Allergies / Intolerances / Sensitivities
More and more research is coming out regarding allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities. We added this section to educate our website visitors on the differences between the three.
Allergies
Antibodies in the body that result in traditional allergies are called IgE antibodies, which trigger the release of histamine. IgE reactions are fast and are generally easy to figure out for that reason. The most common foods that provoke allergic reactions are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, and walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.
Food Intolerances
Intolerances include problems with digestion of foods due to the lack of specific enzymes (maldigestion of lactose, carbohydrate double sugars, and proteins from gluten and milk (casein). Food intolerances may be immediate or delayed depending upon the situation.
Food Sensitivities
Symptoms of food sensitivities can occur at any time within three days of eating a certain food, however they most frequently occur within 1-2 days of ingesting the food. The symptoms associated with food sensitivities are similar to allergies.
Symptoms of Food Sensitivities and Intolerances:
- General Symptoms - fatigue and food cravings
- Skin - eczema, unexplained rashes, dark circles under the eyes, red face/ears
- Digestion - stomach aches, loose stools or diarrhea, constipation or alternating constipation/diarrhea
- Respiratory - mucus production, congestion
- Cardiovascular - abnormal pulse, elevated blood pressure
- Neurologic - headaches, ringing in the ears, tingling, dizziness, tics
- Psychological - depression, mood disorders, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep disorder
- Behavior/Development - decreased attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, poor eye contact, social withdrawal, decreased language, obsessions, repetitive behaviors.
