{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Thyroid Mystery Solved: Hashimoto's and Hypothyroidism Revealed","title":"060 Demystifying Food Sensitivities (and What You Can do About Them)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1202,"description":"The Investigation I recently did an episode where I answered your questions and invited you to ask more. I was flooded with emails (thank you!). One of the most common topics of these email inquiries was food allergies and sensitivities. From causes, to diagnosis, to how to deal with it - this episode aims to demystify food sensitivities and answer your questions.    Food Allergy vs. Food Sensitivity vs. Food Intolerance These three terms often cause confusion because people are unclear of the differences. A food allergy means that there is a specific protein in a food that is acting as an antigen that is generating an immunologic reaction. Food without a specific protein (like sugar for example) cannot cause a true food allergy.  However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a reaction to it. Sometimes the body is unable to process certain foods properly. This could be caused by an immune dysfunction, build-up of toxins, or a deficiency in certain enzymes. These reactions can cause symptoms but may not always cause these symptoms everytime you eat the food. These are food sensitivities, not allergies because they can come and go depending on the environment.  A second misuse of the term ‘food allergy’ is when people actually mean ‘food intolerance.’ A common example of this is lactose intolerance. In this case, the body is not having an immunological reaction to an antigen but rather it has an inability to produce the enzymes to properly digest the food.   A food allergy is typically something someone is born with while food sensitivities and food intolerances can develop over time.    Symptoms of Food Reactions Some of the most common reactions to food sensitivities or intolerances include dermatological symptoms (rashes and dermatitis), gastrointestinal problems, loss of appetite, mal-absorption syndrome created by inflammatory bowel reactions to the offending protein, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, ulcerations, autoimmune phenomenon (like arthritis, lupus,...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/9ZbRr0xzgu8-YRnig2AcyeY_Nu_m2EBquTr83LV8K2g/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQ4NTg5LzE3MTE1/NjQxMDktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}