How to Move Past Food Sensitivities 💥

If you deal with food sensitivities ➡️READ THIS 👇👇

Just because you react to a food now does not mean you will never be able to eat that food again.

You read that 🧐 right.

Some people are able to optimize their gut & immune health and then happily eat foods that used to trigger them—without a problem 🥳

To be clear: I am talking about food sensitivities and NOT true food allergies here. You can see my recent posts that describe the difference.

Here are some ways to support your digestion & immune system to help calm reactivity:

✔️ Eat an “anti-inflammatory” diet, meaning whole foods that are rich in antioxidants

✔️ Support the gut microbiome with probiotic-rich foods

✔️ Chew your foods thoroughly and eat mindfully

This is only a tiny glimpse of all the things we can do to support people with food sensitivities because the solution is highly ✨individual✨

Curious about working on a root-cause approach to your health?

Schedule an initial visit and we can discuss food sensitivity protocols 💚

Do You Know These 4 Food Reactions?

👋 Hey there! If you’re wondering if foods might be triggering you ⬇️⬇️

Lots of people get this confused, but do you know how many different types of food reactions there are? 

👉👉there are 4️⃣

🚑 Food allergies trigger an immune reaction that can be life-threatening.

🤷‍♀️ Food sensitivities trigger more gradual reactions that can be harder to recognize. 

🥛 Food intolerances occur because of an inability to digest certain foods (like lactose).

🍞 Celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to gluten.

Of all the types, food sensitivities are the most confusing, so I’ll be sharing a series of posts on this soon. 

Be sure to tap FOLLOW if you want to learn how to recognize food sensitivities and what to do about it!

Got Inflammation? Open Up.

Have you heard of the inflammatory reflex?

Most people believe the nervous system and immune system function independently.

Not true!

Actually, it was discovered 20 years ago that a reflex involving the vagus nerve helps to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and resolve inflammation.

Since then, clinical trials have successfully used vagal nerve stimulation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

There are a lot of simple ways to increase activity of the vagus nerve, like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga.

Want to know more about how to boost vagal tone?

Drop a ❤️ in the comments if you want tips on simple ways to increase vagal tone for better health.

Reference

Falvey A. Vagus nerve stimulation and inflammation: expanding the scope beyond cytokines. Bioelectron Med. 2022;8(1):19. [link]

Supplements to Fight Inflammation

✨Steal my top supplement tips for a healthy inflammatory response✨

Inflammation is not entirely evil.

We need our bodies to mount an inflammatory response to fight off infections or heal from injuries, but we don’t want to be stuck in a never-ending inflammatory cycle.

That’s when we start to consider lifestyle changes and supplements to support a healthy inflammatory response.

Here are 3 of my favorites:

💊 Curcumin

Curcumin is what gives the Indian spice turmeric its bright yellow color. Choose a product that has been formulated for optimal absorption.

💊 Quercetin

Quercetin is a flavonoid in apple skins, onions, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables. It acts at the cellular level to support a healthy inflammatory response.

💊 Omega-3s

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids found in fish oils, nuts, and seeds. They act as precursors to molecules that participate directly in anti-inflammatory pathways.

The supplements I recommend for any given person depend on their unique situation, lab tests, and goals. It’s always best to work with a practitioner!

To learn about becoming a patient at our clinic, click through the link in our bio 🔗

What’s Causing Inflammation?

🧐 This is going to be controversial but…

Chronic inflammation is not a “root cause” of disease. 

We can document evidence of chronic inflammation on blood tests, but that doesn’t mean we know the cause. 

🔥 Why is the inflammation there in the first place? What’s causing IT? 

It takes detective work to answer this question for any given person—and that is precisely my job. 

To give you an idea, here’s a partial list of some of the possible causes of chronic inflammation: 

1️⃣ Infections

Many infections can evade the immune system and persist in the body over time—including bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. 

2️⃣ Toxins

Exposure to low levels of toxins or irritants over time can aggravate the immune system and cause inflammation.

3️⃣ Diet

Diets high in refined sugar or trans fats are associated with a higher production of inflammatory molecules.

4️⃣ Low Sex Hormones

Maintaining levels of hormones like estrogen and testosterone can reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases.

5️⃣ Poor Gut Health

Inflammation in the digestive tract can compromise the integrity of the gut lining, allow passage of toxins or other molecules into circulation, and trigger systemic inflammation.  

6️⃣ Obesity

Visceral fat tissue (the type that builds up in the abdomen) acts like an endocrine organ, releasing inflammatory compounds.

Don’t settle for being told that chronic inflammation is the cause of your symptoms. 

👉 There is always something beneath it 👈

Uncovering the root cause of chronic inflammation is a highly individualized process and best done with a qualified functional medicine practitioner. 

That’s what we’re here for. 

Which of these causes surprised you the most? Let me know in the comments ⤵️