Distinguishing between food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances is crucial, as each requires a unique approach to treatment and dietary management.
A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body’s immune system. This occurs when your body’s natural defenses overreact to exposure to a particular substance, treating it as an invader and releasing chemicals to defend against it.
The symptoms of a food allergy can vary from person to person. The symptoms can vary from mild to severe and even life-threatening, including:
People who have food allergies must avoid eating (and sometimes touching) the food they are allergic to. Reading food labels and understanding which foods may contain the allergen is crucial for managing your condition.
If you are experiencing a food allergy reaction, seek medical help immediately
Dietitians can help patients, parents, and caregivers understand which foods and beverages are safe to consume and how to avoid items that may cause a reaction. With over 30 years of experience as a dietitian, Nancy can guide you in reading food labels, understanding food ingredients, planning and prepping meals, and offering alternatives that balance healthy eating with necessary dietary restrictions.
Food Intolerance occurs when you lack the enzymes needed to break down and absorb certain ingredients. The inability to digest lactose, the sugar in dairy products, is a common food intolerance.
Food Sensitivity is an individual’s adverse physical response to a certain food, beverage, or ingredient.
Both intolerance and sensitivity refer to difficulty in digesting specific foods. Symptoms of food intolerance and sensitivities tend to take longer to appear than symptoms of allergies, usually occurring several to 48 hours after ingesting the offending food or compound and may persist for several hours or days.
There may be a wide variety of symptoms. The most common include:
Yes, there are three components to the process:
1. Determine and treat the Specific Foods that Cause Symptoms
Foods that trigger symptoms must be identified. Strategies may include:
2. Determine the Underlying Cause
Most food sensitivities are caused by dysbiosis (an unhealthy microbiome), leaky gut, or a combination of these overlapping conditions.
3. Development of an Individualized Food Plan to resolve symptoms and treat the underlying cause
Nancy, a NYS Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist, works closely with patients to identify trigger foods, resolve symptoms, and determine as well as treat the underlying cause of their sensitivity or intolerance. The goal of medical nutrition therapy is not just to resolve symptoms and treat the underlying conditions but to establish a personalized plan that promotes health. With over 30 years of experience, Nancy offers online nutrition therapy to patients across New York.
FROM NANCY’S BLOG
