Food sensitivities are mostly portrayed as dramatic allergic reactions, from seafood, nuts or other common allergens, but many of us suffer from food sensitivities and have no idea.

It’s common to hear about gluten intolerance or lactose intolerance nowadays, but understanding just what those sensitivities are and how they impact the body is less discussed. For some, these food sensitivities cause sudden illness, from severe stomach pain, to diarrhea, rashes or other clear, physical signs of the sensitivity. Those people may be lucky because they know of their food sensitivities and have good reason to avoid that food.

For the rest of us, the sensitivity is more subtle. Food sensitivities can be more of a silent ailment, and your health complications could be a result of the sensitivity. And chances are you have no idea. Inflammation is a common bodily response to food sensitivities, but usually we can’t see, feel or understand inflammation, until a heart attack or other inflammation-causing health crisis takes hold. Even then, mainstream medicine will treat the issue, without diving into the underlying cause. Could it be as simple as gluten, dairy or sugar? It could be.

Do you Have Food Sensitivities?

The easiest way to figure out if you’re sensitive to some common inflammation-causing foods is to do an elimination program (not a diet – we’re talking lifestyle changes here). Many books, online sources and programs offer help in doing elimination programs, but the general idea is to completely remove certain foods from your diet for a set period of time – at least 10 days is preferred. You could eliminate all the most common inflammation-causing foods, including gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol and red meat, all at once or take them one at a time. The idea is to eliminate the food completely (no cheating!) for the full 10 days or more, and then try eating it again to see how you feel. The problem with doing them all at once is if you’re not careful about reintroducing them, it’s hard to know which food is causing problems. Take the process very slowly – it’ll be worth it to know and understand how you feel when you eat certain things. Then you can choose what to do with the information.

People who try this sort of elimination often find a food or more that they are sensitive to. Again, it’s not dramatic illness, but more subtle feelings of sluggishness, fatigue, stomach pains, poor digestion, inconsistent elimination and trouble sleeping. These symptoms are not to be overlooked. Over time, they could lead to real health troubles because any time there is a symptom like this, it’s the result of something happening in the body, some reaction or inflammation. Inflammation is a health problem. It’s as simple as that and reducing inflammation could be a key to a long, healthy life.

A bonus insight from doing an elimination program is increased body awareness. During the elimination, take time to close your eyes and feel your body. How does it feel with only nutritious foods in it? Are you sleeping better? Do you have more energy? Is the mid-afternoon slump gone? Are you more productive? How does your stomach feel? Are you eliminating regularly? Did you lose weight? Do you feel less bloated?

Making Changes

After doing an elimination and potentially finding a sensitivity or two, now what? That decision is up to you and will have to be a lifestyle change that is appropriate for your lifestyle and family needs. Many people end up doing a 90% thing, where most of the time, they avoid the foods that cause them problems, but have flexibility to enjoy that food on holidays or occasions where it can’t be avoided. Being too strict often isn’t sustainable, so you will have to approach it in a way that makes sense for you. Or maybe you choose to ignore it all together. That is your decision to make.

If you do choose to make lifestyle changes, arm yourself with resources. If it’s gluten, find websites and recipe boards to keep you motivated and on track. If it’s dairy, find non-dairy alternatives to keep you satisfied. If it’s sugar, find more natural solutions such as raw honey. Many recipes can be adapted to fit your needs. And if you’re looking to (or needing to) avoid all these things, look into the Paleo diet. Again, not a diet, but a lifestyle change. Paleo is dairy-free, grain-free and often refined sugar-free. You might have to tweak recipes to fit your needs, but it’s totally do-able. As a general rule, it’s best to avoid anything processed, so although there are great gluten-free breads or pastas, keep those types of meals to a minimum and focus on eating whole foods. Your body and your health will thank you, but it’s definitely not easy!

If this is all making sense to you but you need a more personal example, let me share mine. I did an elimination program recently from Prescribe Nutrition (they are amazing!). It was a 10-day whole foods only program, but they provided so many great do’s and don’ts resources and even an awesome recipe book. My husband and I did the program strictly for two weeks and the change was clearly noticeable. I had more energy, didn’t go looking for sweets midday and the biggest change was I lost weight. I’m talking maybe five pounds in two weeks (with no change in exercise level) and I felt less bloated. My clothes fit better, I felt more fit and had energy for days. I was shocked at how good I felt – hard to describe in many ways, but just plain good and healthy and alive. I’ve determined gluten and dairy are clearly not good for me and it’s hard to say about sugar since it’s often accompanied by gluten and/or dairy, but deep down, I know I should avoid it.

Since then, I’ve slipped off that wagon from time to time. It’s hard to eat only whole foods all day, every day. I’m tempted constantly and really struggle at restaurants or social outings, when my self-discipline is not strong enough to make good decisions. Sometimes I do my best, others I throw it to the curb, but I always face the consequences. I have learned how my body feels with certain foods. Gluten for me is high in my stomach and feels like a squeezing or crampy feeling. It’s not that painful, just uncomfortable and is a clear sign that my body isn’t doing well with what’s in it. Dairy is more noticeable and attacks low, more in the intestines and digestive tract. It’s more painful and causes bloating and gas. Although I don’t always listen, knowing empowers me to make informed decisions.