Oh. It is 4 a .m. My name is Neogentrics. This
is Food for Thought. Thoughts if it were you.
I'm going to continue where I left off with the
health -themed study since it was requested of
me. So the thought that came up this time was,
what do we do about food intolerances and allergies?
Now, the reason I decided to go ahead and cover
this topic is because someone asked me this,
and plus I have a roommate who is gluten -free.
I'm sorry. He's allergic to gluten and can already
eat gluten -free stuff. He's not made of gluten
-free anything. I have to clarify that because
lately I've been saying stuff that have, for
whatever reason, don't make any sense logically
or when people repeat it. So, moving on with
this. Food intolerances and allergies seem to
have been increasing lately. You know, but let
me ask you this. Is that really the case? Or
are we just more aware of all the problems that's
going on now? with our food, okay? You know,
or how about this one? Our food intolerance is
just a fashionable way to draw attention to ourselves
and, you know, make life more difficult for others.
You need to consider this. Now, some people are
actually allergic, but then there's those others
who just say it, you know? And what exactly is
the distinction between an intolerance and an
allergy? Let's consider that question too, okay?
That is the whole point of this channel, you
know, is to ask these questions. Try to come
up with a solution and figure it out. Defining
allergies and intolerances, while the terms can
be considered interchangeable, let me go ahead
and give you the definition on all of these.
Allergies and intolerances are not the same,
first off. A food intolerance is more a delayed
reaction to food or substances found in food.
It is generally more or less severe and immediate.
and an immediate food allergy. Symptoms are often
limited to digestive issues, although they can
also cause skin problems and headaches. I know
because I have a few food intolerances, but I
do have a few food allergies as well. A food
allergy is a reaction from your immune system
that occurs soon after you have eaten or come
in contact with certain food. It can happen immediately
or after a short time, but is generally not long
delayed. The reaction can also be triggered by
very small amounts of food. In some cases, simply
breathing in dust from the allergen can cause
a reaction. And this has happened a couple of
times, especially from people who are allergic
to peanuts or something like milk. Symptoms can
include... Oh, let me see here. Skin rash, swelling,
including in the mouth and throat, which is very
uncomfortable, which can block the airway and
nausea. An extreme allergic reaction known as
anaphylactic shock can occur in some sufferers
of food allergies. It affects all body systems
and can also be life -threatening. So there's
that. I'm going to take a short break now that
I've defined those, and we'll be right back.
So, and we're back. Keeping with the definitions
I gave you in the last segment, in other words,
allergies are reactions linked to your immune
system. And like the reaction that you get when
you are stung by a bee or a wasp or a touch of
a metal, they are rapid. They often result in
swelling, which can, if in the mouth or throat,
potentially be fatal. Allergies can usually be
treated with antihistamines taken orally. through
shots in certain parts of your body, including
your behind, but these can also include vomiting
and skin conditions as well. Serious allergies
include anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock, however,
require rapid treatment with adrenaline to prevent
potentially fatal consequences. Most people who
are severely allergic to something, including
food, are aware of their allergy and carry an
adrenaline pen, sometimes known as an EpiPen,
even after treatment. They should still seek
a medical advice. advice as soon as possible
after having the allergic reaction regardless
though okay food allergies on the other hand
are not potentially fatal um i'm sorry food intolerances
and people with the intolerances can sometimes
be unaffected by consuming a small amount of
the problem food but key thing here is a small
amount okay Intolerances can, however, be extremely
uncomfortable, can make people feel quite unwell
over a long period of time if undiagnosed, but
huge quantities can still make the person sick
or cause them to have a major level allergic
reaction. So, keep this in mind. Causes and triggers
of all allergies and intolerances are a little
unclear, but some of them are pretty well known.
The precise cause of an allergy is still unclear,
but like I said, in some of the studies, they've
shown that the problem is underexposed, that
people are more likely to be allergic to things
that are new to their immune system. Allergies
can also, however, be triggered by rapid overexposure
to the allergen in a sense that they're part
of the body. Going back to the example before
that I mentioned, like being stung in the face
or head by a wasp can make you very allergic
to wasp stings. However, there's often no obvious
trigger point, and people can often only become
aware that they are severely allergic when they
first react to it. So if you're not sure, still
have someone on standby in case you do have a
reaction. But besides that, perhaps the most
well -known allergy is peanuts. This is anecdotal,
at least on the increase. It is, however, how
do I put it, more likely that peanuts and other
nuts are simply becoming more common because
they are included in a wide range of processed
foods. So people are therefore more likely to
be exposed to them than in the past and become
more aware that they are allergic. I'm going
to cover a few intolerances here after this short
break. There are several clear potential causes
of food intolerances. Okay, we're going to go
ahead and cover that for a second here. Sufferers
may lack the enzyme needed to actually digest
the food. You know, for example, lactose intolerance
is often caused by not having a gene for the
enzyme to actually digest it in your body. Sensitivity
to food additives. Some people are more sensitive
to certain chemicals than others. This can cause
problems when they are added to the food. Examples
include food coloring, sulfites. which are used
for drying food. People with coliac disease are
unable to digest gluten properly, and they are
therefore intolerant of it, my roommate being
one of them. There may also be a psychological
factor involving a food intolerance. For example,
some people are simply unable to swallow certain
foods without any obvious physical cause. For
me, if I ever deal with raw chicken for whatever
reason and it causes salmonella poisoning, even
if it doesn't last that long, for a while, I
will not be able to eat chicken. Anyway, identifying
and managing food allergies. That's the next
topic I'm going to cover. Food allergies are
severe enough that identifying their existence
is often not very hard. However, identifying
the trigger can be more difficult, at least because
you cannot risk anaphylactic shock to do so,
so there's no point in testing to see if someone's
allergic. You know, like, here, eat this to see
if you're allergic, and if not, we'll give you
a shot. That's not nice. Don't do that. The key
to treating allergies is often avoidance. So
it's important to identify the allergen as early
as possible if something does happen, but it
doesn't mean take your friend out and test them
on every single thing you can find. When it comes
to identifying allergens, there are two main
tests for allergens. First off, a scratch test,
where the skin is exposed to a small amount of
the potential allergen to test for a reaction.
And the other one is a blood test, which can
be used if a skin test isn't appropriate. There
are those who have experienced a severe allergic
reaction should therefore discuss this with a
doctor to have a test for potential allergens
as soon as possible. The test does not identify
the allergen, but also gives an idea of the intensity
of the reaction when the reaction is very severe.
You may need to do a little more than simply
avoiding the food at all. For example, it may
be necessary to ask schools or workplaces to
ensure that they are not free of whatever it
is for the safety of the particular individual
so you can make sure they have all they need,
especially when they're flying. Next in the list
of identifying and managing food intolerances
and figuring out what they are, identifying the
food intolerance may be less critical than allergies,
but it is also just as hard. There is unlikely
to be an immune reaction involved, and therefore
there are few, if any, definitive tests for this.
I mean, there are too many ways to trigger, identify
the triggers, but, you know, and one of them
is using food diaries and removing and replacing
certain foods. The most usual approach is likely
to involve both, okay? So when using a food diary
to identify the potential triggers, first off,
let me go ahead and add a warning before I go
any further. This is best done under the supervision
of a trained dietitian or a nutritionist who
is more likely to be able to identify the likely
trigger. However, as a first step, you can always
do this yourself. First things first, over a
period of several weeks or a month, keep a diary
that sets out everything you eat right down to
a biscuit and a cup of tea or coffee and the
precise time. Also, keep a note of any symptoms
that you have, including minor ones, and the
time at which they occurred. Try to spot any
patterns that are emerging. Are there certain
foods, combinations of foods, and even ingredients
that seem to cause you particular problems? Also,
one other warning. Triggers are not always obvious,
and it helps to be aware of the ingredients of
what you eat. It's easier to do this when you
cook your own food rather than eating ready -made
meals or eating out a lot. If you spot a potential
trigger, try cutting it out in your diet for
a few days and see what happens. You may find
that you have more than one trigger. For example,
some people are both lactose and gluten intolerant,
and that's actually a thing. When a food intolerance
is very severe, nutritionists sometimes cutting
a wide range of potential triggers out of your
diet all at once. This is designed to allow the
symptoms time to settle before you add back in
potential triggers one at a time to see which
ones have an effect. Warning though, this is
not something you should try at home without
the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional.
I know I keep repeating this, but it's very vital.
Because it can lead to problems such as becoming
malnutritious. malnourished if you do it for
too long. It can also mean that underlying conditions
are not diagnosed. Bottom line is this. The best
advice if you think you may be suffering from
a food intolerance or an allergy is to talk to
your doctor and ask for a referral to a special
clinic. You can take my tips into consideration,
but that's the best advice I can actually give
you. Best place to help your, you know, these
doctors are best place to help you identify the
trigger or any underlying conditions safely so
you don't kill yourself in the process. Okay?
That's all I can say on that. Thank you for listening
and have a great rest of your day.