12: Food Sensitivities- A Hidden Reason For Your Health Problems
I am so excited to now be offering gut health & food sensitivity testing in my nutrition practice. Food sensitivities are definitely a hot topic, and for good reason. They can be the cause of all kinds of hidden symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, and skin issues. In today’s episode, I’m chatting all things food sensitivities and food sensitivity testing! Tune in to learn more!
EPISODE 12: FOOD SENSITIVITIES
A HIDDEN REASON FOR YOUR HEALTH PROBLEMS
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) Intro
(02:52) What is a food sensitivity? How can you test for food sensitivities?
Mediator Release Test (MRT)
The MRT detects the release of the body’s immune artillery which comes out when the body thinks the food is a foreign invader.
The release of this artillery creates the inflammatory symptoms we all want to avoid- like skin conditions, fibromyalgia, headaches, weight gain.
This isn’t just limited to gluten and dairy. It could happen with the consumption of any food your body is sensitive to- onions, chicken, or spinach, for example.
(04:53) How is a food sensitivity different from a food allergy?
Both involve the immune system.
Food allergy is immediate and life-threatening immune response.
Skin prick test is a very poor predictor of food issues- only about 40% predictive value rate! Gold standard for inhalant allergens but not accurate for food issues.
Food sensitivity is more subtle and can create symptoms hours to days later- makes them much harder to pinpoint without testing.
(05:45) What’s a food intolerance and how is that different?
A food intolerance doesn’t involve the immune system.
Associated with digestive reactions- like lactose intolerance or fructose malabsorption.
(06:35) Why the MRT is the gold standard food sensitivity test
Accuracy rate above 90%
Measures the total of ALL immune responses to food (except anaphylaxis- IgE).
Measures reaction to 170 foods & chemical food additives (super helpful to know what to avoid!).
(07:15) How the MRT works
You’ll get emailed instructions from me and also receive the test kit in the mail.
Go to a local lab/hospital with the test kit to get your blood drawn (may want to call ahead and ask if they can accommodate you)
Great lab that accommodates MRT with locations across the US: Any Lab Test Now!
Results come back about a week later and then we review them together.
(08:40) My test results
Highly reactive “red” foods: wheat, tomatoes, dairy
Moderately reactive “yellow” foods: chickpeas, peanuts, pistachios, soy, blueberries, apples, dates, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, butternut squash, pumpkin, corn, cane sugar, shrimp, basil, and BEEF.
I’m married to a cattle rancher- how can I be sensitive to BEEF?!
All of these are incredibly healthy foods, but they can still trigger inflammation if your body is sensitive to them.
(12:24) What is leaky gut and how do food sensitivities contribute to it?
Leaky gut is when the lining of your small intestine allows food proteins to pass undigested into the bloodstream, which sets off the immune system and causes these sensitivities.
When your gut is leaky, the foods you eat the most are the ones you’re most likely to become sensitive to.
(14:15) Why do I also test the gut when I test for food sensitivities?
We need to find out why the garden of the gut is out of balance- what’s growing? How do we nourish the good stuff and weed out the bad?
Just avoiding the foods alone won’t fix the issue.
My GI-MAP results
High levels of some opportunistic “bad” bacteria and in some good bacteria
Extremely low secretory IgA (SIgA)- I have no “gut army” to defend me!
(18:00) How to restore balance to the gut
Depends on your individual test results.
Eat slowly and mindfully in a parasympathetic state.
Supplement with enzymes & hydrochloric acid to help digest food.
Use Just Thrive Probiotic. (Use code CHELSEA15 to get 15% off).
Reduce stress and increase gentle movement.
(22:10) Keeping things in perspective.
It was hard to wrap my mind around these results at first.
Perspective shift: There are plenty of foods for me to choose from!
Let’s take a “cup overflowing” view of our food sensitivity results.
I’ve already started my protocol and I’m doing great!
(24:30) Want to get tested for food sensitivities?
If you’re struggling with health issues, I would love to support you through this advanced gut health testing. For more info and to sign up for a test, go to this new page on my website.
(25:55) Disclaimer & Outro
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Thanks for listening! Have a Healthy and Blessed week!