The Golden Glow Guide to Food Sensitivities

As you know, my go to, forever true mantra is: find the root cause! This is the key to long lasting healing and overcoming food sensitivities.

DID YOU KNOW? Food sensitivities are a symptom, not the problem itself!

The food itself isn’t the root of the problem. Instead, there is a deeper cause compromising your health within your digestive system. Your body reacts to a specific food because your gut isn’t functioning properly, and that food becomes the trigger for your symptoms.

You can take a food intolerance test and remove your “trigger foods” to get your body back on the healing track, but the BIG opportunity to healing comes from the root cause: your gut!

By focusing only on the food, you ignore the root causes that are likely contributing to other symptoms as well—from brain fog to skin issues.

The good news?

Once you address and heal the root causes, there’s a very good chance you’ll be able to reintroduce that food again with no reaction! Now you’ve achieved your Golden Glow!

Leaky Gut and Food Sensitivities

DID YOU KNOW? One of the main culprits of food sensitivities is a condition called “leaky gut,” or “increased intestinal permeability.”

A healthy intestinal wall lining has cells that are tightly bound, which forms a solid barrier that controls what can and cannot enter your bloodstream. But with leaky gut, these connections become loose, creating tiny gaps.

When this happens, large molecules like undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria can “leak” through the intestinal wall and into your bloodstream. Your body, seeing these foreign invaders, launches an immune attack, which creates widespread inflammation. This chronic inflammation can then manifest in a variety of symptoms, from food intolerances to skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and eczema etc.

What Causes Leaky Gut?

Several factors contribute to developing leaky gut, including:

• Gut Infections: Parasites or bad bacteria can damage the intestinal lining.
• Chronic Stress: High levels of cortisol can weaken your gut barrier.
• Hormonal Birth Control: Some studies suggest it can impact gut health.
• Medications: Common over-the-counter drugs like NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) can erode the gut lining with long-term use.
• Excessive Sugar: A high-sugar diet feeds bad gut bacteria and promotes inflammation.
• Toxins: Exposure to environmental toxins like mold or heavy metals can compromise your gut’s barrier, creating gaps and “leaky gut.

Your Body as Your Blueprint

You know I urge you to become a “Label Detective”— read ingredient lists carefully to understand what you’re putting into your body. Well, it’s time to take that practice inward now to become a “Body Detective.” Your body is always giving you clues about what it needs and what it’s struggling with. The key is to learn how to notice and interpret these signals just as Nancy Drew would follow the footprints to solve her mystery!

Here are a few mild but common signs that a body detective could notice as a clue to your food intolerance. While a food sensitivity is a more subtle reaction than a full-blown allergy, your body still struggles to thoroughly digest certain foods.

Quick Digestion and GI Distress: This is one of the most direct clues. Do you find yourself needing to use the bathroom—specifically, having a loose bowel movement or sudden urgency—within about 30-60 minutes of eating something? This rapid response can be a sign that your body is trying to quickly eliminate something it doesn’t agree with. Other GI symptoms to watch for include persistent bloating, gas, or a feeling of heaviness after meals.

Other symptoms include:

• The “Itchies”: This one might sound strange, but pay attention to where you feel itchiness. An itchy butt or itchy ears can be surprising indicators of a food intolerance. When your immune system reacts to a food, it can release histamines, which cause inflammation and itching in various parts of the body.
• Skin Stuff: Have you noticed new acne breakouts, eczema flare-ups, or mystery rashes that seem to appear out of nowhere? These skin conditions can be a surprising indicator of a food intolerance. When your immune system reacts to a trigger food, it can release histamines. This creates widespread inflammation, which can manifest as persistent itching or chronic skin conditions like eczema. The message is clear: your body is trying to tell you something.
• Brain Fog and Low Energy: Do you feel mentally fuzzy or groggy/tired after certain meals? This “food coma” is often more than just being full or eating too much turkey. For some, a mild intolerance triggers gut inflammation, which then impacts your brain function, leading to brain fog, a feeling of spaciness, or just general fatigue. This inflammatory response can also manifest as headaches or migraines.

Your Detective Toolkit: The Food Diary

The best tool for your detective work is a simple food diary. For a week or two, jot down not only what you eat and drink, but also note the exact time and any physical or mental symptoms you experience. For instance:

• 9 AM: Coffee with a splash of cream and a scone.
• 10:30 AM: My ears started itching, and I feel a bit foggy.
• 1:00 PM: Salad with grilled chicken and a creamy dressing.
• 2:30 PM: Feeling bloated and a little sluggish.

Connecting these dots like Nancy Drew can help you identify patterns and potential culprits.

Common trigger foods for mild intolerances include:

• Dairy (lactose and casein)
• Gluten/Wheat
• Soy
• Corn
• Eggs
• Nuts

Your Next Step: The Gentle Reset

Once you’ve started to connect the dots in your food diary, you have the evidence you need to move forward. Your next step doesn’t have to be a harsh, restrictive cleanse. Think of it as a simple, gentle reset—a short-term trial to confirm your suspicions and give your body a break.

This will lower your inflammation and take you on the road to healing.

For a few days, try temporarily removing a common culprit, like dairy and/or gluten, from your diet. Pay close attention to how you feel.

Do your aches subside?

Does the brain fog lift?

Does that persistent bloating finally go away?

This trial period is an important piece of your detective work, helping you confirm your body’s subtle clues. If you notice even a slight improvement after a few days, you’re on the right track! Try to continue this trial for up to 30 days to give your body a real chance to heal and to see more significant changes.

Identifying and addressing the root causes of your symptoms can be challenging to navigate on your own. It can take years of frustration, trial, and error—and believe me, I speak from personal experience. But the gut is a key player in your brain and body health.

Working with a qualified practitioner takes the guesswork out of the equation and can dramatically shorten your path to healing, helping you feel your best sooner! They can administer tests that show what foods your body may have trouble digesting.

I can work with you remotely to create a plan suited to your needs- from a more comprehensive protocol, to one that doesn’t take more than a few days.

Ready to say “yes” to your Golden Glow and “goodbye” to nagging digestive symptoms once and for all?

Ready to identify and heal the root causes of your food sensitivities so you can one day enjoy those foods again, completely reaction-free? Which is heaven, if you ask me.

It’s time to stop the endless cycle.

Let’s make food fear and worrying about your next meal a thing of the past.

If you’re ready to begin your healing journey, book a breakthrough session to discuss if my services are right for you and to learn how I can help you heal your gut from within.