Have you noticed that you react to a lot of different foods, even healthy ones?

Or maybe your practitioner has told you to go low FODMAP or do an elimination diet?

First, let’s talk about why someone may be reacting to all different kinds of foods. 

The different reaction can include, but not limited to:

• Nausea
• Gas
• Bloating
• Headaches 
• Diarrhea
• Rashes

Our intestinal wall that separates what is in our GI tract from our blood, is truly a first line barrier for any harmful substances or toxins. 

When this wall becomes exposed to harmful chemicals, stress, inflammatory foods over time… it can lead to “increased intestinal permeability”. In other words: leaky gut.

What then follows is exactly how it sounds, substances that are normally unable to cross this barrier now have access to our systemic circulation!

“Increased intestinal permeability (IP) is a common problem found in several diseases that directly affect the gut, including common conditions such as irritable bowel disease (IBD) and more severe diseases such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and other pathologies.” (PMID 20612941)

Symptoms of having multiple food sensitivities can be traced back to increased intestinal permeability, because we absorb more things from what we eat therefore creating an allergic response. 

Second, it’s really important to pay attention to the types of foods you are reacting to!

These different foods can paint an even bigger picture of what is occurring. 

I want to use this opportunity to talk about foods high in histamine. Some of these foods include: spinach, soy, cacao, aged foods (fermented, leftovers), green tea, coffee, and more. 

Histamine is not the enemy! It’s actually very important in helping in the production of stomach acid and other enzymes. 

So why may we have a hard time breaking down histamine foods?

Normally it is broken down in the gut by an enzyme called DAO. 

If there is an unhealthy balance of bacteria in the gut (dysbiosis and/or leaky gut), it ends up not getting broken down by DAO because the gut isn’t able to produce enough, therefore you absorb more histamine because you can’t break it down.

So once more of this histamine is absorbed, next place it can be broken down is by the liver. If you have a high toxic load (from environmental toxins): then you get more and more symptoms because the liver is unable to break it down.

So what do we do about multiple food sensitivities?

 And the answer is NOT to avoid foods forever! Our gut needs diverse foods to thrive.

1. Identify foods that are triggering a response (food diary helps)
2. The easiest way to identify is an elimination diet: remove for 3 weeks then reintroduce
3. Be careful of food sensitivity panels, as there are none that are 100% reliable 
4. If you or your doctor suspect leaky gut, eat foods that support the gut barrier & potentially use helpful supplements (always check with your doctor)
5. Add in lifestyle changes that support healthy gut integrity: stress relieving practices, diverse plant foods, exercise
6. Remove environmental toxins (follow my IG for all my tips for this!)

Do you have any questions about foods high in histamine, or leaky gut? 

Hit REPLY to this email, and I’ll send over my list of high histamine plant based foods. 

Looking for more support in your gut health journey? Sign up for a free 15 minute phone consult and we can get into detail about what is occurring. 

Happiness & health, 

Dr. Steph

Instagram: @wfpb_doctor

YouTube: Thrive Kitchen

Website/consults: www.stephaniepeacock.com