Food Sensitivity Symptoms Explained

And How to Heal From Them

Food sensitivity testing has become extremely popular in the last few years. I remember when I was first tested for food sensitivities by my Naturopathic doctor in 2010. None of my friends had even heard about it. I’m sure some thought it was made up! Now we are bombarded by food sensitivity testing companies on Instagram and Facebook that we can order without a doctor. But what do the results mean? How do we heal? Do I have to avoid these foods for the rest of my life?

As a functional medicine nutrition therapy practitioner, I’ve seen countless food sensitivities test results and successfully worked with clients to turn a corner on their health journey. 

But I’ll tell you a secret!

Food sensitivity symptoms are THE symptom of something bigger going on in your body. So much so that I rarely order food sensitivity blood tests because they can be a rabbit trail causing more emotional harm and distraction from the actual root problem, leaky gut. 

Continue reading as I explain what symptoms you might be having to suspect food sensitivities and what to actually do to help it, which is to not get a food sensitivity test.

Food Sensitivity Symptoms

If you are wondering what a food sensitivity/intolerance is, I go into more detail about the difference between sensitivities vs allergies in my blog post on Dairy Sensitivity Explained.  A simple understanding is that food sensitivities are often the root of many chronic ailments that have been documented since the 1930s. When the offending food is removed for some time the symptoms disappear and then reappear when the food is challenged.

Many of these symptoms are common and can be caused by other factors but food sensitivities should be ruled out first. Food sensitivity symptoms can also take up to 72 hours to show which makes it difficult to pinpoint. If you reintroduce an offending food after avoiding it for several months, it is best to eat the food for 3 days, then avoid it again for 3 days to see if you have any reactions. Here is a list of exactly what you might be experiencing should you suspect immunocompromise from leaky gut and therefore food sensitivities.

• Head: Headache, sinus headache, migraine headache, faintness, dizziness, feeling of fullness in the head.

• Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat: Dark circles under the eyes, swelling around the eyes, pain in eyes, watery eyes, red bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, blurred vision, runny nose, stuffy nose, bloody nose, excessive mucous, hay fever, sneezing, ringing in the ears, earache, fullness in the ears, itching ears, ear drainage, fluid in the middle ear, hearing loss, recurrent ear infections, sore throats, swollen tonsils, frequent “colds”, chronic cough, gagging, canker sores, itching mouth, recurrent sinusitis.

• Heart & Lungs: Palpitations, decreased heart rate, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate (tachycardia), asthma, bronchitis, chest congestion, yawning, hoarseness, high blood pressure.

• Blood:  Low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count, enlarged red blood cells, platelet clumping, low neutrophils, increased eosinophils and basophils, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), high blood sugar, diabetes, increased liver enzymes, high acid levels (causing loss of bone calcium and minerals).

• Glands: Abnormal thyroid hormones, fatigue, depressed pancreatic activity (with low digestive enzyme production), low libido, abnormal adrenal hormones and functions, menstrual irregularities, and symptoms.

• Mouth: Bleeding gums, sore tongue, coated tongue, bad breath, cracked lips, swollen lips, ulcerations, loose teeth.

• Gastrointestinal: Stomach ache, acid indigestion, swollen stomach, cramps, ulcers, nausea, vomiting, bloating, heartburn, belching, spastic colon, colitis, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, flatulence (passing gas), stomach fullness, diarrhea, constipation, rectal mucous, appendicitis, malabsorption.

• Skin: Hives, rashes, dandruff, hair loss, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, pallor, pimples, acne, dark circles under eyes, bags under eyes, swelling around eyes.

• Other symptoms: Chronic fatigue, muscle fatigue, sleepy after meals, insomnia, compulsive eating, overweight, fear of eating, malabsorption, underweight, weakness, muscle aches and pain, muscle spasms, multiple sclerosis, twitching, stiffness, joint aches and pain, arthritis, swelling of the hands, feet or ankles, phlebitis, cold hands and feet, restless leg syndrome, urinary tract symptoms (pain, frequency, night urination, bedwetting), cystitis, kidney dysfunction, rectal itching, vaginal inflammation, seasickness, motion sickness, chills, sweats, thirsty after meals, back pain.

• Mental: Anxiety, depression, crying, aggressive behavior, irritability, mental dullness, poor concentration, poor self-control, poor memory, mental lethargy, confusion, excessive daydreaming, juvenile and adult hyperactivity, restlessness, learning disabilities, poor work habits, inability to concentrate, poor coordination, stuttering, indifference, compulsive behavior, anorexia, continuing desire for alcohol or tobacco, drug addictions, morning sluggishness, slurred speech, delusions, hallucinations, schizophrenia, juvenile and adult delinquency, seizures, epilepsy.

What is Leaky Gut?

Leaky Gut, or Hyper Intestinal Permeability, actually comes first before food sensitivities. That is why food intolerances are just a symptom of some bigger issues going on. So what is it?

Leaky gut is when we get tiny microscopic holes in the intestinal wall of our small and large intestines. You might think this isn’t that bad since we need to absorb nutrients through our intestines, right? 

Holes in the cells of your intestinal wall are actually very bad. We only have one single cell layer of barrier between us and the outside world. That’s right, the tube of your gastrointestinal tract is actually outside of you and contains trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, and protozoa that outnumber our own human cells. This might sound scary but we are very dependent on these bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, and protozoa called the microbiome. The microbiome provides us with nutrient digestion support, neurotransmitters for mood balance, hormone metabolism balance, and even supports our immune system. 

But, if we have holes in our gut cell wall, then we can accidentally allow undigested food, opportunistic viruses and bacteria, toxins, and parasites into our bloodstream. A leaky gut leads to an overactive immune system because now our immune system has an army of foreigners invading the body through a normally secure defense wall. Some of these foreigners are undigested food particles. These become your food sensitivities. 

Why I Don’t Recommend Blood Tests for Food Sensitivities

Flawed Testing:

Many tests for food intolerances are testing for parts of the immune system called immunoglobulins. The problem is that many people with food sensitivities and leaky gut have a damaged immune system. This means that proper immunoglobulin levels might be out of balance. For example, I’ve seen many false positives and false negative food sensitivity results because their Total immunoglobulins G and A are too low or too high. This means wasted money and time chasing a rabbit trail when we could be focusing on healing the gut wall in the first place.

Impractical Application:

I’ve seen many clients with over 30-50 food sensitivities from a blood test. The usual recommendation from these companies is to avoid offending foods for 3-6 months at the least. This leaves clients feeling deprived, emotional, and distraught because there is very little to eat, let alone nutritional guidance on how to create a balanced diet from these results. Often deficiencies continue to develop and more food sensitivities continue to emerge. More wasted time and money when choices focused on healing the intestinal lining could be pursued first.

Focused on the Problem, Not the Solution:

Food sensitivity test results are often too focused on the problem. Instead of showing what the client should eat, it primarily shows what the client shouldn’t eat. This focus on avoiding foods is deprivation and psychologically not beneficial for healing. But, when the client is told what to eat to heal, there is more compliance, empowerment, and successful healing in the body. 

How I Healed My Egg and Dairy Sensitivities

Healing a leaky gut is the primary focus when there are food sensitivity symptoms. To heal and seal the leaky gut depends on two major factors:

1. Stress

2. Malnourishment

First, we get stress from a variety of external and internal inputs. These can be toxins, pesticides, antibiotics, processed foods, emotional stress, sudden changes in hormones, birth control, medications, and not relaxing. 

Second, many people are malnourished in our modern society because the standard American diet (SAD diet) increases the need for specific nutrients which our soils and diet are deficient in. Specifically, most individuals are deficient in nutrients such as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, but also B vitamins and magnesium and zinc. Each of these nutrient deficiencies is highly important to heal the lining of the intestinal wall.

The nutrition protocol focused on addressing these two major factors, stress and malnourishment, is the GAPS nutritional protocol (Gut and Physiology Syndrome). All people with food sensitivities should do an elimination protocol like the GAPS diet not necessarily to pinpoint your food sensitivities, but more so to reduce stress on the immune and nervous system and allow the gut lining to heal. This will ultimately allow many individuals who previously had sensitivities to foods like eggs and dairy to be able to reintroduce them successfully in the diet while also reversing their chronic health symptoms. 

Learn more about the GAPS Intro and Full Gaps diet here.

Grab my Free Full GAPS Food List

Check out my GAPS Recipes