Do you have a list of nagging symptoms that don't really seem to be helped by the over-the-counter (OTC) medications that are meant to clear them up? Is that list seemingly getting bigger by the day? Heartburn, indigestion, nausea, gas and bloating, frequent loose or watery stools -- these are all signs that our system is not as healthy as it could be. Yet we tend to overlook these symptoms as more nuisances than anything else -- certainly not an indication that something requires attention. But really these nagging symptoms aren't just something we need to live with. They point to a wearing down of the body and could all be the result of chronic exposure to food allergens.

What are the symptoms?
Headaches and migraines, chronic blood sugar imbalance, stuffy-nose or post nasal drip, asthma, skin rashes and joint pain are all common food allergy symptoms. Even more serious conditions like irritable bowel, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease can be traced back to unknowingly ingesting foods you are allergic to on a regular basis.

When people think of food allergies, they generally tend to think of the acute response. Acute responses include deadly reactions to foods -- like peanuts, shellfish or eggs for example -- where immediate medical attention is vitally necessary. These reactions, called anaphylactic reactions, are often life-and-death situations which can cause inflammation of the breathing passage and cut off air supply.

But hidden food allergies are a different beast. These are chronic food allergies and actually involve a different type of immune response than acute allergic reactions (while acute allergic reactions involve a group of antibodies called IgE, chronic reactions involve IgG antibodies). These reactions are much more subtle and may not show up as symptoms for hours or even days. For this reason, chronic immune reactions are much more difficult to trace back to a particular food and often don't get associated with a food at all.

What causes these allergic reactions?
Researchers aren't entirely sure why these reactions happen, but the theory that is given the most weight is the "leaky gut" theory. Because up to 70 percent of our immune system is located along our gastrointestinal (GI) tract, when food allergens are ingested, they irritate the GI tract and cause inflammation. This inflammation damages the cells that line the digestive tract, causing damage and gaps between the cells. The leaky gut theory suggests that these gaps provide entry sites for tiny food particles to slip through. These particles are quite large in molecular terms and the immune system recognizes them as something not belonging in the bloodstream, which stimulates an immune response. As a result, the immune system remembers this food as an enemy and any time the body is exposed to this food again, it will react.

These chronic allergic responses lead to the nagging everyday symptoms that rob you of your vital energy reserves, leading you to be tired for no good reason. Recent studies have even found that these constant immune responses even lead to obesity. In fact, obese children have been found to have 2.5 times more IgG concentrations in their blood than non-obese children. It has been suggested that inflammation resulting from chronic allergic response plays a role in insulin resistance, obesity, atherosclerosis and diabetes.

How can you confirm that you have a food allergy?
Currently, the most common type of testing done for allergies is the scratch test. Anyone who has been to see an allergist has probably done this test, in which multiple skin pricks are performed on the arms to test if any cause an inflammatory response. While this type of test is great for testing acute allergic responses, it extremely poor at determining the chronic IgG-mediated symptoms. As a result, even those who have been through scratch testing may still have some (if not all) of their chronic food allergies undetermined.

Many naturopathic doctors, and even some M.D.s, prefer to use a blood test called the ELISA (or Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) test. It is an accurate methodology for testing both immediate and delayed food allergies. Once food allergies are determined, it is generally recommended that those foods be avoided for a period of three to six months, to allow time for the inflammation to subside and the gut to heal. Supplements may also be given to speed the recovery of the digestive tract. After the recommended time has passed, foods can be reintroduced to the diet in small amounts; often only every few days instead of every day (or more than once a day).

So if you have a laundry list of nagging symptoms that don't seem to be going away, or if your energy levels are not what they should be, you might want to consult a naturopathic doctor or holistic nutritionist and get checked for food allergies. Eliminating food allergies is a great start to getting to the top of your game.


The Healthy Foodie is Doug DiPasquale, Holistic Nutritionist and trained chef, living in Toronto. You can email him with questions at dugdeep@gmail.com.