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Food intolerances or "sensitivities" can affect you in so many ways and can take a few days to show up as a symptom. This is what makes identifying the offending food difficult. Intolerances are also a lot more common than most people think. Sensitivities are different from food allergies or anaphylactic reactions which involve an immediate immune response. Allergies typically present with hives, swelling, and can affect the airway. Allergic reactions can be serious and life-threatening; therefore, require strict avoidance and possibly require the person to carry emergency medicine such as an epi-pen with them. An sensitivity is when you do not tolerate a specific food very well and it causes immediate or chronic symptoms anywhere in the body. Symptoms can take hours or even days to show themselves. And symptoms can be located just about anywhere in the body. This is what makes them so tricky to identify. Symptoms of Food Intolerances There are some common food intolerances that have immediate and terribly painful gastrointestinal symptoms, such as stomach pain, gas, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea. On the other hand, there are others that cause more insidious symptoms may not be linked to foods in an obvious way. Symptoms such as:
How to Identify these Intolerances It might not be obvious what foods are causing you discomfort. The gold standard for identifying food sensitivities is elimination then challenge. There are foods that are more common so typically we start there. Some people find using blood IgG food panels helpful as a place to start the elimination process. We offer these to patients upon request. Once the foods are identified, stop ingesting them for a period of time; typically three weeks but even up to six months. I can appreciate this isn’t always easy to do! If your symptoms improve within the three week period, we then systematically re-introduce the avoided foods to see which ones were causing which symptoms. It is ideal to work with your naturopathic physician during this process. The good news is, unlike a true allergy, for most people eventually that food maybe consumed periodically without the same degree of distress. This is something we discuss in a visit. Two Common Food Sensitivities Here are two of the most common triggers of food intolerances:
Yes, dairy and grains are a part of many government-recommended food guidelines but you absolutely can get all of the nutrients you need if you focus on replacing them with nutrient-dense foods. Especially for the short duration of the elimination phase. A reliable way to monitor how you feel after eating certain foods is to track it. After every meal or snack, write down the foods you ate and any symptoms so you can more easily spot trends. This is a great tool to bring to your appointment. See the pdf below to download a free copy of my weekly diet diary/food journal to help you track. And, as mentioned earlier, symptoms may not start immediately following a meal. You may find, for example, that you wake up with a headache the morning after eating eggs. You might be surprised what links you can find if you track your food and symptoms well! IMPORTANT NOTE: When you eliminate something, you need to make sure it's not hiding in other foods, or the whole point of eliminating it for a few weeks is lost. Restaurant food, packaged foods, and sauces or dressings are notorious for adding ingredients that you'd never think are there. You know that sugar hides in almost everything, but did you also know that wheat is often added to processed meats and soy sauce, and lactose can even be found in some medications or supplements? When in doubt, ask the server in a restaurant about hidden ingredients, read labels, and consider cooking from scratch. Recipe (dairy-free milk): Homemade Nut/Seed Milk Makes 3 cups
2. Dump soaking water & rinse nuts/seeds. 3. Add soaked nuts/seeds and 2 cups water to a high-speed blender and blend on high for about one minute until very smooth. 4. Strain through a small mesh sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze if necessary. Serve & enjoy! Tip: You can double the recipe and store the milk in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
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 Spring is such a beautiful time of year. The cherry blossoms and warmer weather means more time outdoors. This is all very exciting for most of us but can be dreaded by those who experience seasonal allergies or hay fever. There are many ways to naturally improve your immune system to help alleviate the symptoms experienced. It is ideal to start earlier in the spring; do not wait until you are experiencing symptom’s to start controlling them. Here are five strategies to minimize impact of your seasonal allergies this year:
I have always loved formulas that include burdock root (Arctium lappa) due to it's wonderful properties. So when I saw the root at the local grocery store I had to try it out. There are a surprising number ways to enjoy this nutritious root. I simply chopped the root into circles, coated in sesame oil, baked for 10 minutes, then sprinkled with sesame seeds and a pinch of sea salt. It has a mildly nutty flavour which would satisfy a chip craving in a heart beat! Other ways to enjoy include: as a tea (boil for 10 minutes), adding to bone broth recipe, or sautéed in a stir-fry. Burdock is great for inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and eczema. It has a mildly bitter flavour that helps stimulates bile production and liver detoxification. It has been shown to increase white blood cells improving the immune system. It is best to avoid during pregnancy as it may have mild stimulatory effects on the uterus.   I love fall. Getting back to a routine, better eating habits, and SOUP! I should add that my husband would also say, football season.... But it can also be the time of year where our immune systems start to take a bit of a hit. One of my favourite recommendations for families is to make bone broth. It is a rich source of nutrients containing protein, collagen, and minerals, especially calcium. It’s easy for our body to digest, tastes delicious and fills a home with an aroma of goodness while cooking. Bone broth is restorative to our body, energy, and immune system all year round.
BASIC BROTH RECIPE
Combine bones, water and vinegar in a pot, bring to a boil, remove any scum that has risen to the top and reduce heat. Simmer 6-48 hrs for chicken, 12 –72 hrs for beef, the longer the better (24 hrs is best). To reduce cooking time, you may break or cut bones into small pieces first. Once simmered, strain through a colander into a soup pot and discard the bones [don't forget to put the pot under the colander! This is from experience :( ] . If uncooked meat was used to start with, you may reserve the meat for soup or salads. Cold broth will gel when sufficient gelatin is present which is also healthy to consume in broth. Broth may be frozen for months, or kept in the refrigerator for about 5 days. WAYS TO ENJOY Soup - Make soup by adding vegetables, beans, grains or meat to broth. Briefly cook vegetables and meat before adding broth and grains or previously soaked beans and simmer till all is cooked through (time will vary with ingredients). Season with salt and pepper and more spices. Cooking Liquid - Use broth in place of water to steam veggies or cook rice, beans or other grains. Place steamer basket of veggies over broth or add grains or beans directly to it in proper ratio. Simmer for instructed time. You may thicken veggie steaming-broth, as below, to use as gravy. Tea - Don’t forget you can just add salt and sip broth like tea. This is especially nice in the winter months or if you’re feeling sick. Try it in a thermos and sip throughout the day. Of course, the most traditional use for seasoned broth is as a first course, to enhance the digestion of any meal to come.  Summer is a great time to really spend time outdoors with friends and family. Sunburns are common in the early months of summer as your skin builds and develops the protective base layer. This month's Calmmother post provides 5 tips on how to protect and treat sunburns.
I was on antibiotics A LOT when I was younger for chronic strep throat. It wasn't until my mom took me to a Naturopathic doctor that we got to the root of the cause and I never had strep again. Find out here what the consequences of this has been for me with skin and digestive concerns.
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Dr. PamHas a special interest in assisting families, moms, and moms-to-be with everyday health concerns. Archives
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