Food, Mood & Mental Health: Is Your Food Making You Sick?

Food, Mood & Mental Health: Is Your Food Eating Making You Sick?

It’s summer. It’s the season of cookouts, weekend grilling and farmer's markets. One of life's biggest pleasures is eating and we have so many delicious and tantalizing foods to choose from. Take one look at social media and you’ll know what I mean — food is everywhere and it looks so good. And it doesn’t stop there. We also see loads of recommendations about diets – the Mediterranean diet, paleo, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, plant based and the problem is they all sound right. They really do appear to be ‘good for you meal plans. Who can argue against eating more raw veggies, right? But the truth is, some foods can cause really unhealthy reactions in our bodies, they can promote inflammation and cause serious symptoms and even damage. 

Time and time again I’ve seen this in my clinical practice. I’ve had hundreds of patients in my clinical practice come to me with symptoms that are telltale signs of food sensitivities – gas, bloating, abdominal fullness, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, heartburn, skin issues and rashes – and then symptoms that aren’t so obvious such as headaches, depression, anxiety. That's why I want to talk about this very important topic.

Today I’m asking, are the foods you’re eating making you sick? Even the foods that are considered ‘healthy?’ 

Who this episode is for: 

If you’ve had stomach issues like gas, bloating, constipation, heartburn, reflux,  feeling full before you’re actually full – this episode is for you. 

If you’ve had headaches, joint pains, changes in your mood, difficulty losing weight, difficulty sleeping – this episode is also for you.

I want you to know exactly why certain foods can stress  your immune system by triggering the release of chemicals and cytokines that create inflammation, a leaky gut and debilitating symptoms.  

In this episode we’re taking a deep dive and answering your questions: 

• food allergies and food sensitivities – what’s the difference? 
• how allergies and sensitivities develop – are you born with them or can they develop over time? 
• can food allergies cause you to have trouble losing weight? 

All of that good content and more!

PLUS, here's what's inside today's show notes: 

1. What are Allergies?

Allergies are disorders of the immune system. More specifically, they are an overreaction of an individual’s immune system in response to a foreign, or “non-self,” substance that is perceived as harmless by most other people’s bodies. 

​2. What Causes Allergies?

Allergies are caused by a hyperactive immune system response. People with allergies produce an immune response to a substance in the environment that is typically harmless.

3. Body Basics: Immune System 101

The immune system is the body’s coordinated defense against infectious organisms and other potentially harmful invaders, called antigens. Antigens can be found on the surface of living and non-living matter such as: cells, viruses, fungi, bacteria, toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter). During an immune response, the immune system recognizes and reacts to antigens by producing protective proteins, called antibodies (also termed immunoglobulins). Antibodies are y-shaped proteins, produced by cells of our immune system and are specific for each food allergen and substance. The job of antibodies is to neutralize and eliminate the allergen or foreign substance from the body. Allergic symptoms are the direct result of this process. Anti