And welcome back. Today we're going to be talking about food sensitivities and allergies. So I wanted to leave this slide in the beginning, because I think it does a good job delineating the difference between a food sensitivity and food allergy. We're going to go over it throughout the presentation. So if you get confused, if you want to stop and come back to it, this is a great place to really come back and really understand the differences as we're going along. So when we're talking about food allergies and food sensitivities, there are a couple of mechanisms that are the most popularized today.

So today, there's a prevailing theory theory out there and that and it proposes that allergies and intolerances are born from our small intestine. In some cases, proteins on broken down into their building blocks, and as a result, some pieces remain and could end up in the bloodstream. Now if you have a problem fully functioning gut, this isn't an issue, the leftover pieces stay in the gut and they're essentially excreted and the problems avoided. In some cases, however, these tiny particles get incorporated into fat particles. And they're brought into the lymph system. They're the immune cells uncover these foreign bodies, and they do it there we've created to do which is destroy them.

And now after the initial initial attack from this foreign invader, this protein, our immune system begins to create antibodies to deal with the next attack in a much more efficient manner. So again, so we're once we create these antibodies for that second attack, we're be able to deal with it more efficiently and in some cases, this leads to increasingly severe allergic reactions and syndromes can include trouble breathing, extreme swelling, especially in the face in the tongue, hives. It applies to foods that are high in fat and protein content. So when you Thinking of allergies. We're talking about foods like eggs, milk, soy peanuts. So when you're thinking of other high fat foods, things like sausages and bacon, we're actually not allergic to these because they're made of the same materials, the same amino acids that we as humans are made of.

Now, many people have allergies, other foods as well. So we're talking about things like shellfish gluten pollen. And this is where that second theory comes in. And this theory states that the gut becomes porous at certain times, and the gaps that hold the cells together, if you look at the graphic on the right, the tight junctions, they separate and there's gaps between your intestinal cells. And this allows some food particles to enter the bloodstream that would not under normal circumstances. So why does this happen?

Well, plants have a mind of their own, believe it or not, they don't want to be eaten. And this is especially true when it comes to grains. Now, the only Thing plants care about. And this is similar for most species on Earth is they want to pass their genes on to set up the next generation, they want to do this uninterrupted. Now, unfortunately, there are predators out there things like humans and other animals and insects that come along that try to take their seeds away and use them as food. So in order to deter predators, plants have come up with their own defense mechanism, and this is making their seeds slightly poisonous.

Different plants have developed different doses of poison based on the danger the plant feels they're up against. So some plants have higher doses because their window to reproduce is short and cannot be interrupted. This poison has a major effect on in insects. For example, gluten inhibits enzymes important for digestion, which leaves these insects with a stomach ache after eating too much wheat. Now from an evolutionary perspective, this is actually beneficial for both The plants and the predators it allows both species to perpetuate in a healthy balance. And even though this affects insects, it also affects humans but in a different way.

So these poisons instead of leaving us with a stomachache, they end up weakening the connection between these intestinal cells as we saw before and on this slide, and as a result, the gut wall becomes more porous. So when the connection between these intestinal cells is weakened, it allows proteins from the wheat to pass through these gaps and get into areas where there should not be allowed to enter. And then our immune system begins to attack them because they mistake them for foreign invaders which leads to an inflammatory response. And things that cause these issues are known as amylase, trypsin inhibitors. And they're a different family of proteins found in wheat. So as you can see here, they enter the The body and that's where they cause this immune response and you can see the issues that can have here.

So often the question comes up what's the difference between a gluten allergy and a gluten sensitivity? Well, today one in every hundred people has a genetic gluten intolerance and this is known as celiac disease. Now, those who have celiac disease, eating wheat can cause dangerous infections, nervous system damage and damage to the small intestine. In children it can cause diarrhea and failure to thrive. Unfortunately, celiac disease is pretty difficult for practitioners to diagnose because exists in degrees. And you may unknowingly have celiac disease but may not know it for years because you might be asymptomatic.

There are subtler signs as well things like headaches and signs of anemia that that may be present if you have celiac disease. And it's important to know that if you are if you do have celiac disease, you should be following a gluten free diet for Life. Now a much larger amount than that 1% suffer from something known as a gluten sensitivity. Now those who are sensitive to gluten should be advised that they can consume wheat in small amounts without the risk of risking serious intestinal damage. However, going on a gluten free diet for 42 days would be a good place to start for those who are gluten sensitive. And when you go gluten free, you might begin to notice things like improvement in your overall well being increased energy levels, improved concentration, feeling more clear headed, less gassy, and decreased pain in your your joints, maybe less headaches or less severe headaches and pain.

These are all very common for people who, who go off gluten for weeks at a time and it may be something you might want to try long term. Currently, people are diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity when tests for celiac disease are negative, but no intestinal damage has occurred. However, eating high amounts of gluten can still have a negative effect on the immune system. So things like antibiotic treatment, big binge drinking high levels of stress. These can also play a role in loosening those gap junctions between those intestinal cells. And these can result in similar symptoms to those who have gluten sensitivities.

So, in order to help alleviate these symptoms, it's recommended that you avoid gluten for a short amount of time, like we talked about before. And if you are gluten sensitive, you should be monitoring what you're eating and avoiding gluten completely, if only or eat it sparingly if you so choose, but I prefer that you would avoid it completely. If you're looking to lower overall chronic inflammation, which is a major part of this program. Avoiding gluten all together is great, especially if you're sensitive to it, as it also may mitigate unwanted problems in the long run. So now let's move on to lactose intolerance and In a way lactose intolerance is kind of a misnomer, because it shouldn't necessarily be called an intolerance or an allergy. Instead, it's actually a deficiency of enzymes and adults have low levels of the enzyme lactase.

And lactase is needed to break down the sugar lactose which is found in dairy products. So lactose intolerance stems from an inability to break down lactose into smaller pieces. And lactose is actually a die saccharide. It's it's made of two monosaccharides, a glucose molecule and a galactose molecule. And, unfortunately, when we don't have the ability to break them down, when we don't have these lactase enzymes, they end up being fermented in the gut. And this is what produces gas and other symptoms associated with lactose intolerance.

So when you don't have the enzymes that you need, you may They experience some discomfort things like stomach aches and flatulence and diarrhea. lactose intolerance differs from from celiac disease in that undigested lactose does not enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. So instead, lactose just moves down to the large intestine, it stays in the gut, where gas producing bacteria digested and that's what leads to the symptoms you feel with lactose intolerance. So it's important to note that lactose intolerance is not nearly as dangerous to your health as celiac disease. It's just a reminder that you should be laying off the lactose. You should either use caution when you're having some sort of dairy product especially as an adult, or if you decide to consume dairy.

Choose products from the have the highest quality so you're looking for a two cows it's actually a specific type of case in the protein found in cows dairy, and use it sparingly. Goat or sheep, dairy are also viable options. If you're gonna choose to have dairy from time to time. Now, most humans are born with the genes required to produce enzymes they need to break down lactose. And this is mostly during infancy. It's only in rare cases, that babies can have genetic defects and they're unable to digest their mother's milk.

And you'll notice this because the infant will generally have bad diarrhea. However, by the time we reach adulthood, almost 75% of people worldwide lose the ability ability to digest lactose effectively. We no longer Why does this happen because we no longer need to rely on on Mother's Milk to supply us with the nutrients necessary for survival. In the US, it's estimated 25% of Americans lose the ability to break down lactose after weaning. So even before becoming an adult, more lactose free alternatives online in the supermarket shelves than ever before. So if you're looking for an alternative to a dairy product, they're very easy to find.

In supermarkets and health food stores today some people still actually have enzymes that are capable of doing the job. But it's only at about 10 to 15% of the number of these lactase enzymes that you had compared to when you were an infant. individuality also plays a role and it can be very much trial and error. So you have to, if you want to introduce out dairy, do it in small amounts and see how you feel and just remember quality is of utmost importance. However, I found and many other people have found that if you eliminate dairy altogether, you tend to feel overall better in general. And if you have some sort of autoimmune or chronic inflammatory condition, it is much better to stay off dairy long term.

So if you're looking for alternatives to dairy many nuts now have been turned into milk and yogurt so you can find yogurt and milk Samantha almonds and cashews. There's other things You can substitute by using things like coconut milk, cream and yogurt. These are easily found in many stores and you can substitute dairy products you can substitute this in for many dairy things so using sauces or baking and other cooking cooking methods. Coconut Cream specifically is used already in many Asian countries because it adds a creamy texture to dishes when you think of things like curry. It can be used in many of the traditional European dishes as well in place of heavy cream. So coconut cream is actually a very viable alternative if you're looking to take heavy cream and other dairy products out of your, your everyday use fructose intolerance now you might not know this, but it's actually the most common intolerance in the Western Hemisphere for does intolerance can affect up to 40% of Americans.

And the majority of those with fruit dose and tolerance can be more clearly described as fruit to malabsorption In other words, you're not properly absorbing the fruit sugars in large quantities. So, though rare, fructose intolerance can be caused by a hereditary defect. So that means when you're born you have an inability to digest fruit those properly. However, there's high amounts of fructose in everything we eat seemingly nowadays, you could find high fructose corn syrup in sodas and candy and sweetened yogurts, breads, juices, salad dressings, and more. These ultra concentrated forms of fruit toasts are leaving people susceptible to consuming large amounts of fructose quickly and again, when we can't break it down and absorb it properly. It's gonna lead to health issues long term.

So if you are fructose intolerant, eating a piece of fruit would actually not be an issue if you happen to avoid things like adding sweetener to your coffee, or eating sweetened yogurts or cereal, and that have added sugars or eating sweetened Ketchup with fries and eating all these processed sugars, and GMO fruits and vegetables. If you were consuming more organic fruits and vegetables and avoiding these things we've talked about you, you actually may not have the same issues. So, when we're talking about the most common food allergies and sensitivities, 90% of them come from eight food groups overall. And these are gluten, dairy, peanuts, eggs, shellfish tree nuts, soy and fish. If you're looking for alternatives for these food options, there are a ton out there and all you have to do is really Google some recipes. There are many alternatives you could find even the recipes I provide.

So don't feel bad, just be creative and try new things. It's really, again, it's part of a journey. So if you're looking for alternatives here, things like lentils and quinoa, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, especially on unsalted coconut milk and cream there's gluten free grains like quinoa and amaranth. Almond butters great if you're looking for an alternative to peanut butter, so is sunflower seeds see butter and hemp seeds as well. So what happens now? So, food allergies are becoming a growing problem due to really the way foods are grown nowadays with genetic modification of many foods, and pesticides and other additives added to foods.

That's actually a big reason of why these things are becoming so much more prevalent today. So if you're intolerant of different than allergic if you're intolerant, it's recommended that you avoid the food for 42 days before reintroducing it and when you do it, do it in small amounts and see how well you could tolerate it. Again, if you have a true food allergy, you want to avoid that group. So why 42 days? Well, there's a certain certain group of antibodies known as I Gigi antibodies that are responsible for reacting to food intolerances and governing that immune function. Now, these antibodies have a 21 day Half Life, which means half of these antibodies will die off in 21 days and if you double that 100% so 42 days 100% of that initial group of antibodies will be dead and a new generation will be will be born every 42 days.

So, that is a good time to reintroduce a new food and small amounts and try again and see how you feel. And again, if you have any allergies or intolerances, you want to avoid them. If you have an allergen you want to avoid it indefinitely. If you have an intolerance, you can use the method we just talked about on the other slide. You want to eliminate processed foods as best as possible again, because these are have high amounts of additives and extra sugars and processed goods that are not fully metabolized at least as As well as whole fruits and vegetables of the organic variety you want to incorporate more fruits and vegetables as this will give you the the antioxidants and phytonutrients you need to maintain a healthy gut. So eating the rainbow becomes really important because that because you'll be able to get all those necessary vitamins and minerals and nutrients.

And again, buying organic foods is of utmost importance. And I really encourage you using the Environmental Working Groups website and list the clean 15 and dirty dozen. Again, they're updated on an annual basis. They basically will tell you, which conventional foods are good to eat and which ones are the worst eat and you should definitely get organic and that's only if you're have to choose between buying organic and buying conventionally raised produce. And again, we've talked about the importance of quality fats and animal proteins in the diet and if you're getting them from quality source They can have great effects on your health. And doing all this will actually help balance the microbiome in itself if you're eating more fruits to hold fruits and vegetables going to get the fiber that's going to feed the good gut bacteria.

So doing this all together will help limit these intolerances and the reactions you feel from them. So I hope you got some really good information from this PowerPoint and we'll see you next time.