I had a lab partner in college whose boyfriend had a large section of his colon removed as part of his crohn’s disease treatment. He would carry what she affectionately called a "poop bag" with him for the rest of his life. I have seen mothers carry epi pens in their purse in fear that their child will stop breathing when they come in contact with peanuts or milk.
Food allergies and food sensitivities are becoming epidemic. There are various theories on what causes food allergies, but one that stands out for me is the theory that when our guts are unhealthy they do not properly digest foods and these foods then make us sick.
One woman I know, Ann Marie, has recovered from the symptoms of food allergies and can now eat the very foods that once made her so ill.
If Ann Marie’s story or her class, Reversing Food Allergies, can help just one of those people then it is worth looking into. Now let’s hear from someone who knows the bitter struggle of food allergies all too well.
What is your experience with food allergies?
Hidden food allergies absolutely devastated my health. I was 25 years old and I was so sick, I didn’t have the energy to do anything. I was getting sinus infections every month, had sores in my nose that wouldn’t heal, and my arthritis pain was so bad, I couldn’t even sleep through the night. I was taking Alleve and allergy medicine on a daily basis.
I had no idea that I even had food allergies, much less that these food allergies were causing my arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other health problems. I did an elimination diet for 30 days and while the first week or two was pretty rough, the last two weeks, I felt like I was walking on air. All my symptoms vanished and I felt like a kid again. I’d jump out of bed in the morning, go all day, and I had no pain, no sneezing, no dizziness.
Of course then I found out the hard way that if I ate just a tiny bit of gluten or sugar, all my symptoms would come right back. So I worked on healing my gut. I took strong probiotics and avoided gluten and sugar.
It took me about 2 years but I did reverse my food allergies. I can now eat anything — wheat, sugar, you name it — and I don’t have any symptoms.
What do you believe causes food allergies?
Food allergies are caused by a damaged digestive tract. The digestive tract gets damaged by two things: (1) things that kill of our good bacteria and (2) things that damage our gut lining.
- Things that kill good bacteria. Our good bacteria is killed off by antibiotics, the birth control pill, steroids and other drugs, as well as chlorine in the water we drink, bathe and swim in. A hundred years ago, antibiotics were unheard of. We also ate plenty of naturally fermented foods at every meal — from naturally fermented sourdough to ketchup to sauerkraut to good old fashioned ginger ale. These foods provided probiotics to help build and maintain the good flora in our gut. These days, everything is pasteurized and sterilized, so not only are we killing off the good flora, but we’re not replacing it.
- Things that damage our gut lining. Foods that are hard to digest damage our gut lining. These foods include unfermented soy (the worst), as well as unfermented (unsoaked) grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
A century ago, all of these foods were traditionally soaked or fermented in order to make them more digestible (think about how you have to soak beans before eating them). Nowadays, with people using modern commercial yeast instead of traditional sourdough, these foods are not adequately broken down and are much harder on our digestive system.
We also used to eat a lot of chicken stock and other kinds of bone broth a century ago. Broth is one of the most healing foods for you digestive tract. Sadly, it has been replaced my MSG in most restaurants and packaged foods (including most of the canned soup you find at the supermarket).
How do you reverse food allergies?
First of all, we have to avoid foods that we are allergic to. Every time we eat a food that we cannot digest, it damages our gut further. That is why so many people end up with multiple food allergies. First they’re allergic to gluten, and they keep eating that, and then the next thing they know, they are also allergic to dairy. Then one day, they’re also allergic to nuts or eggs.
Unfortunately, most of us don’t know which foods we are allergic to. And, according to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of The Gut & Psychology Syndrome, the tests that are available are not reliable at all.
The only real way to find out what you are allergic to is to do an elimination diet for 4 weeks. That is what I did. Then you gradually reintroduce foods, one by one. You watch for reactions, and when you have a negative reaction, you know you can’t have that food. At least not for a while, until your gut is more healthy.
It’s not just about avoidance of allergens. If you just avoid gluten or dairy, you’re not going to heal the gut so nothing will change.
We also need to heal and seal the gut by eating lots of fermented foods, taking probiotics and eating bone broth which helps to rebuild and strengthen the gut lining. Probiotics help because part of their job is to build and protect the lining — so the more good flora you have, the more they work to heal your gut.
It can take a while to recover is because you have to help the gut rebuild itself. Let me explain:
There are these tiny finger-like protusions that line the gut wall. They are called villi. The villi are covered with cells that are called enterocytes. These enterocytes are covered with tiny hairs, like grass. This grass-like covering is called microvilli. (Stay with me — I’ll explain why all of this is important.)
Now, when the gut wall gets damaged and there is not enough good bacteria, the enterocytes get damaged and worn down. And their "grass" stops growing and they become bald.
Why is this a problem? Because it is the microvilli that actually secretes the enzymes that allow you to digest certain foods. In other words, you need the enzyme "lactase" to digest "lactose" in milk and dairy products. If your enterocytes are bald and your microvilli is non-existent, you are not producing any lactase — and as a result, you can’t drink milk.
So it depends on how worn down your digestive tract is. If it is completely worn down, it might be a while before you are able to eat any complex foods that require enzymes to break down. These complex foods are called "disaccharides" (two sugars) and "polysaccharides" (multiple sugars) and include dairy, grains, sugar and starches. Monosaccharides (single sugar) are foods that do not require enzymes to break down. So they are easy for us to digest and don’t tax our digestive system.
In the beginning, you can only eat simple foods like meat, fish, bone broth, and cooked and fermented vegetables. In time, as you heal, you can introduce more and more complex foods one at a time.
If you continue eating food you don’t have the enzymes to digest, you are putting too much strain on your digestive tract, and not giving it the time and space to heal itself. This is why it’s important to stick to a restricted diet in the beginning, and eat lots of things that will help your body heal itself, like fermented foods and bone broth.
You can use the coupon code "HEAL" for $20 off enrollment and find out more about Reversing Food Allergies. Tomorrow Ann Marie will be giving away free enrollment to one reader.
wow – this is amazing. i was just talking with the hubby about how my sugar intolerance has gotten even worse. my son and i both can’t handle wheat, too. this is just what we have been needing!! thank you.
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Shannon Reply:
March 16th, 2011 at 7:20 am
Margaret- You’re welcome, I pray this is helpful to you and others.
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This is such incredible information! I discovered about a year and a half ago that I’m allergic to wheat, and so I’ve been avoiding it – but I just always felt that there was more to the story. Thanks for sharing!! I look forward to reading more.
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Shannon Reply:
March 16th, 2011 at 7:19 am
Julie – I agree and I think it could really help some people.
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I’m all in. I’m gluten and lactose intolerant, and have fructose malabsorption. I’ve felt much better since changing my diet a couple years ago and started to reintroduce foods a few months ago. It started out great – eating apples again, hooray! But now some of the gassy, ‘IBS’ symptoms are returning and my iron levels have dramatically dropped in the last six months. I’m ready to find a way to stop the cycle for good.
Loving your blog, Shannon. Keep ‘em coming.
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Shannon Reply:
March 16th, 2011 at 7:18 am
Diana – I am sorry about your food issues, but I am excite that there is some new information out there for those who suffer. Unfortunately there are just so many who suffer, which is why I am glad to share Ann Marie’s class and story.
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I find this information to be misleading. There really is no cure for food allergies. I do believe that there are all kinds of GI disorders (including some food intolerances) that can be helped by healing the gut — but there is no evidence that this method with IGE food allergies. True food allergies are an immune system response — an overreaction to the proteins in the foods.
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Shannon Reply:
March 16th, 2011 at 8:15 am
Colette – When I put this post together I thought that someone might feel this way and I can understand why. Most people do not understand the differences between food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerance and without a very specific definition of each it is hard to communicate. Because of this I have used the overarching term food allergies, which I mean to encompass any intolerance or reaction to food sensitivities.
I don’t necessarily believe that everyone’s food allergies can be reversed, just like I don’t necessarily believe that everyone who is overweight will one day be thin by simply eating traditional foods. These issues are very complex and often times our food allergies or other health issues are likely caused by literally generations of poor food choices. We are what our mothers eat.
So while I agree with you that certain terms are confusing because not everyone ascribes the same definition to them, I do believe that the GAPS diet protocol that Ann Marie is promoting is helpful for just about anyone who has eaten a standard American diet or taken antibiotics or had really any type of illness. I have seen our family’s health improve on a more liberal GAPS diet and believe that even if one person’s food allergies are not completely “cured” that they can find some healing for them and their children through this protocol.
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Yup. We have found this to be true in our house, where the Specific Carbohydrate Diet helped make our ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) daughter a lot better. Our family suffered a lot less in general, because she suffered from far fewer of her old ASD problems (one of which was alternating diarrhea and constipation).
Everything you just put up there I learned last year in the book “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” by gastroenterologist Elaine Gottschall. She “invented,” or you might say “rediscovered” the Specific Carboyhdrate Diet.
Put simply, it’s all true.
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For those commenters above who say they had to eliminate certain things, such as wheat for example, read the book “Breaking the Vicious Cycle.” In it you’ll find out just why such practices like the Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet only work part way for so many people.
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I have a 6 yr old son with severe allergies, both food and environmental. Recently i my t yr old son has also started havong digestive issues when he eats dairy or wheat. I have tried the GAPS diet and it was awful! They were constabtly hingry and wouldn’t eat most of the stuff they could have. Any siggestions for doing this with little ones??
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Shannon Reply:
March 16th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
amy m – It is a struggle, to be sure, and a lot of work. When I did this with my little ones about a year ago the one thing that kept them full and not begging for constant food was using starchy veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes and tons of animal fats – like ridiculous amounts. Fat really satiates you and one tip I heard from a friend who is still doing GAPS is to make your soup with lots of fat and then add a tablespoon of unflavored coconut oil to your soup bowl. It seems like a lot, but it is actually healing to the digestive tract. I am sorry to hear about your little ones’ struggles.
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Ann Marie said that she thinks you’re giving away an enrollment tomorrow. Is that the case? If so, how do I enter?
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Dear Shannon,
I am very interested in all that you have to say about healing and sealing your gut, this last week I have been doing tons of research on the subject and I’m convinced I need to follow Mary Ann’s recommendations and take her class.
I have a three month old daughter with which her and I have had a candida overgrowth since we brought her home. During labor they had given me strong anitbotics due to prolonged ruptured membranes and my daughter was in th NICU for seven days afterwards for fear of an affection, taking two different antibotics. So needless to say, of course, we have thrush!!! My widwife keeps prescribing diflucan but I opted out on the third two-week treatment to find something that WILL work! At first I wanted to get rid of thrush just so I can have cheese or wine again but now I am concerned for my child and future children’s health as well as my own. Unfortunately our budget is very tight right now, so it’ll be a real challenge for my family to do the diet AND the class, so I was hoping that you could enter me in the contest to win Mary Ann’s class. Thanks a million for sharing all your wonderful knowledge it sure has helped this illiterate, struggling Mama.
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This sounds awesome
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I agree with Colette. Even after ready the well written reply, this information is both dangerous and misleading. “True food allergies are an immune system response — an overreaction to the proteins in the foods.” This immune system response can lead to anaphylactic shock, something left out of your article. Parents of allergic children constantly fight for the safety of their children and this article fuels fire that “the overarching term food allergies, which I mean to encompass any intolerance or reaction to food sensitivities” There is a true difference and people die, not just GI issues but die from food allergies.
Your article has helpful information. You should accurately use the correct terms intolerance and sensitivities. Calling your issues an allergy is not all encompassing or overarching, it’s false, inaccurate information on a very serious and potentially deadly issue.
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We have been considering GAPS for our son. He has around 40 food allergies/sensitivities. 25 are of the IgE (or immediate, face swelling, throat closing, rash inducing type). The rest are IgG (or delayed leaky gut type.) Some are both. I have no problem with you calling them all allergies. I do most of the time, myself.
I believe the IgG allergies are the ones that GAPS helps, if I am not mistaken. Right now, DS is on a rotation/elimination diet that has helped tremendously, but I’d like to heal his gut so he can eventually have some of the IgG foods.
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Do you think that this applies to Celiac disease?
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Shannon Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Manny – According to the GAPS book it can. Of course it is a process and once you get to the point of reintroducing any wheat products you would have to be extremely careful and do a sensitivity test (on the skin) to determine whether you should proceed with glutenous products or not.
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It’s very bothersome to me that I have had food allergies for as long as I can remember and have never once had a doctor or medical professional even begin to address any of the things discussed here. I was also diagnosed with eczema 12 years ago and not until recently did I realize that it could be linked to my food allergies. Thank you for sharing this information!
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What you’re referring to are food intolerances. True allergies have no GI relation. If I immediately start itchy after ingesting a food item, it couldn’t have reached the intestine yet.
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My daughter has over 20 IgE food allergies, a few delayed allergies, and a whole lot of environmental allergies. We are under the impression that true IgE allergies can be caused by leaky gut–the food is not broken down enough, leaks into the blood system, and the immune system sees them as an invader. Our doctor believes a mold colonization is at the root of her problems. This he believes is wrecking havoc with her digestive tract as well as the whole immune system. A lot of her IgE allergies are also related to pollens–lots of fruits cause the same respiratory problems that airborn pollens do for her. However, she also has some that seem to have different effects–soy causes diahrea and milk causes wheezing (as do the airborn allergens of dander, mold, and dust). Our approach right now is to try to get the allergen load down through both immunotherapy for the airborn allergens and by a rotation diet for the food allergies. We see glimpses of amazing improvement (going from not being able to even go for a walk without wheezing, stomach pain, and fatigue to being able to playing full out soccer without using an inhaler–something she couldn’t do before her food allergies were diagnosed). There is a lot that isn’t understood about allergies, but taking care of the gut and using a rotation diet is a good idea for anyone that has more than a couple of food allergies.
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Wow. I have been allergic to nuts since I was 7. I am now 17 and was always confused on how I suddenly became allergic to my favorite foods. Yes I carry an Eppi-Pen where ever I go, and yes I have to constantly read ingredients that are found in the back of the label. I am now doing a research project on my allergies and now from this paper and others I have read. I now am one step closer to finding out why my food allergies developed and how to possibly reverse them.
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This article was absolutely amazing! My 6 year old daughter is allergic to all kinds of foods including milk, wheat, peanuts, beef, eggs, shrimp, crab, watermelon, strawberries, mustard seed, almonds, cashews, string beans, brazil nuts, and walnuts. It is very difficult finding foods that she can and will eat. We have an epi-pen that goes everywhere with us and she has one at school. I’m definitely going to be getting her back on the pro-biotics! Thank you so much for writing this!
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Hi, I’m just trying to find out if anyone has had the same experience. I’m on elimination diet–no fruit, wheat, soy, dairy, etc. –and I’ve had bad problems with my digestion for years so I’m excited to get healthy & healed as I am diagnosed with a autoimmune and adrenal burnout. So I’m on week 4 of this diet and I am gassy every afternoon and evening. Besides rice products I cannot figure out what is going on other than a war is being waged in my gut??? Any ideas??? Thanks! Jkev
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Shannon Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Jana – What exactly are you eating? It is possible that there is still something causing issues. Also, did you start with the first phase of GAPS or are you jumping around? Finally, I wonder if you are taking a good quality probiotic. It is possible, if you are following things strictly, that your gut is just trying to heal itself with some unpleasant side effects.
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Would this way of eating help my son? He is allergic to soy, peanuts and tree nuts. His first episode was at 25 months of age and now at 40 months of age he has chronic loose stools. What can I do?
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Shannon Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Sarah – I can only tell you what I would do if my son had issues similar to your son’s. I would definitely try the GAPS protocol and stick to it to a T. There are no guarantees, but as far as I know of there are no better options except to keep on suffering.
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It is a food allergy – it’s an IgG response, not an IgE response. What some of you are calling food allergies – anaphylactic response, for example – is an IgE – mediated food allergy. The slower and more systemic immune system response associated with gluten, dairy, and a hundred other possibilities, is an IgG-mediated food allergy. More than one kind of Immunoglobulin-mediated response exists. Now who’s giving inaccurate information?
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