Intolerances - a food problem?

Intolerances – a food problem?

The incidence of food allergies and intolerances is becoming increasingly pronounced among young people and even children. When I was a teenager (20 years ago), I had more than 15 food intolerances and there was not yet the culture of "free": "gluten-free, lactose-free, nut-free." In my experience, doctors talked about anaphylactic reactions, however, when it came to intolerances, it was more or less mysterious. The only action suggested was to deprive oneself of the foods that bothered me and try to live contentedly despite a body that was frequently reactive to foods causing reactions that lasted from a few hours to a few days.

Today the language of intolerances and allergies is very common, I would say that it is not uncommon to meet someone who does not know someone with a food intolerance or allergy.

The major questions I will elaborate in this article are:

1. What is the difference between an allergy and an intolerance?
2. What are the typical symptoms associated with intolerances?
3. Why is there such an increase in intolerances today, especially among young people?
4. What is a hyperallergenic food and how many are there?
5. Do we need to live with our intolerances forever?
6. What are the concrete steps to reduce the expression of food intolerances?

So, to begin:

1. What is the difference between an allergy and an intolerance?
   • An allergy is defined as: an adverse reaction after having had contact with a food and which is expressed with the production of an IgE, IgA or IgM antibody from the immune system, detectable in the blood.
   • An intolerance is defined as: an adverse reaction after having had contact with a food and which is not expressed by the production of an IgE, IgA or IgM antibody from the immune system.

NB Symptoms associated with allergic and intolerant level reactions may be identical in nature and may vary in intensity and interval of expression after exposure to the food.

1. What are the typical symptoms associated with intolerances?
   • How intolerances express themselves is a reflection of each person's unique biochemistry, heredity, metabolism, personality, etc.
   • It is important to know that all the symptoms that the body can produce could be expressed as a reaction of intolerance.
   • The symptoms most associated with reactions are:
     • Neurological – confusion, hyperactivity, irritability, loss of concentration, memory loss, dizziness, fatigue, feelings of indecision, headaches, insomnia, mood swings, angry outbursts, melancholy
     • Muscoloskeletal – arthritis, back/neck pain, painful joints
     • Circulatory – anemia, chest pain, fast or slow heartbeat, high blood pressure, fluid retention
     • Respiratory – asthma, runny nose, sinusitis, cough, bronchitis
     • Digestive/Intestinal – abdominal pain, swelling, diarrhea, constipation, colitis, bloating, rages/urges, nausea
     • Skin – acne, tingling, eczema, psoriasis, redness
     • Endocrine – menstrual imbalance (excess, loss, inconstant), impotence
     • Others – multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, otitis, type II diabetes, hypoglycemia, dark circles, enuresis (bedwetting).

Phew! With all these symptoms, how can we really know if we are expressing intolerance or simply ill? This question leads us to our next reflection on the incidence of intolerances today.

1. Why is there such an increase in intolerances, especially among young people?
   • It is important to understand that there is not just one cause for intolerances, but rather a combination of factors that make the immune system less resilient, and the nervous and endocrine systems more hostile.
   • Considering the incidence of intolerances today, it is also important to understand that the appearance or detection of a symptom is the expression of an accumulation of stress to the point that our tolerance threshold is exceeded, giving rise to the beginning of irritation of the body. This tolerance threshold is different for everyone, just as strengths and weaknesses are different for everyone.
   • All to say that it is not only the harmful qualities of a food that stimulate a defense reaction of the immune system, but the interaction between the food and the tissues of different bodily systems (digestive, intestinal, respiratory, integumentary (skin), nervous, etc.), which also have their own limits of resilience and tolerance, their strengths and weaknesses.

So, I'll give you a picture - a body is always seeking homeostasis - a dynamic and balanced state despite an ever-changing environment. The body is in continuous interaction with mental, emotional, physical, environmental and often dietary stresses. Each stress requires a metabolism - including the processes of digestion, assimilation and elimination. The quality of each of these processes is determined by the nature of the stimulus, the reserves (minerals, vitamins, enzymes etc.) available to carry out metabolic reactions as well as the health and cleanliness of physiological tissues (inflamed, congested, dehydrated, etc.). If, for example, the digestive process is compromised due to a lack of hydrochloric acid related to emotional stress during mealtimes, proteins may be left undigested, and these particles could irritate the stomach walls, eventually create pockets and begin circulating in the blood, which would create an abnormal state. This abnormal state will attract the attention of the immune system, which will send lymphocytes and other white blood cells to monitor this undigested protein. This creates a first level of inflammation—subtle and undetectable to our nervous system. Little by little, during each meal; each stress, each undigested emotion, and each unresolved negative thought will increase the total stress load. The body will become increasingly hostile, and intolerances will appear more and more.

Can we say that children and young people today are less stressed? Less disturbed by the pressures of school, less stimulated by technology? Are our food and water more or less toxic than they were 10-30 years ago? Is our society more or less charged with anger, our environment more or less degraded, exploited, abused?

Children are sensitive beings, very energetically sensitive – they don't have the adult abilities to filter or interact with what they have to deal with. Food is a very present stimulus in daily life and is often the only source of control for a child. When the body says NO to a stressful life (including the stress of parental lives), this stress often comes out through the mouth, skin, lungs, stomach, and colon.

The real question for me is: why are young people and children so hostile to what they consume? Why do they need to defend themselves so much? And where do the sources of stress and toxins come from in everyday life?

4. What is a hyper-allergenic food and how many are there?

A hyperallergenic food is a food that triggers adverse reactions in most populations, which are expressed through food intolerances. Lists vary, however, in general they are:

• Dairy (cow), eggs, nuts, peanuts (which is a legume), soy, wheat, white sugar, pork, ALL artificial colors, flavors, additives, herbicides and pesticides.

Regarding herbicides and pesticides – a little poison is always poison, often intolerances are related to chemicals and not to the food itself.

For your little ones, here's an additional list to consider as you introduce solid foods – these foods can be difficult for them to digest at first.

• Cabbage, chocolate, cinnamon, citrus, coconut, corn, mango, fish, onion, papaya, legumes, melon, rye, buckwheat, tomatoes, yeast, peas, strawberries.

5. Do we need to live with our intolerances forever?

• Simply put – NO. A long topic and potentially a long road, but the only constant is change, as the body adapts, and the body can learn how to metabolize its stresses differently. Certainly everyone is different; age, heredity, and other factors influence hostility and therefore the body's reaction.

6. What are the concrete steps to reduce the expression of food intolerances?

• Eliminate processed, refined, sugary, chemical and non-organic foods.
• Eliminate chemical cleaning and beauty products.
• Identify the negative sources of stress in your life and try to neutralize them through your lifestyle, and for stress management: meditate, dance, breathe, stretch, get a massage...
• Finding calm amidst constant consumption… trying to rediscover silence of mind, joy of heart, self-confidence, balanced movement of the body.
• More than ever, and especially for children, good stress management mechanisms are important to integrate every day - between school and home, before and after meals, before bed and during difficult times.

At first, your diet may need to be restrictive, but that's just the beginning. This is a different way of thinking about intolerances—more like an invitation to get to know yourself better, to meet yourself in crisis, and to act with compassion, listening, and hope for an eventual return to balanced health.

References:

Allergies, Disease in Disguise - Carolee Bateson-Koch DC ND (1994)

Super Baby Food - Ruth Aaron (2013)

In support of your autonomy and radiant health!

Danielle Denichaud RHN, RYT, BA

Holistic Nutrition Consultant

Member of the Association of Professional Naturopaths of Quebec (ANPQ) and the Association of Professional Holistic Nutritionists of Canada (CAHN-Pro)

Professional warning

These recommendations are intended to improve the level of physical well-being and general health, and are in no way intended to replace medical diagnoses, treatments or medical prescriptions, or any other controlled or licensed act that could constitute the practice of medicine.