Understanding Food Sensitivities

—and How Functional Medicine Can Help You Feel Better

Have you ever felt bloated, tired, foggy, or moody after eating certain foods—but your allergy tests come back “normal”? You’re not imagining things. Food can affect the body in powerful ways, even when there’s no classic allergy involved.

In fact, about 10% of U.S. adults are estimated to have true food allergies, while 20% believe they have a food allergy—suggesting that food sensitivities and intolerances may be even more widespread than we think. These non-allergic food reactions are often overlooked in conventional care, but they can have a profound impact on your overall well-being.

At Anasoma Integrative Wellness, we take a Functional Medicine approach to food sensitivities, helping you uncover hidden triggers, heal your gut, and feel more vibrant and energized.

Food Allergies, Sensitivities, and Intolerances: What’s the Difference?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances are quite different:

Food Allergies are immune system reactions that typically occur quickly and can be severe (e.g., anaphylaxis from peanuts or shellfish). These reactions involve IgE antibodies and are typically diagnosed with skin or blood tests.
Food Sensitivities are often delayed immune responses involving different immune pathways (e.g., IgG or non-antibody mechanisms). Symptoms may appear hours or even days after eating a reactive food, making them harder to identify.
Food Intolerances are non-immune reactions—often related to the body’s inability to digest a certain food (like lactose or gluten). These typically affect the digestive system and cause bloating, gas, or discomfort.

Could You Have a Hidden Food Sensitivity?

Food sensitivities don’t always show up in your gut. In fact, they often lead to symptoms outside the digestive system, such as:

Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
Fatigue and low energy
Joint pain or muscle aches
Migraines or headaches
Mood swings, anxiety, or depression
Eczema, acne, or rashes
Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
Hormonal imbalances
Bloating, gas, or IBS-like symptoms

Because symptoms are so varied and delayed, many people go years—if not decades—without realizing that food may be a root cause.

How Functional Medicine Helps

Functional Medicine takes a root-cause, whole-body approach. Instead of masking symptoms with medications, we investigate why symptoms are happening in the first place—and food is often a key piece of the puzzle.

Here’s how we help you uncover and heal food-related issues:

Comprehensive Intake & Symptom Mapping: We start by reviewing your health history, current symptoms, lifestyle, and food habits to identify patterns that may point to food-related triggers.
Targeted Lab Testing: Functional lab tests—like IgG food sensitivity panels, GI mapping, or inflammatory markers—can help uncover underlying food sensitivities, gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, or nutrient malabsorption issues.
Elimination Diet Protocols: We may recommend an elimination diet, removing common reactive foods (like gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, and sugar) for a short period. Then we slowly reintroduce them while tracking symptoms to identify culprits.
Healing the Gut: Because many sensitivities are linked to increased gut permeability (aka leaky gut), we use food, herbs, and supplements to repair the gut lining, rebalance the microbiome, and reduce inflammation.
Creating a Sustainable Nutrition Plan: Our goal is not to restrict your life—it’s to empower you with a clear, personalized plan so you can eat in a way that supports your health, energy, and lifestyle for the long term.

You Deserve to Feel Good

If you’re tired of unexplained symptoms, digestive discomfort, or feeling “off,” Functional Medicine may hold the answers you’ve been looking for. At Anasoma Integrative Wellness, we help you connect the dots between food and your symptoms, guiding you with compassion and clarity.

🌿 Ready to get to the root of your health concerns?

📅 Book your FREE consultation today at anasomawellness.com

Let’s work together to create a vibrant, healthy, and energized you—starting from the inside out.