We’ve all noticed the huge increase in food allergies these days. We never had “nut-free” areas at my elementary school growing up, did you? And I didn’t know anyone who was gluten Intolerant until a few years ago! Those are probably the two you hear about most often, but there are other health issues that are often caused by the same problem that brought on the food allergies…
Along with food sensitivities, many of the following issues are also caused by what’s called a “leaky gut”, which means the digestive system is damaged and isn’t absorbing the nutrients it needs.
Eczema, anxiety, asthma, frequent illnesses, learning problems, ADHD, depression, auto-immune diseases, arthritis, a whole range of digestive issues (IBS, Crohns, acid reflux), and more.
This is what happened with Ann Marie:
When I was 25, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The pain in my knees was so bad, it would wake me up at night. Even worse, it was spreading to my fingers and my elbows.
I also had chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, respiratory allergies and chronic sinus infections, as well as thrush on my tongue and sores in my nose that wouldn't heal.
In short, I was a mess! I was only 25 but I felt like I was 95. The doctors told me that I would end up in a wheelchair, and that I should just put the knee surgery off as long as I could.
That wasn't good enough for me! I had to find a way out. After much research, I discovered that I abnormal gut flora (typically caused by antibiotics) can cause auto-immune disorders like arthritis and allergies.
I did a 30-day elimination diet to find out what I was allergic to, and amazingly, I felt 95% better in that first few weeks. I knew I was on to something.
It took me about 2 years to completely heal, but when I did, I completely had my health back. Zero pain, no medication, no sneezing or fatigue. I was a new woman!
And best of all — I could eat gluten and sugar again with no symptoms. Hello, sourdough bread, pizza and chocolate croissants!
You may already be on the GAPS diet, or SCD (Specific Carbohydrates Diet) — or you may be thinking about starting.
The diet seems so restrictive — and it’s hard just thinking about everything you have to do to get up to speed. Plus, how will you feed your family, and where are you going to find the time to cook everything from scratch?
It can be so overwhelming to get started. Trust me, I know.
Most people just avoid the food they’re allergic to. Sooner or later it will catch up to you, either with MORE food allergies, or with other health problems:
Sure, you can just avoid the food you’re allergic to — but you won’t reverse your food allergy that way. Food allergies and intolerances are caused by a “leaky gut”. In other words, a digestive tract that is so damaged that it allows undigested food to pass through into the blood stream — at which point the immune system reacts.
If I had simply avoided gluten, I would not have been doing anything to heal my gut. So I would have stayed gluten-intolerant, and over time, developed more allergies.
The other problem with just avoiding the food you are allergic to is that you may be allergic to other foods, too and not know it. Many people who with gluten-intolerance don’t have any symptoms. But eating foods that you are allergic to damages your gut further.
Not to mention the nutritional deficiencies that come with any food allergy. When we don’t digest and absorb our food properly, nutritional deficiencies follow — which can lead to a host of physical and mental problems from osteoporosis to cavities to anxiety and depression.”
- A couple GAPS resources: probiotics and cod liver oil
- SCD, GAPS or Low Fodmap Diet? What's the difference?
- Read a newer post: Can Leaky Gut be Healed? Find Out HOW: Study Showed Reversal in 30 Days
Also, let us know your experience with food allergies and if you’ve ever been on the GAPS or Specific Carb diets?
photo, Creative Commons 2.0
Tony says
Healing from food intolerances, really possible?!
Hi there —
First off thank you for this website; it gives me some hope.
I have been dealing with food intolerances for a few years and this has been challenging to deal with. I have gone nearly a year now without any cheating. But, occasionally, I try healthy foods that I am intolerant too, specifically garlic/onions. When I try these foods I get bad bloating and gas that last for hours.
Is this possible that eventually my system will heal allowing me the occasional garlic or onion without hurting? I really miss enjoying what I eat!
I just need some clarification. Thank you!
KitchenKop says
Hi Tony,
My main advice would be this: you won’t know until you try! Right now there’s a 40% off deal on a class that teaches you how to eat on the GAPS Diet, you might want to check it out. I talked about it in today’s post: https://tinyurl.com/p377ym3
Also, here’s more: https://tinyurl.com/lgyq45r
Kelly
shieni says
Hi, my son is 2 years old & allergy to dairy, chocolate ,peanut & treenut. especially the nuts is the worst. i wonder if all your recipes is peanut & treenut free or just some of them ?
thank you
KitchenKop says
I would say most of them are but you’d have to look at each recipe to know for sure.
Kelly
Matt says
I really hope people don’t buy into this new-age nonsense that you can cure a food allergy with a magic diet. Think critically, folks. Does that sound too good to be true? Does it sound like something your doctor would have told you to try ages ago if it was legitimate? You can’t just go on a cleanse diet for 30 days and magically be cured of your allergies. Even after 2 years. Anyone who tries to sell you a 12 week class is just fleecing you for cash. It’s unethical and disgusting. the Leaky Gut theory is widely debunked by real researchers. It’s what we in the skeptical community call “woo woo” or “magical thinking”.
Sage says
Doctors are not trained in nutrition but in medication and surgery. There are many reasons why, but think about how big the medicine industry is. If doctors started referring all of their patients to nutritionists, they would lose most of their business. There would no longer be recurring visits, constant reliance on medicine, or need for as many surgeries. The medicine industry I’m sure is not going to let their business crumple by telling people to eat better.
We can weigh the pros and cons of eating healthy vs. relying on medication, but I think that’s common sense. Most health problems are caused by how we treat our bodies. We know that. If we don’t take care of them, we should expect them to have problems. I can find nothing wrong with eating healthy. If most health problems are caused by mistreating our bodies, would it not make sense that fixing that mistreatment would fix the problem? That’s what we are doing by eating healthy. When we break a bone, do we take medication to ease the pain and keep using the bone in full force? We do not. We allow the bone to heal naturally while taking care of it by putting it in a cast. That’s essentially what eating healthy does for your body. It allows your body to heal itself naturally because it isn’t worrying about geting rid of the toxins you’re putting in your body with the food you eat. It can fully focus at the problem at hand. Our bodies were never meant to rely on medication. They are strong and were created to sustain themselves. We just need to let them.
Melissa B. says
We lived out on Whidbey Island, WA for 6 years. While there, I heard about an “environmental allergy Dr” in Everett, WA who does lots of cutting-edge stuff for allergies. Once example is for peanut allergies – in a controlled setting (his office) he has been able to “reverse” peanut/nut allergies by giving the person/child VERY minute amounts of whatever they are allergic to. He can get it to the point where if the child actually ate something with nuts by accident they wouldn’t have an anaphylactic reaction. It is a bit like getting an allergy shot. In fact, the protocol following his treatment is for kids to eat a little peanut butter each day so their “immunity” stays up. The immune system is a crazy, complex thing. While this treatment I believe has about a 96%-98% success rate, most of the immune system is in the gut and this would get to the root of the problem. (note: I cannot for the life of my think of the Dr’s name I mentioned. I believe it starts with and “R”, but I bet if you googled “environmental allergist in WA” you could find it)
Cheryl says
We saw a short news report about this doctor, or one doing the same treatment. My son was so excited that he might be able to cure his peanut allergy. He wanted me to immediately take him to the doctor so he could do it. lol. We are in Texas…so I said we would ask his allergy dr. about it next time we went. Well I inquired about it and he just said, “oh that is extremely experimental” and acted like we would be crazy to even try it. My son was so disappointed. So maybe one day it will become more mainstream. I wish my life was not so stressful and hectic and I could actually try the GAPS diet.
Sage says
A little less than a year ago, this post saved my life. It was found by my boyfriend after much research and lead us to the answers to healing all of my health problems. I wanted to thank you and let you know how grateful I am to you for writing about Leaky Gut and it’s symptoms. Thank you for doing everything the doctors could not, for giving me answers, and hope. I am happy and healed and now spreading the word about Leaky Gut. Since then, I’ve made a blog about my story to spread the word. Check it out at http://www.thefoodallergycure.com. Thank you!
KitchenKop says
Sage, you have no idea how much your comments have made my whole day. I’ve forwarded it to Ann Marie, too, because I know she’d want to see it. 🙂 I’m so thankful you are better!!! Good luck with your new blog!!
Kelly
Erin says
Kelly,
Do you know anyone who was actually healed of a peanut/tree nut allergy on GAPS? I can’t find any writing about this online–of actual cases–just people saying that it could happen. We started GAPS last November for my 2 year old who has those allergies plus eczema/asthma. The eczema and asthma are better now (eczema totally gone), but she recently had a severe reaction to pecans that opened my eyes to the severity of her allergy. We went to an allergist who confirmed the allergies and we are also working with a natural doc who put her on GAPS and recommended a few other supplements.
KitchenKop says
Erin,
Are you aware of the Yahoo GAPS forum? You might ask this question there. If you do, will you send me the link, I’d like to post the responses (with permission of course).
Thanks!
Kelly
Cheryl says
Thank you for this post! I am seriously considering putting my family on the GAPs diet as well. My 8 yo son has seasonal and food allergies (fish and peanuts) I have searched for any comments online stating GAPS has helped either of these allergies. So I would be very interested if Erin in the above comment had any replies. Also, I took some very strong antibiotics 2 months ago and since then have had 3 horrible yeast infections. I have been going “low carb”-no sugar or starches and taking probiotics trying to get my good flora back but it does not seem to be working. I really think the GAPS would help me too….but I wonder why she allows Honey? Wouldn’t that feed the bad yeast??
KitchenKop says
Hi Cheryl,
I just posted your question here: https://www.facebook.com/KellytheKitchenKop/posts/10150922268371262
I wasn’t sure on the answer, so hopefully you’ll get some good answers soon. 🙂
Kelly
Cheryl says
Thanks Kelly!
Lisaroy says
Food allergy is an outcome of the misdirection of the reactions to certain foods by the immune system. These food allergy reactions are most commonly seen for protein rich foods, consumed in excess. Just about 2 % of adults and 8 % of children, a total of 10 % of diseased people suffer from food allergies alone.
https://www.aboutallergy.net/food-allergy-reactions.html
Ravi says
Is There a Food Allergy Cure?
… yes – sadly most people missed it by getting vaccinated, then eating wheat and grains for years…
Diana says
This is a topic of great interest to me and I appreciate your post. I’ve also been reading about IgA deficiency and food allergies/sensitivities in those who don’t have that immunoglobulin. I’m still learning, but secretory IgA (SIgA) is supposed to coat the gut and help “seal” the leaks. If we were not breastfed, or (maybe? Still looking for research on this one) our mothers were IgA deficient, we might have started with the deck stacked against us.
I definitely have a leaky gut and I’ve begun work to repair it. I don’t believe I will ever go back to eating gluten, though. The degree to which I feel better off gluten is too significant, and I just don’t believe we need that in our diets. (I feel similarly about dairy but that’s another topic completely!)
Thanks again for your post.
Jaime says
This is interesting. My mom has been telling me a lot about “leaky gut” lately in relationship to food allergies. My question is this, however. We recently discovered that my 16-month-old is allergic to pineapple (fresh). She had some and was very swollen for 24 to 48 hours. This child has never been vaccinated, never had an antibiotic, and has had very little in the way of drugs (just a few times for pain) in her system. I know that it can happen in the womb but I am a “naturally-minded” mom who really had a pretty organic pregnancy compared to many others. Of course, I am not perfect but I have tried to give my kids the best start in life.
jenna Food WIth Kid Appeal says
jamie – as a blogger who writes about growing good eaters, parents of children who have medical related food aversions are educating me on different conditions. one parent told me of her struggle with certain raw fruits, learning only as an adult that other suffered too. it’s called oral allergy syndrome. read more here. https://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/English/Oral_Food_Allergy.htm
i would be interested in anne marie’s thoughts on oral allergy syndrome. since the reaction is in the mouth, happening before the food gets to the gut, can the mouth reaction be caused from previous GI damage? or in other words does GI damage/dysfunction cause the mouth to react? do you know of anyone who has been able to reverse oral allergy syndrome by doing GAPS?
another thing to note is that even though the swelling is localized to the mouth the raw fruit is probably causing inflammation of other internal organs, so it’s best not to consume these fruits raw even if the mouth sensations are bearable and do not pose danger to breathing.
KitchenKop says
I’m not sure if Ann Marie would know the answer to this or not, but the first thing I’d suggest is getting on the GAPS Yahoo group (Google to find it) and asking there. I’ll bet they would know!
Kelly
Nikki says
Did you ever find information regarding oral allergies? I have this and it’s becoming increasing difficult eat anything. It’s so frustrating. It’s also really difficult to find information on healing this symptom other than from medicine and allergy shots.
Diana says
Did you ever find out anything about the OAS? 🙂
Marie says
I understand the concept about needing to heal the intestinal track, but what about for young children? My five year old nephew suffers from various food allergies including dairy, gluten, nuts, and some fruits. What could have caused the damage to his young body?
KitchenKop says
It can all start in the womb actually, Dr. C-McBride has spoken & written extensively about this.
KitchenKop says
I misspoke, I meant to say that abnormal gut flora can start at birth (I’m not sure how much life in the womb is related to gut flora), here’s more in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcavC1XZouk
Ravi says
please consider STOPPING vaccination folks – these young bodies cannot take the assault that all these shots wage on their immature immune systems.
Jami says
I was just looking for allergy cures yesterday! I have a dear friend who is gluten corn intolerant as well as most of her family. I am going to pass the info on!
Magda says
Actually you don’t have to have nuts on GAPS. If you do intro, nuts aren’t introduced until the very end. Even on full GAPS there are people who don’t do nuts – or wait a long while before introducing. I think it’s the baking that snares people. They want to have sweets, bread, etc. and they beging using tons of nut flour instead of regular/GF flour. You don’t have to do that. You can use coconut flour – or do other things for “sweets”. Here is a great blog by a lady who went a long time without nuts (they can cause inflammation): https://gapsdietjourney.com/
I’m on full GAPS and I do only almonds right now – maybe once a week I have a handful. That’s it. I would say the basis for GAPS is meat/bone broth, meats and vegetables. A lot of people do this for weeks/months before adding anything else. And of course probiotics. That is a basis for healing.
KitchenKop says
That’s what Ann Marie said, too: “Shellfish can easily be avoided in this diet. Nuts can also be avoided. Instead of making almond bread or almond pancakes, you can make coconut flour bread or pancakes. I am including a variety of recipes to help compensate for people with nut allergies (my daughter is sensitive to nuts). Many people find that they can reverse nut and shellfish allergies by healing their digestive tract.”
Melissa says
I do not understand why people advocate coconut flour, it has a ton of fiber. Fiber is very hard on GAPS guts! It actually feels way worse on my gut (pain) then rice flour or any other grain besides wheat.
Heather@Food Ponderings says
I’d really like to know if it would help those with anaphylatic reactions to foods because that’s just plain frightening.
Adrienne says
That’s a question that I was wondering about too. My thoughts are….the GAPS diet leans really heavy on nuts so if nuts are one of your problems, then this would not be a good choice for you. My son has life threatening food allergies and from what I am seeing, the medical community may be getting closer to immunotherapy for food allergies (or sublingual treatments). I for sure would love to hear from Ann Marie her thoughts on life-threatening food allergies, however.
One other thought. We have been working on intestinal healing, which is always a good thing, and also metal and toxin detox. We have been using a system called Nutritional Balancing which appears to be helping us w/ a myriad of issues, including a recent sensitivity to corn that I had developed. When you deal w/ healing root issues, other secondary problems can sometimes clear up.
KitchenKop says
Heather, I don’t think Ann Marie or anyone can say for SURE if this class or the GAPS Diet could cure someone with life-threatening food allergies, but if it were me, I’d think it was certainly worth a shot! If anything COULD do it, it would be GAPS. I hear from readers ALL the time who are healed from various issues with the GAPS Diet.
Heather@Food Ponderings says
I would agree with that, Kelly.