Food Allergy and Intolerance - A Tale of the Unexpected by Sarah Twomlow

When I was 30 years of age, I began to feel nauseous, following the consumption of my morning cup of tea. Like most people I enjoyed a good cuppa and considered myself a bit of a connoisseur. I regularly enjoyed Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Jasmine, Green Tea and Breakfast Tea but all of this would shortly come to an end.

I was unaware of the cause, at this point in time, however my Mother suffered the same fate whilst pregnant – she cannot consume tea to this day. Little did I know that the humble British cuppa would shape my professional future.

In my mid thirties, I began to notice bloating, sluggishness; lethargy and weight gain if I consumed too much wheat. I also became sensitive to caffeine, becoming highly agitated and sometimes aggressive, particularly after drinking fresh ground coffee. In addition I also began to experience headaches, literally seconds, after the consumption of cakes or biscuits. The symptoms were worth enduring occasionally to indulge in my favourite chocolate fudge cake. But alas no more, just one slice of that moist chocolaty sensation can leave me feeling ill, bloated and brain fogged for days.

Foreign travel is a particular challenge for me as I cannot always avoid the foods that I react to or it’s harder to not indulge! In many countries, the staple diet consists of white breads, cheese and sugar products, and you just can’t escape those lovely little pastries and other delights. Not to mention the disappointed or insulted faces when you turn down a national delicacy. And who would want to? After all you are on holiday, its time to let your hair down, indulging yourself, live a little, right? Wrong! My body often reacts, sometimes in extreme ways, to foods that I consider a treat.

Let me disclose my deepest darkest secret that so far only two of my closest friends have witnessed! In 2006 my friend and I traveled to Cyprus. To get the holiday off to a flying we start, we relaxed on the way with a bottle of red wine, crusty white bread with cheese and pate, all most delicious. During the journey as the wine and snacks flowed, I was aware of feeling a little uncomfortable, my trousers felt tighter, and my stomach felt a little bloated.

By the time we reached our destination, I was not only feeling bloated and sluggish, but sitting was now uncomfortable. I had literally expanded to the point where my trousers no longer fit, and I had to buy some more, much to amusement and amazement of my friend. I had inflated to gigantean proportions, ok I exaggerate a bit. It was a whole clothes size, but that is how it felt. My legs were bloated and painful, my stomach was bloated, and there was much belching and wind! I had headaches, lethargy and generally I felt horrid. It was not a pretty sight either, oh woe is me!

I have never suffered with eczema before, but during a trip to Morocco in 2007, where the choice of breakfast was white bread, pancakes, jams and syrups, an outbreak occurred. After a week of not being able to avoid these foods, eat them or starve, my eyelids became itchy and inflamed and I spent the rest of the holiday looking like Egor!

Looking back, some of these symptoms had happened before on other holidays. But the change was more gradual so I put them down to normal weight gain from over indulgence.

Fast forward to the present day and I am able to identify a number of substances that my body reacts to; wheat, yeast, tea, coffee, dairy products, sugar and wine - I get remarkably tipsy on half a glass of red wine and have collapsed after consuming two glasses of white wine. Good news for anyone wishing to take me on a date!

This may sound humorous, but it could also have been potentially dangerous, not only to my health but also to my reputation. People would incorrectly assume that I had consumed vast quantities of alcohol and was ‘obviously’ a drunken lush!

So what exactly is happening? And why does my body react in such a way to everyday common foods?

People suffering from food allergy may find that their body produces an immune response which in turn can trigger other symptoms. These symptoms are most commonly associated with conditions such as digestive disorders, migraines, fatigue, and skin conditions such as eczema.

What Causes Food Allergy?

When food is digested the proteins within the food are normally broken down into smaller fragments for easy absorption by the body. However, larger fragments can sometimes pass through the gut wall (a condition known as leaky gut) without breaking down properly. This causes the body to react to them as invaders, attacking them using antibodies called Immunoglobulin G (IgG).

Paradoxically the body sometimes craves those foods it is intolerant to. In my teens, for example, I was addicted to toasted cheese and onion sandwiches; I simply had to have them. It is uncertain why these cravings happen, but it makes it all the more difficult for the sufferer to avoid.

Some researchers believe that certain foods you crave, may give you a high, for example chocolate, which raises your blood sugar levels (adrenergic reaction) making you feel good. This is then followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar level which makes you feel awful later on. This feeds the vicious cycle of sugar lows and cravings and many people with food intolerance become in fact addicted.

Two Types Of Food Allergy

Masked, delayed onset or cell-mediated (IgG) allergic reactions or intolerance are slower responses to antigens and are much more common than the IgE type. They occur when the immune system creates too many IgG antibodies in response to a particular food allergen. The process happens over a period of time, which is why the symptoms appear hours or days after being exposed to the allergen. Delayed onset food allergy/intolerance is usually caused by foods you eat every day, including milk, corn, wheat, and legumes, chocolate, citrus, egg and sugar. Symptoms seem to develop gradually from eating these foods, so gradually that the relationship of the symptoms to the foods is rarely recognised. Delayed allergy/intolerance is often caused by your favourite food or foods. Classic symptoms include: chronic fatigue, strong food cravings, IBS, Depression, Hyperactivity, Rhinitis, Headaches, Joint aches and pains. Powerful addictive cravings and disabling withdrawal symptoms are often reported when individuals stop eating offending IgG foods.

An obvious or immediate onset food allergy (IgE) as the name implies causes obvious reactions or symptoms. Rapid allergic responses are caused by histamine being released from mast cells. It involves the IgE family of antibodies, and is also known as a Type 1, immediate-onset or atopic food allergy. Immediate onset allergies are rare with the reactions usually involving only 1 or 2 foods and appear within seconds or up to only 2 hours later. Such an allergy is often caused by relatively uncommon foods, such as fish, strawberries, cashew nuts or lobster. However, it may be caused by any food, including egg, citrus or chocolate. Obvious food allergy often makes you break out in a rash, sneeze, wheeze, swell or give you a headache. In extreme cases the person can develop anaphylaxis – a reaction where the throat and mouth swell and severe asthma comes on resulting in death from suffocation.

Treatment of Food Allergy/intolerance

An excellent place to start is by identifying and then avoiding allergens or by removing them from the diet. Problematic foods can be identified via an elimination diet. An elimination diet requires that you eliminate any offending foods from your diet until the body has had a chance to stop reacting to them. Sometimes it is necessary to avoid identified foods for at least three months until any digestive problems bringing on allergies have been corrected. Foods can then be introduced one by one; any sensitivity should then become obvious, as symptoms will recur. After the problem foods have been identified they can be avoided.

A daily food diary is an essential tool for helping to identify which foods are causing symptoms.

I am often asked if I consider ‘sacrificing’ or missing out on all those delicious goodies worth it. Personally I would rather have my health and vitality, and it was that, I was sacrificing before!

With food allergy ‘one man’s meat’ can literally be ‘another man’s poison’

So what is your poison?

Food allergy/intolerance is difficult to detect, if you suspect that you have a food allergy or intolerance, you can accurately detect IgE and IgG reactions via clinical testing. I currently use Genova Diagnostics in my clinic, who currently have 13 different allergy profiles or ‘panels’ to choose from. Genova diagnostics is the largest laboratory in the world specialising in functional and biochemical assessments.

If you would like further information about food allergy, the ranges of allergy tests available, or how to correct any digestive disorders such as leaky gut syndrome please contact me.

Copyright 2008 Sarah Twomlow Optimum Nutrition Therapist (Dip ONT) Email | Online Nutritional Consultancy Service