Food Intolerance
- Jul 7, 2016
- 2 min read
Foods intolerance is a collective term for nonallergic reactions to foods. It is also known as hypersensitivity to food. It may seem like a simple concept, but it is much more insidious than it seems. Unlike food allergies, which usually have immediate affects, food intolerance can take days, or even weeks between ingestion and symptoms onset.
How do I know if I have an intolerance?
Some common symptoms are chronic fatigue, the foggy feeling of having “head in the clouds”, recurring headaches, or even skin problems may possibly be a sign of food intolerance.
Because the body can react on every level of the body, there are many different symptoms for which food intolerance may be responsible. However, if discomfort is felt, a blood test is highly suggested, to find out if intolerance is the culprit.
Food intolerance is not an allergic reaction
Food intolerance is caused by the body’s loss of its ability, partially or entirely, its ability to process molecules in certain foods. When the proteins are not properly processed, the immune system reacts, but without the detectable IgE in the blood, as it would to an allergy.
Instead, a specific blood test will need to be done to detect intolerance, it will not only find the type of food that your body is intolerant to, but also the level of intolerance towards each specific type of food.
Food intolerance can cause reactions on every level
When the body loses its ability to process certain molecules, it can cause symptoms on every level of the human body and every type of skin tissue. It can lead to arthritis, inflammatory diseases and bone complications.
The consequences are not limited to physical reactions, however. It can also affect our mind. Our intestine is home to the enteric nervous system (ENS), or otherwise known as our “second brain”, with nearly 200 million neurons.
When the proteins are not properly digested, they interfere with the opioid receptors of the neurons in the ENS. It can cause psychological problems like hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, even autism or schizophrenia.
Our human body is a machine that is both complex and amazing! Every person is different and unique. It's up to us to give to our body, the power it needs to be at full capacity.
Ms. Kane is a certified nutritionist who specialises in nutrition therapy and micronutrition, providing natural solutions to physical discomforts through bioanalyses. Medically trained at the University of Lausanne, she works extensively with medical doctors and has years of experience in sport nutrition.
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