Eileen* was nearing 60 years old when we first met.
She came to me because the pain in her hands was beginning to affect her day-to-day activities. She had always been an avid gardener but was finding it more and more painful to even grip the shovel for planting. She had enjoyed playing guitar but had stopped because her fingers hurt when she gripped the fret and tried to play the cords. She resorted to using over-the-counter pain relievers but was worried about the negative long-term effects they might have.
Her pain was robbing her of her favorite pastimes – small things that used to give her great joy.
As we talked, Eileen told me that she had slipped into the habit of ordering out her meals. She had a demanding job that required her to work at her desk most days. By the end of the day, she was exhausted and would stop by local restaurants to pick up dinner.
After our initial meeting, I explained to Eileen that in addition to her stress, a poor diet could be contributing to an inflammatory response that was responsible for the pain she was feeling.
Eileen listened intently as I explained that not everyone responds the same to the foods they eat. For example, one person might feel fine eating dairy, while another might not.
She explained that she had already been tested for food allergies by her doctor a while back, and everything came back negative. So, she thought, food was not the root cause of her pain.
I explained that she could be reacting to certain foods without being allergic to them. She could have food sensitivities that were responsible for the inflammation she was experiencing.
Food sensitivities often go undetected because they may not cause a reaction for several hours or even days after consuming a food.
The Difference Between Food Allergies and Food Sensitivities
You might be familiar with the concept of a food allergy. Peanuts, for instance, are one of the foods you frequently hear about. One bite of a food containing peanuts can send a person with a peanut allergy to the hospital with anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that usually occurs within minutes after eating the offending food.
In addition to peanuts, some common food allergies include dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, and wheat. 1
Food sensitivity is different. And, it is more common than food allergies. 2
Unlike the immediate response of a food allergy, a sensitivity creates a delayed reaction. And unlike food allergies, they aren’t immediately life-threatening. Instead, they trigger other immune pathways in the body, which produces symptoms more slowly. Symptoms may not present themselves until hours or even days after eating the food. Because of this, a person might not make a connection between the food and symptoms (for example, Eileen’s hand pain). They continue to eat this food repeatedly, not realizing its inflammatory effect. As a result, the body mounts an immune response to defend itself from what it sees as a harmful invader.
This causes a long-term and low-grade type of inflammation called chronic inflammation.
In addition to joint pain like Eileen’s, symptoms can commonly include. 3
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Skin rash
- Itching
What can you do to protect itself from chronic inflammation?
One way is to eliminate some of the common offenders to try and identify the foods that are causing your symptoms. These elimination diets will typically avoid:
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Soy
- Refined/added sugar
- Peanuts
- Corn
- Alcohol
- Eggs, in some cases
- Usually all packaged, processed or fast foods
- Certain nightshades
When I first started my coaching business, I used elimination diets to help my clients identify their food sensitivities. And while this approach can have success, it is difficult to follow and many weren’t able to stick to it long enough to see complete benefits.
More recently, I have had great success using a blood test to identify the SPECIFIC foods that are causing symptoms in my clients. Not only do they see scientific proof of what foods are causing an inflammatory response in the body, but there are also typically fewer foods to eliminate!
That is the approach Eileen and I used to get to the bottom of her joint pain. Her test indicated she had sensitivities to a few foods, including a couple of surprising ones, namely sweet potatoes and squash. We discussed how she could eliminate these foods for a period of time to give her body time to heal.
We discussed which foods from her list might be the most difficult for her to avoid, but I also asked her what her favorite foods were. From this information, I compiled her specialized plan and several easy recipes that she could enjoy while not feeling hungry or deprived. We talked about lifestyle tips that would help her plan out her meals ahead of time and some other ways to reduce stress.
I recently checked in with Eileen...
She had successfully followed her new protocol and is happy to report that she has markedly less pain. She is eagerly planning what plants to put in her garden for next spring. She has picked up her guitar again and enjoying her music. She has begun adding back the foods she avoided and monitoring her symptoms with a food diary. If her symptoms return, she will know this might be a food she needs to avoid or limit in her diet moving forward.
Do you think you might be suffering from inflammatory symptoms brought on by the foods you are eating? I’d be happy to discuss ways for you to begin your healing journey. Just connect with me for a chat.
Yours in Health,
Evey
*Not client’s actual name
