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Food sensitivities are believed to cause chronic inflammation, chronic disease & general malaise. They are growing more commonplace, yet they are difficult to detect. Most of us experience the symptoms of food sensitivities as fatigue, joint & muscle pain, mental fog, sleepiness after eating, anxiety, depression, irritability, acne & other skin disorders, weight problems, gas & bloating, insomnia, ringing in the ears, coughing, acid reflux, mouth sores, food cravings, high blood pressure and more. Do you fit any of these criteria? If so, download this podcast and share it with others. This interview with Joy Supplee, MS, RD, examines what they are, how they develop, how to get tested and start the road to recovery, and offers hope for promising health.
Abbreviated transcription is below.
Read the full transcript here.
The full interview can be heard by clicking the link above.
Show Notes:
Connect with Joy: www.customfitnutrition.net, 1-855-CUST FIT(1-855-287-8348)
LEAP Dietitians
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Food Sensitivities Interview
with Joy 4/26/12
Bio for Joy Supplee & Custom Fit Nutrition:
Joy believes that every person is unique and deserves a “custom fit” approach to nutrition care. Her qualifications are some of the highest available including being nationally registered as a Dietitian and certified by the state of Washington. Joy’s training gives her a balanced approach including traditional medicine as well as complimentary and alternative methods as evidenced by her Master’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Washington and her Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition from the nationally-renowned Bastyr University.
During her Master’s degree coursework, her thesis about bone density and soda consumption was published in Public Health Nutrition, a peer-reviewed journal.
Joy also has a specialty in working with & identifying food sensitivities, which required additional training. Her methods have helped people with all kinds of digestive symptoms, acid reflux, Celiac disease, Ulcerative Colitis, headaches/migraines, joint pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety/depression, skin problems, ADD, sinus congestion, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, asthma and more. It’s not hard to find a great testimony from a client that Joy’s services helped.
Frances: Joy, there seems to be a lot of confusion around food sensitivities being the same as food allergies. Can you help us distinguish the two from each other? Which is more serious and why?
Joy: What we think of as traditional allergies involve one specific pathway in the immune system and are usually severe and quick onset, such as difficulty breathing, instant hives, swelling lips or closing throat. These may require using an epi-pen. Sensitivities use other pathways in the immune system and can take anywhere from an hour to 3 days to manifest symptoms.
Frances: What symptoms might someone experience if he or she is dealing with a hidden food sensitivity?
Joy: There is a wide variety that can include but not be limited to fatigue, sleepiness after eating, insomnia, anxiety/depression, irritability, behavioral disturbances, mental fog, migraines/headaches, itchy ears, ringing in the ears, acne breakouts, eczema/psoriasis, rashes/hives, sinus congestion, mouth sores, throat clearing, urinary frequency, joint/muscle pain, coughing, acid reflux, constipation/diarrhea, nausea, gas/bloating, food cravings and even high blood pressure.
Frances: How common are food sensitivities?
Joy: I have heard estimates at 40-60% of the US population.
Frances: If someone has a food sensitivity but is not bothered by it, how important is it to address?
Joy: A food sensitivity represents that something is probably not ideal in the digestive system for whatever reason. This also tends to cause inflammation of some sort and would likely get worse over time. Inflammation is the basis of many chronic diseases so the earlier you can address it and help the issue in the digestive system, the more likely you are to prevent bigger problems down the road.
Frances: For years, people have been advised to do either an elimination diet or a food diary tracking how you feel after you’ve eaten foods to help in discovering food sensitivities. Does this work? Why or why not?
Joy: Elimination diets, when supervised by a nutrition professional, can find some of the bigger things. But sensitivities to food chemicals like tyramine, phenylethylamine and salicylic acid or food additives like polysorbate 80 can be very difficult to detect without the use of objective data such as a blood test called the MRT or Mediator Release Test. In fact, if someone is taking meds that contain something they are sensitive to, it may be impossible to figure out with an elimination diet if these things aren’t considered in the plan. I’ve had several clients who were sensitive to things not only in their foods, but in their meds and hygiene products and without the use of the MRT, might have been impossible to discern.
Frances: So basically the MRT test is much more comprehensive and specific. I’ve heard people tell me their food allergist tested them for food sensitivities but found no evidence of food sensitivities. Is a food allergist the right resource for discovering a sensitivity?
Joy: An allergist tends to look for answers using tests looking at only one or two pathways in the immune system. This is why many food sensitivities get missed. A test like the MRT is not limited to these 1 or 2 pathways and ends up being much more comprehensive.
Frances: Let’s dig into the MRT stuff. Please give us a cliff-notes version of what a mediator is and tell us the MRT works.
Joy: LEAP is a dietary protocol that goes along with the MRT and is supervised by a specially trained registered dietitian.
Frances: Run us through how LEAP works and how someone gets started with LEAP. the results someone might see when using LEAP.
Joy: First, you should talk with a LEAP dietitian to see if the program would be right for you. Then if it looks like a good fit, you can have your blood drawn using the MRT blood test. After the results come back, you will have a series of meetings with your dietitian to go through the very important dietary protocol known as LEAP. Most GI symptoms are relieved in 7 to 10 days of following your LEAP plan. Often times, headaches and sinus symptoms are quick to resolve too. Skin issues, joint and muscle pain may take a little longer but are usually helped as well.
Frances: What are some key tips you could leave the audience with regarding food sensitivities?
Joy: If you suspect you have food sensitivities and would like to feel better and quit guessing at what they are, make an appointment with a LEAP dietitian to get started on your own path to better health.
Thank you for the interview, Joy! Connect with Joy: www.customfitnutrition.net, 1-855-CUST FIT(1-855-287-8348)
Find LEAP Dietitians in your area.
(Need help downloading the podcast? Click here.)
Contact us:
Edmonds, Washington, USA
info@namastenutritionist.com
Phone number: TBA
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
FYI:…Beyond Gluten-free & weight loss diets…This is a great interview by a couple of my RD colleagues that explains about the food allergy, sensitivity & intolerance work that I do…
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