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Food Allergy VS Food Sensitivity
Food Allergy
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Very specific immune response that is measurable by a conventional allergy doctor
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Elevated IgE levels
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Histamine release from mast cells
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Obvious symptoms immediately after eating the food: sniffles, tongue swelling, hives, anaphylaxis
Food Sensitivity
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You feel better when you don't eat the food, and feel worse when you do.
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Can be any symptom:
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Gut: gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea
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Systemic inflammation: feeling puffy, brain fog and fatigue; Skin rashes or headaches
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Arthritis or muscle pain
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How do you develop a Food Sensitivity?
Let's start with the food.....
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All food has protein, even vegetables.
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Protein has amino acid sequences.
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Immune cells recognize self vs not self by reading the amino acid sequences on the surface of every cell, microbe or compound.
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I call these "name tags"
Name Tags on Food
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All the cells in your body have name tags ("self") that your immune cells recognize.
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This is good so you don't attack yourself.
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Any foreign name tag will cause an immune reaction.
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Every food has a name tag, too
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Your digestive system is designed to destroy the name tag on the food and prevent it from entering your body.
Health Gut Scenario
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Food is completely digested in the stomach
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All of the "name tags" that make the food recognizable by the immune system are destroyed by enzymes and acid
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Healthy intestinal lining and barrier:
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The immune cells inside your body are not exposed to the "name tags" from the food
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Low risk of developing food sensitivity
Problem: Weak Intestinal Lining
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The cells that line the intestines are supposed to be connected tightly together
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Instead the "glue" is destroyed and spaces open up between the cells
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Large pieces of food, microbes and toxins can get into the body
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Called Leaky Gut Syndrome or Increased Intestinal Permeability
Leaky Gut Syndrome Scenario
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You have poor digestion
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You have a leaky gut
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Large pieces of food, with name tags intact, leak through the intestinal wall into your body
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Immune cells react to these name tags
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Symptoms typical of a food sensitivity
Treating Food Sensitivities
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When someone has multiple food sensitivities, assume they have Leaky Gut syndrome
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Restore healthy intestinal flora
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Support digestion of the "name tags"
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Remove problem foods for at least 6 months, usually longer because immune cells have memory
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Food to Heal the Intestinal Lining
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Cultured foods: yogurt, kefir
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With live active cultures of lactobacillus, bifidobacteria and saccharomyces boulardii
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Fermented foods: kimchi and sauerkraut
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Prebiotics: vegetables and fiber
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Fructo-oligo-sacharides (FOS), which are compounds found in onions, garlic, leeks, rye, chicory, blueberries, and bananas.
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Inulins, which are found in chicory and artichokes
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Ghee and Coconut oil
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Glutamine:
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Can be found in all animal protein, such as chicken, beef, and dairy
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Also in beans, cabbage, beets, spinach, and parsley, so don't focus only on animal sources.
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