So you shat your pants after eating a pizza, that’s a pretty obvious indicator that something you ate isn’t sitting well with you (usually dairy or gluten would be the first suspects in this instance), but what if your food intolerance is showing up in other ways?
Often intolerances get overlooked if they are producing immune responses that are a) not immediate and b) not digestive symptoms.
So here’s 5 quick examples of ‘under the radar’ symptoms of food intolerances, things you might be living with that you might not have realised have anything to do with food at all!
Nasal congestion, stuffy nose, dripping nose. This is a big one, I see this A LOT amongst my clients and it’s often linked to dairy intolerance. As are other ENT and respiratory conditions such as recurrent tonsillitis and asthma.
Eczema/dermatitis. Dairy is often another trigger here, but also any foods that increase sebum production on the skin feeding fungal overgrowths, for example nuts can be a problem for some people.
Brain fog. The main trigger I see associated with brain fog is gluten. Without even actually being intolerant to gluten itself, it is damaging to the lining of the gut which can result in toxins and food particles crossing the gut barrier and cross-talking with the immune system. This can result in systemic reactions including brain fog. For this particular symptom you also want to check your blood sugar balance, it can be a sign of hypos (low blood sugar).
Joint pain. Again in the case of a leaky gut, those immune responses can show up all over the body including your joints. So joint pain isn’t just a case of ageing or an injury, there could also be a food trigger eg gluten, dairy, soy, nuts/seeds, eggs, nightshades, coffee etc
Fatigue. This is another common symptom if your immune system is on high alert, especially if a food intolerance/immune reaction has been an underlying problem for a while.
So all signs of food intolerances, and none of them digestive symptoms.
Also it’s worthwhile noting that some immune responses can take up to 72 hours to manifest which can make them tricky to spot.
You’ll also notice that a lot of these symptoms can be associated with an overall autoimmune picture, which is why the first port of call with autoimmune conditions should be diet and a deep dive into gut health.
For the record, I don’t think allergy tests are worth the time or money, they often flag up all the foods you eat most regularly and this doesn’t mean you’re actually having a reaction to these foods. They essentially can flag up false negatives, leaving you with a very restricted (and miserable) diet.
My preferred method for figuring out trigger foods is eliminating them from your diet (either one at a time or all at once then adding them gradually back in to see whether they trigger your symptoms).
Hope this has been insightful. Give me a shout if you need some help navigating potential food intolerances.
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The content in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health.