at the cellular level and has been correlated with the “turning on” of genes that trigger autoimmune disease. I witness examples of these stress-induced conditions on a regular basis in my practice.

It wasn’t until I personally got on the SICK end of this exhausting narrative that I was forced to examine its source: Is it society that is responsible, or us? Could it be that there are many narratives out there, but it is this particular one that we’ve believed, taken the bait, or dare I say, bullshit for? I finally realized that it was up to me to change the narrative and doing so required two things:

1. Listening to my body, and
2. Applying the 90% rule

Listening to your Body

Listening to your body is like a mindfulness-ish game of question and answer. You ask your body WHY:

• Why am I craving this donut?
• Why am I feeling so anxious lately?
• What is the REAL reason I am screaming at my kids right now? (or my husband?)
• What is my pain trying to tell me?
• Do I really need this new shirt or am I buying it to make myself feel better?

Then, you LISTEN. I promise if you practice this enough and give your true self time to respond, you will get an answer. Then ask the next question:

• What do I REALLY need?

Again, LISTEN. Often we innately, in our spirit know the answer to the question—we just tune it out.

I encourage you to tune in.

Giving Your Body What It Needs - the 90% Principle

What comes next is the action part of the "question and answer" game: giving your body what it needs. More sleep. Less coffee. More water. Time to yourself. Date night with your husband. Saying no to volunteering for EVERYTHING your child is involved in.

The second practice is the 90% principle. I learned this from Greg McKeown in his enlightening book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.  He doesn’t call it the 90% principle, but I framed it this way to keep it simple for my own brain. Hopefully you have a vision for how you would like your parenting, your marriage, your work life, your spiritual life, etc. to be, look and feel. There are things that are important to you in each of these areas and things that are not. The 90% principle means that if a decision does not line up 90% with what you want in any of these areas, don’t do it.

For example, if you are deciding whether to take on a particular endeavor in your work life—it may be a great opportunity but if you are not at least 90% excited about it and it does not line up at least 90% with your goals, don’t do it. I personally tend to get excited about a lot of things, so I also seek spiritual guidance with the litmus test of: “Do I have peace about this?” If I don’t, I don’t do it. It’s that simple.

I was conveniently able to teach this principle to my 11 year-old daughter the other day. Like her mom, she loves to shop and is attracted to all things new and sparkly. We were about four stores in to her following me around while I looked for the perfect pair of camel-colored leather boots. Just short of exasperated she asked me, “This is the eighth pair you’ve tried on, why don’t you just buy them?”

“Because I don’t love them,” I replied.

If you don’t absolutely love it, don’t buy it. That’s all there is to it. This has saved me a ton of money, closet space and buyer’s remorse.

You can apply this thinking to everything. If you aren’t at 90% in your collective excitement, vision and peace about something, don’t do it. No energy wasted. This is extraordinarily freeing.

Obviously, I’m not advocating ignoring your responsibilities just because you aren’t 90% excited about them. Let’s remember wisdom. You still need to pay your bills, change your oil and show up for work and the parent-teacher conference.

Benefits of Applying These Two Principles

Personally, I’m driven by the desire to reach more, teach more and help more. I’ve found that applying these two practices in my own life has swung the pendulum from stress, over to more joy and more peace. I’ve seen the same metamorphosis in my patients in the form of better sleep, less anxiety, intuitive eating, and greater peace. My hope is for you to be able to experience those things as well.