Sensitivity, Intolerance, and Allergy: What Are the Differences?
Do you find that you suffer from digestive symptoms like nausea, gas, upset stomach or diarrhea after you eat certain meals? It may seem like every time you eat anything at all, you have immediate backlash. But it could also be specific foods that are causing your body’s distress, and you may just need to pinpoint which foods aren’t agreeing with you.
Tracking down which foods are triggering your body to react poorly isn’t the only thing you need to know; it is also important to know WHY your body is reacting the way it is. There are different variations of food reactions: food sensitivities, food intolerance and food allergies. Each of these have their own unique characteristics, but they also have many shared symptoms which can make it hard to discover the root cause. If you are suffering from a strong negative reaction to foods you are eating, keep reading to learn more about how to tell if you’re experiencing a food sensitivity, intolerance or allergy.
What do they have in common?
While these different reactions have different causes within the body, they can often appear very similar in their symptoms. Thus, why it is often hard to differentiate why your body is responding the way it is to certain foods.
Some of the common shared symptoms of these conditions include:
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Gas and bloating
Headaches or migraines
Heartburn
Nausea
Upset stomach
Of course, as per usual, this is an exhaustive list and includes only the most trademark reactions to food sensitivities. You can also experience skin reactions, systemic discomfort like fatigue or body aches and even mental or emotional reactions such as sadness and irritability. What you can count on, is that if you are having strong negative symptoms directly following a meal or even within the few days after eating certain foods, something isn’t right and you should definitely seek more information. That’s why I’m here!
There are many symptoms that come with a food allergy that aren’t consistent with a food intolerance and vice versa, but the primary way in which these responses are different is not what they do, but why you are responding in a negative way and what is going on within your body to create the adverse reaction. So, let’s break down what each reaction is, how it appears in your life more specifically, and what is happening in your body as a result.
Food Sensitivity
Food sensitivities are the least “intense” of negative reactions to food. They are believed to result from an immune reaction driven by antibodies such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin A (IgA), along with other cell-mediated reactions in your body in response to specific food or groups of foods.
The most common symptoms of a food sensitivity are:
Gas
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Joint pain
Brain fog
Migraines
These symptoms may be subtle and may not happen right away, which can make it difficult to connect the food with the reaction. The positive thing about food sensitivities is that they are not life-threatening and they can be alleviated with gut healing. If you’re interested in healing your gut to lessen your food sensitives, let’s chat!
Food Intolerance
Unlike a sensitivity or allergy, a food intolerance is not related to your immune system. A food intolerance occurs when your body lacks certain enzymes necessary to break down a food properly. The reaction from a food intolerance can happen immediately and it’s trademark symptoms are digestive problems such as stomach cramping, gas, diarrhea and bloating, but it can also show up in other symptoms like headaches, irritability, skin issues (eczema, rashes, etc) and lethargy or fatigue.
When a food intolerance shows up in your life as something other than stomach or digestive issues, it can be hard to make the connection that food can be the culprit. For example, food sensitivities and intolerances can often make a person feel like they are sick, with symptoms like body aches, lethargy, chills, etc. It is easy to mistake these symptoms for the flu or another illness, but when they are appearing more often than usual, it can be a big red flag to pay attention to. If you are experiencing any abnormal negative symptom, especially those listed above, it is always best to listen to your body and find the root cause.
Food Allergy
Food allergies are the most severe of all food sensitivities, as they can be life-threatening. Along with food intolerances and sensitivities, these reactions can be immediate or come hours or days later. An allergy can present with the same digestive symptoms of other reactions, but can also affect other parts of the body simultaneously.
Food allergy is defined as an immune reaction to proteins in the food and can be immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated or non-IgE-mediated. Essentially, your immune system’s entire job is to detect potential threats to your system and attack them, but in the case of a food allergy your immune system handles harmless foods as if they are a threat.
The immune system protects the body by producing specialized proteins called antibodies.
Antibodies identify potential threats to your body, such as bacteria and viruses. They signal your immune system to release chemicals to kill the threat and prevent the spread of infection.
In the most common type of food allergy, an antibody known as immunoglobulin E (IgE) mistakenly targets a certain protein found in food as a threat. IgE can cause several chemicals to be released, the most important being histamine.
Some of the most common symptoms of a food allergy include:
feeling dizzy or lightheaded
itchy skin or a raised rash (hives)
swelling of the lips, face and eyes (angioedema)
coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, noisy breathing or a hoarse voice
sneezing or an itchy, runny or blocked nose
nausea or vomiting
These symptoms can range in severity from mild to severe, and in the case of severe reactions there are medical interventions that can be life-saving.
Food Sensitivity Testing
If you are having an adverse reaction to foods that you’re eating and experiencing discomfort as a result, the next step is to figure out what foods are causing the unease and why. In my practice I offer several types of gut testing, including the MRT Food Sensitivity Test. By taking the food sensitivity test you can find out what foods your body has an immune response to. In the process of your gut healing protocol, it’s critical to remove these inflammatory foods and then attempt to reintroduce them once you are finished. This test also tells you which foods your gut needs the most, so you can emphasize integrating those into your daily regimen to promote healing.
In addition to the MRT Food Sensitivity Test, I also offer a GI Map Test as well as SIBO testing. All of these tests will give a comprehensive look at exactly what is happening in your gut right now and what might be the cause of your body’s problems. Click here to read more about the tests I offer!
The Takeaway
If you are experiencing negative symptoms in response to the foods you’re eating, it’s usually an indication that something is amiss within you. While It’s easy to want to ignore these symptoms (it’s hard to cut out foods that taste so yummy), it’s so important to listen to your body and find out what it doesn’t want and what it really does need. Healing your gut can truly be your ticket to a healthier and happier day-to-day life, and I am here and eager to help you heal and come home to your best self. If you’re ready to find answers, reach out to me and schedule a free consultation today.
