This year I had the pleasure of speaking at the Raleigh Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event! It was a great event and my talk “Other Food Sensitivities: A Time and a Place for Sensitivity Testing and Elimination Diets” recieved good feedback.
Since I wasn’t able to walk around much this year (I was manning my booth all day), I don’t have as much to say about the actual event as I did in my 2015 review/recap. Mike walked around quite a bit and even brought me back goodies from time to time, but the only walking I got to do that day was going to and from my own lecture!
About my talk:
The title of my presentation was “Other Food Sensitivities: A Time and a Place for Sensitivity Testing and Elimination Diets”. In a 31 minute whirlwind, I taught the audience about the different types of reactions you can have to a food (discussed below), how to test for each, and some pros and cons between testing and elimination diets.
For the rest of the event I got excellent feedback from the 40 or so people who got to hear my class. I am hoping to get the recording on YouTube this weekend as long as the sound quality is okay.
Types of adverse food reactions:
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Allergy
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Sensitivity
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Celiac Disease
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Intolerance
Here’s a slide from my presentation that breaks down the differences between the four better:
The Differences:
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In an allergy you make antibodies (IgE) and the reaction is immediate (within seconds or minutes)
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In a sensitivity you make antibodies (IgG or IgA), but the reaction is delayed (minutes to days)
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Celiac Disease is similar to a sensitivity (IgG or IgA antibodies and a delayed reaction), but you also make antibodies to your own intestinal lining.
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In an intolerance the reaction is delayed (minutes to days), but there are no antibodies produced. This can be for one of two main reasons:
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You don’t have the enzymes to break down your food (like in lactose intolerance)
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You don’t have the bugs to break down your food (insufficiency dysbiosis) OR the bugs are in the wrong place (SIBO)
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An important take-away from the talk:
If you do an elimination diet you will automatically assume that you can never eat those foods again once they are cut out. That might not be true, though. For example, if you correct/treat SIBO you can usually add FODMAPs back in to your diet! The only way to figure out what’s going on (and if your reactions to foods are really a life sentence) is to test for stuff and work with somebody who knows how to help you navigate the above maze.
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend as much as Mike and I did!
In health,
