Food Sensitivities: Then What?!?

💥 Let’s figure out why!

If you’re dealing with food sensitivities, this post is for you.

Did you know there might be fixable issues that are driving food sensitivities or making them worse?

That’s right:

Research 📚 has linked food sensitivities to changes in:

👉 Gut Microbiome

👉 Intestinal Permeability (“Leaky Gut”)

👉 Gut inflammation

So…

Gut support makes a lot of sense.

Keep following along if you want to learn more about how I can help with a root-cause approach to health 🙌

References

Caminero A, Meisel M, Jabri B, Verdu EF. Mechanisms by which gut microorganisms influence food sensitivities. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019;16(1):7-18. [link]

Ohtsuka Y. Food intolerance and mucosal inflammation. Pediatr Int. 2015;57(1):22-29. [link]

Ventura MT, Polimeno L, Amoruso AC, et al. Intestinal permeability in patients with adverse reactions to food. Dig Liver Dis. 2006;38(10):732-736. [link]

Wonder if it’s Food Sensitivities?

You aren’t going to like this, but TRUTH IS…

❌ There is no perfect way to test for food sensitivities.

(I’m not talking about food allergies—see my recent posts for the difference)

Here are your options:

1️⃣ The Elimination-Challenge Diet

2️⃣ Food Sensitivities Blood Test

3️⃣ Combination of Both

For the Elimination-Challenge Diet, you remove all suspected foods until you feel better and then reintroduce them one at a time to see which are problematic.

Some people notice dramatic results 🎉

But some people just get more frustrated because the diet can take a long time, and the results are not always obvious.

The blood test looks to see if your body is creating antibodies to a long list of foods.

👉👉 Combine these 2 methods together, and you might discover a simple solution to feeling better!

Interested in food sensitivity testing?

📅 Schedule an initial visit with Dr. Cantrell to get started on your path to wellness!

Little Known Signs of Food Sensitivities

Could food sensitivities be to blame? ⬇️

Here’s what people think food sensitivities look like:

💥 GI Distress

💥 Stomach Pain

💥 Loose Stools

Here’s what food sensitivities actually look like:

🧐 Tiredness

🧐 Brain Fog

🧐 Joint Aches

🧐 Feeling Bloated

🧐 Skin Rashes

🧐 Behavior Changes

🧐 Moodiness

Truth is—food sensitivities can show up as any of those ☝️things.

The reactions can take hours or days to show up, making it tricky to pinpoint a cause.

If you want to better understand if foods are a trigger for you…

Double tap to like this post ❤️ and hit follow for more!

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!

A Simple Way to Boost Your Brain

Want a bigger brain?

A new study out of Washington University School of Medicine found that more physical activity correlated with larger brain size in healthy adults 🧠

This was based on MRI brain scans of 10,125 men and women (average age 53). The more days they exercised, the larger their brains were in key areas.

Most of the study participants exercised 4 days per week, but the researchers said that even small amounts of exercise (like walking 4000 steps per day) were beneficial.

We don’t always see the results of our efforts immediately, but taking care of our health will pay off in the long run 👟

Reference

Raji CA, Meysami S, Hashemi S, et al. Exercise-Related Physical Activity Relates to Brain Volumes in 10,125 Individuals. J Alzheimers Dis. Published online December 7, 2023. [link]