What is the difference between a food allergy and food sensitivity?
Food sensitivities can cause everything from brain fog and fuzzy thinking to actual cramping in the GI tract and even things simple like heartburn and bloating things that people can’t always connect with their food. The reason for that is that food sensitivities very different than food allergies.
Food allergies act quickly. Often you will have a reaction in up to an hour or two, maybe you’ll get a rash or an itchy throat but a food sensitivity may not show up for up to 72 hours up to 5 days. So you could have a food sensitivity from eating dairy but never be able to track it down because you may have eaten it 4 days ago and today you had a stomach ache. The time it takes for a food sensitivity to present itself makes it very difficult to link it to anything.
What can be done if a food sensitivity is suspected?
There is formal testing to look at many foods and spices to see what you might be sensitive to. And that eliminating just foods you may be sensitive to may relieve some of the symptoms like heartburn, gas, bloating, constipation. If you would like to get to the heart of your discomfort and discover any food sensitivities you may have, contact Dr. Karen Kaufman and get to the bottom of your discomfort.
