Bloated? Anxious? Here Are 5 Signs You Might Have A Food Sensitivity
Hey guys!
One of the most useful things I learned in my 90 Day Journey was how some foods just don’t agree well with my body. I can’t believe how much of a difference it made to just PAY ATTENTION.
For example, I get the worst breakouts when I eat dairy. And when I eat bread or some certain types of grains…ugh I just feel bloated and my digestion gets all out of whack.
Everything I learned made me want to learn even more. What are some signs that could mean your body is sensitive to certain foods? Things that maybe you’ve just been dealing with for YEARS without ever knowing that you could feel a lot better if you just adjusted your diet a bit?
Dietitian Breanna Woods helped me figure some of this out for you!
Tummy troubles
Any kind of sign that your gut isn’t happy could mean that something you’re eating just isn’t agreeing with you.
I’m talking about things like:
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Stomach ache
For me, this is when I started to realize that grains might be a problem for me.
Some people notice this with dairy too. Actually, A LOT of people. Dairy sensitivity/lactose intolerance is sooo common. It’s estimated that 65% of the world has some level of intolerance!!
Another common food that might make you bloated, gassy, and all that fun stuff is sugar substitutes. A lot of the sugar-free foods you see contain sugar alcohols, which a lot of people have trouble digesting.
Headaches
If you’re prone to headaches or migraines, it might be worth looking into a food sensitivity.
Migraines especially are known to have “trigger foods” like caffeine, sugar, salt, artificial sweeteners, and fermented foods like wine and aged cheese. If you tend to have migraines, a food journal might help you pinpoint the food(s) bothering you.
Fatigue
There are soooo many reasons why you could be dealing with fatigue. A food sensitivity is one cause that a lot of people don’t know about!
Runny Nose
If you’re constantly getting a random runny or stuffy nose… or you have stuffiness that just never goes away, it could be something you’re eating. Certain natural chemicals in foods and some food additives (like amines, salicylates, and sulfites) can trigger these symptoms if you’re sensitive to them.
Anxiety
Feeling anxious lately? Or maybe you’re having a hard time falling asleep.
If you drink coffee, soda, or energy drinks, it could be the caffeine. Even if you don’t drink a lot, you could be a little caffeine-sensitive.
Food Sensitivity vs. Food Allergies
There is a difference!!!
Food allergies are serious and actually trigger your immune system. Symptoms happen almost immediately and usually involve things like swelling, rash, difficulty breathing, and really scary stuff.
If you ever think you might have an allergy, you need to get it checked out with your doctor.
Food sensitivities aren’t life threatening and they can take awhile to show symptoms. Sometimes even days! That’s why people don’t even realize they have one! The only real way to test for a sensitivity is to try elimination. So for example, if you notice you’ve been bloated more than usual and suspect that dairy is the culprit, you’d eliminate dairy for a few weeks and see if you feel better. Then, you’d slowly add it back in to see if the bloat comes back.
Do any of these food sensitivity symptoms surprise you?!
21 thoughts on “Bloated? Anxious? Here Are 5 Signs You Might Have A Food Sensitivity”
There are 21 comments posted by our users.
I have been doing your calendar for 3 months now and I don’t see any results. I am currently suffering with constant bloating and i’ve tried everything to figure out what foods it is but it seems everything I eat doesn’t agree with me, EVERYTHING!!! I don’t know what to do anymore. I suffer with bad anxiety and I have symptoms of IBS and Lactose Intolerance but I’m not sure.
Hey,
I had something very similar happen before I found out that I’m allergic to gluten, eggs, and dairy.
I suffered from major IBS, bloating, etc. For years until it got to the point where i couldn’t leave my house because my stomach was always feeling unwell. It happened when I ate ANYTHING!
I ended up getting some tests done and found out I had all these allergies but it took a few years before my body healed from all the damage it had gone through from eating these foods.
I highly recommend going to a naturopath or dietician and getting blood work done to see what you are sensitive to so that you can cut it out of your diet. Give your body time to heal. I have had gluten, eggs, and dairy cut out of my diet for 9 years now and it is rare that I have IBS symptoms now.
I hope that helps!!!
I’m planning to get more tests done, I’ve already had a scan on my stomach to see if there was anything happening inside but they found nothing. The Therapist told me it may be because of your anxiety and the stress causing your stomach because your head is connected to everything in your body. I’ve been bloated for ages now (2-3 years) and it seems to be getting worse. I have a rare day when I’m not bloated for a few seconds but it’s always when I’m on my menstrual cycle after the toilet. I can’t go for more than 4 hours without food otherwise I get bad stomach pains and dizziness. Exercising is a bit tough too with my stomach being unable to do ab workouts due to pain. >_<
Hi Jam, they probably ruled it out if they scanned your stomach, but you might want to ask you doctor about endometriosis, just to be sure. It seems that women with endometriosis is often misdiagnosed. Feel better soon!
I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue along with bloating, anxiety etc … I’m going to try keeping an eye on it using your 90-day journal. If it all ends up being my diet choices, I’m going to scream!
I definitely have a food sensitivity to sugar… any time I eat white bread, candy, and even some types of apples, my cheeks get really red and hot and I get these mosquito-bite-like bumps on my face.
I get food sensitivities, I mean I’m sensitive to caffeine and sometimes dairy, but to be honest, controlling it with moderation helps best. That way I’m not demonizing the food group or saying I can’t have it EVER AGAIN. I might die if I could never taste real ice cream again (and no, coconut and almond milk ice cream is just not the same). Anyway I think people just get too crazy about all this food sensitivity stuff due to Youtubers promoting it when they are not doctors nor do they have training in the medical field. It’s anecdotal evidence and that’s all.
I’ve been more bloated lately, but I can’t think of a specific thing that might be triggering it, my diet tends to be pretty variated, the only food I probably have everyday it’s rice, but it’s always been that way and the problem started about two weeks ago.
I started noticing pain in my joints Everytime I ate burgers or bread – my blood tests didn’t show any sign of an illness. I just started eliminating it because I could finally hold a broom and knife without agonising pain.
You should see a gastric specialist. You may have a gluten intolerance; if interested it can develope into Celiac disease which is super dangerous.
* if left untreated it can develope into Celiac.
Wow autocorrect went insane there
My issue has been beans. I love them, but consistently, they REALLY bother my stomach.
Wow Cassie how do you know exactly what I’m thinking about and then write a blog post about it?? I’ve been feeling pretty bloated the past few days and I think I’ll try cutting out some stuff and figure out what’s causing it!
I stop drinking/using dairy milk last year after I noticed it was making nasuated. It work like a charm! I can still eat cheese and a small amount of regular ice cream though.
I just cut off coffee and dairy this week, i’ve never felt better 😩✊🏻 i feel lot calmer and no constipation or gassy tummy at all for me this week feels really good. I do notice i dont bloat when i didnt eat gluten (re : bread) but it’s hard to cut off bread for me personally 🤭🤭🤭
I am sensitive to avocados, which A) is so sad because guacamole is amazing and B) no avocado toast which makes me the worst millennial ever! I get a stomach ache and my heart rate increases, and it’s a bad time all around. Same with any alcohol – heart palpitations, shallow breathing, the works.
Thanks Cassey! I like how you pointed out the difference between a food allergy and sensitivity. I’ve recently noticed I have a sensitivity to eggs. I would often get a stomach ache after breakfast when I made breakfast tacos or protein pancakes. Tried cutting it out and those stomach aches went away. Definitely worth slowing down and noticing how the food we eat makes us feel.
I know I have some type of food sensitivity and as I keep on with my fitness journey I feel like I need to follow in Cassey’s footsteps and go on a 90 day journey myself.
Can cold water make us fat? Also, is a cheat day really necessary ?
i have bloating issues. haven’t totally figured out the culprit. some of it i think is wheat-based products. not fully uncovered.
I’m definitely sensitive to dairy! I also notice that when I have too many nuts I tend to break out. Does that happen to you?