Burping, bloating, esophageal burning, and varying degrees of pain—these are some typical after-meal experiences for people with digestive issues.
Some people know what foods will bring on symptoms, but for others, the cause of their gastro-distress remains a mystery. Fortunately, if your struggle involves digestive distress and not severe or life-threatening allergic responses—which require immediate medical attention—you might be able to do a little detective work and learn more about how your body is responding to food. You may even be able to pinpoint the specific foods that are causing the issues.
Newer self-directed methods to determine food reactions are growing in popularity, in part because studies indicate that they work.
However, the first hurdle is acknowledging that food is associated with symptoms—something your doctor may overlook. Oftentimes, it’s patients themselves who make the connection.
The Growing Problem of Food Reactions
Only in the past decade has research begun to connect IBD to food allergies and nonallergic food reactions. Research also shows that food sensitivities and allergies are increasing, leaving more people struggling with food in ways that affect digestion and overall wellness.
The terms “food intolerances” and “food sensitivities” are sometimes used interchangeably and research suggests that they may be connected to deficiencies in the gut microbiome—the community of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that assist the body with digestion, immunity, and all sorts of functions.
One role of the microbiome is to fortify the intestinal lining so that only the correct molecules will be absorbed into the body. One theory behind the rise in food sensitivities is that the gut is becoming damaged by toxins in our food and environment that punch holes in the lining, sometimes referred to as “leaky gut.” This may allow bacteria and partially digested food proteins to wander into the bloodstream, where they don’t belong, and cause a systemic autoimmune reaction.
Food Response Testing
There are a variety of tests that claim to diagnose food allergies and sensitivities. While IgE tests have been clinically validated for allergies, other types of testing for nonallergic reactions are more confusing and controversial.“Guidelines sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases note that diagnosing non-IgE-mediated immunologic adverse reactions to food can be challenging, and many immune cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of non-IgE-mediated food reactions,” wrote the authors of the research, which was published in Nutrition and Metabolism.
IgG testing looks at whether certain antibodies are formed against food. Dr. Sara May, Nebraska Medicine allergy and immunology specialist, argues that IgG antibodies demonstrate tolerance—not intolerance—to food.
Breath Testing
Hydrogen breath tests are a clinically validated way to assess certain gastrointestinal disorders such as lactose intolerance and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), as well as to rule out these two conditions along the way to uncovering an IBS diagnosis.The tests, available through doctors and at home, measure hydrogen gas levels in your breath. Newer tests also measure methane. Gas is created by fermentation—gut bacteria digesting sugars and carbohydrates. It moves into the lungs and can be detected by the test.
In a healthy person, sugars and carbohydrates are predigested before making their way to the colon. If these foods make it to the colon undigested, bacteria there are forced to digest them, and they convert them into gas, which is responsible for uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, pain, flatulence, and inconsistent bowel habits. In the case of SIBO, bacteria that don’t belong in the small intestine are fermenting these foods.
Breath tests involve a variety of preparations and potentially require several rounds of testing to check whether you’re reacting to lactose, sucrose, fructose, sorbitol, or glucose. However, there’s a newer breath test that can test for these at home, as well as offering unlimited immediate feedback on specific foods. The test can be taken several times throughout the day.
Dr. William Davis, cardiologist and author of “Super Gut,” told The Epoch Times that he uses the AIRE device to verify whether strategies to eradicate SIBO are working. The goal shouldn’t be to indefinitely eliminate food, he said.
“You remove the food from the diet, you reduce symptoms, but it doesn’t fix the problem,” Dr. Davis said.
Connecting the Dots With Food Journaling
A more simplistic and straightforward strategy for identifying food triggers is food journaling, sometimes used in conjunction with testing, low-FODMAP diets, or elimination diets.The key, she said, is to make it work for you. For instance, some people like to add entries for sleep, stress, exercise, and more—but if it feels too overwhelming, just focus on the essentials.
- Some vegetables can be tolerated cooked, even if they cause symptoms when eaten in raw form.
- Reactions might be related to eating too much of one particular food. For instance, a small serving of chickpeas versus a large bowl.
- Journaling may not give you all the answers, and it’s not really designed to.
- Tracking can be useful as a long-term tool or even just for a short period of time to pick up on patterns.
- Food sensitivities and reactions can change.
- It’s about observation, not obsession.
“Use it to help you learn and figure things out, but then aim to eat as intuitively as possible without it, using what you’ve learned and listening to your body now that you’re better equipped to understand its symptoms,” Ms. Solomonides said.
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