What's a Food Allergy -- and What's Not? | Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter | TED

People often mix up food allergies and food intolerances, even though they require completely different medical treatments. Dr. Jen Gunter explains how allergies quickly trigger the immune system, while intolerances disrupt digestion and can sometimes take days to show up. Learn how to spot the difference and get a better understanding of how your body reacts to food.
Think you know how your body works? Think again! In this TED original series, Dr. Jen Gunter will share the truth about what's really going on inside you. For more, tune into her podcast, Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter: link.chtbl.com/BodyStuffYT
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[@lesterabastillas9291]

I've never met people with a peanut allergy in the Philippines, I read somewhere is its partly caused due to exposure, peanuts are a snack and you cannot go anywhere without seeing a nut vendor, because of this people who have mild allergies (non-threatening) their bodies just sort of realised that it isn't a big a threat as once thought and their allergies are gone. I'm not sure if this is factual, but it's been my experience so far (plus I'm too lazy to fact check).

[@Rheezen9th]

Peanut and especially peanut sauce, is also very common in Indonesia. From bumbu rujak to ketoprak and gado-gado, to chicken satay and martabak manis, even people here love to snack on roasted peanuts or boiled peanuts. I too used to love eating chocolate with peanuts, satay with peanut sauce, bread with peanut butter, etc. But when I was around 20s, I started feeling dizzy and sick everytime I eat something with a peanut sauce. One day I just start throwing up all day just because I ate a pecel (boiled vegetables with peanut sauce) and ever since then, I would always throw up every time I eat something with peanut sauce. Even just smelling peanut sauce would make me dizzy. It really sucks because I can no longer eat a lot of Indonesian dishes, and I always have to be extra careful when eating something with a sauce that has chunks in it (fearing it might be peanuts) or even desserts (a lot of desserts either contain peanut or has grounded peanuts in it) 🥲 People who don't have allergy/intolerance to food, please be grateful and don't forget to enjoy all the food you eat 😊 Who knows, you might develop an allergy/intolerance to your favorite food and have to say goodbye to it 🥲

[@lesterabastillas9291]

@Rheezen9th it's very unfortunate that I have lactose intolerance, it's caused me a lot of grief especially since I love yoghurt and cheeses (especially pizzas, I mean cmon)

[@OnyxVexe]

It’s mostly just the shellfish allergy in my part of the city but I have a friend whose allergic to almost everything

[@baeyuh]

true omsim

[@novianisyamaharanisusanto8467]

I also have an allergy to shrimp, it started when I was 10 years old. It is true "we should consult a doctor". At first my mother thought I was allergic to all seafood but after being checked it was only shrimp allergy. Allergies that appear when I eat already are the appearance of redness that is very itchy and hot, the worst condition at that time was that I had shortness of breath.

[@FedJimSmith]

already most of this, but it's nice to pointing out to to who didn't, thanks Ted

[@shloomyshloms]

I know people who tell waiters they are allergic to food or ingredients because they don't like them, not because they have an actual allergy. I have also known people who are allergic to (in one case beer) yet every time there was a party there she was chugging beer, and there she went straight to the hospital.

[@marksimmonds6364]

As a professional head chef I cannot stress how much these 'fake allergies' ruin it for everyone else. We literally have to stop what we're doing, 2-stage sanitise a whole workstation, then open new packets of ingredients/wash vegetables again, use a new clean knife/chopping board/utensils. They're basically making the rest of their table/restaurant wait for no reason. Of course we are happy to do this for people with real allergies.

[@SacchieILU]

I have a dairy allergy but its fairly mild and cross-contamination is usually trace enough that it doesn't affect me in a meaningful way. I try to specify this when I order but I feel like, from the other side of things, I am not taken seriously very often. I have to be very selective where I eat because I know places that don't adjust to my needs. So while it may be inconvenient, please treat an allergy claim as real, for those of us who have them.

[@ElicBehexan]

I went to an allergist in the 1980s and some in the 1990s who gave me tests and I was allergic to a lot of foods. Recently I went to another allergist - my previous one died in 2004 - and he said I wasn't allergic to any of the foods. I'm sorry, if I eat an even microscopic amount of corn, I get sick and I can stay sick until I take one of the shots from my previous allergist.

[@cicic5340]

Did they test you at least?

[@ElicBehexan]

@@cicic5340 Yes, but my reaction to corn is fast, and involves tunnel vision, dizziness, very low blood pressure, at one time it was 80 something and 50 something... I wonder why I was dizzy... It also, not so rapidly, causes increase inflammation in my body, which many of my other food allergens also cause. And now they have discovered an ulcer and want me off my NSAID...

[@muzzybeat]

Corn isn't a human food as it is meant to pass through animal digestive systems and not digest. It's a seed. It serves the corn plant in distributing seeds around the earth. It serves the plant only. That's why it shows up in toilets undigested. I recommend reading articles, books, or watching videos from either biophysicist/nutritionist Sarah Ballyntine or Chris Kresser who specializes in ancestral nutrition and functional medicine.

[@carsonhunt4642]

Yea sadly her advice of a go see a doctor or allergist isn’t that helpful. My allergist was completely useless, couldn’t answer a single question of mine, only tested for the few main ones he wanted ignoring all the things I’ve written in my food journal, and then provided no advice aside from “don’t eat stuff that upsets ur stomach”… Kind of hard to do when I was allergic to almost everything he tested me for. He also ignored my intolerances/inflammation, and only cared about the allergic reaction test. My doctor also has not been much use, no clue if it’s auto immune like crohn’s/ibs, or if it’s just a mixture of intolerance and allergies , as being allergic to so many ingredients has made it hard to figure out. Gastroenterologist have done endoscopy and colonoscopy, ofc didn’t solve anything. So yea, it’s been years of doctors for me, and literally have been zero help. Maybe it’s cuz my case is complicated, or I have bad luck with doctors, who knows.

[@ElicBehexan]

@@muzzybeat Yes and I tell people that and they look like I've lost my mind. Basically humans might get some empty carbs out of it, but it really isn't good for humans to eat. Cows, deer and other animals of they like get more value out of it, but more doesn't mean a lot in the case of corn.

[@diyetisyenravzakose]

very good information ✨

[@johnbraun4493]

Amazing my thanks

[@hiepdongta]

Thanks

[@donnahaynes8766]

A doctor gave me a list of foods to avoid in order to avoid migraines. I saw a nutritionist to learn more about this. She recommended an allergy test. My mother had told me about having to fast before her allergy test, so called the allergist to confirm whether i needed to fast for some period. They told me nope. eat whatever you want. when I went in for the scratch test, every single thing I had eaten for the past almost 24 hours showed up as a mild to moderate allergic reaction. i abandoned the "migraine diet" the doctor had given me and tried the "allergy diet" that was recommended. The migraines came back full strength. Just thought i'd share my experience.

[@callista4990]

so, the nutritionist was wrong?

[@turkeyman100]

@@callista4990 Idk, I feel like the allergist was more wrong

[@yusufrosyid3561]

Very informative, Apparently there are some condition relate with food allergy such as food allergy, food intolrance, ciliax disease👌

[@Tamochi88]

Thanks for talking about Coeliac/Celiac Disease 💚 really helps people understand why it's so important for us to be gluten free

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

I know someone who self diagnosed gluten allergies. They visited multiple doctors until they found one who gave them the diagnosis that they wanted to hear. A hypochondriac will be told what they want to hear if they work hard enough.

[@SacchieILU]

Sounds like they had some dismissive doctors who would not take them seriously before that. Theres a serious problem with that.

[@christianavance9124]

I have a diagnosis of non celiac gluten allergy. I have other auto immune issues. My Dr told me that when people go off of any food long enough, they stop producing the enzymes and create the intolerance themselves. Not the cause for me but it helps me discourage people from following fads and talk to Dr's 1st and take the blood and endoscopic tests for diagnosis.

[@johnbraun4493]

Nice

[@johnbraun4493]

Why?

[@kg17]

Wow

[@christianwilliams1136]

What we should be asking ourselves is what caused our gut to be so damaged that it would let undigested proteins get thru our intestine and into our blood, which then gets attacked by our immune system. Food allergies and food sensitivities all starts with a leaky gut, which is caused mainly by our modern day of eating, drinking, and mainly our modern way of farming, and then treating people with chemicals like antibiotics. We have been destroying our guts and gut flora for a few decades now with the chemical revolution. We saw a huge uprise in digestive, and neurological issues at the end of the 1980's when they started spraying glyphosate on wheat to kill it early so they could bring it early to market. Then they started doing the same thing to beans and other grains that has to be dried before harvesting. Now there is so much chemicals in the environment and they purposefully put some more in the food afterwards that the gut has no chance, and simply falls apart.

[@HShango]

My body doesn't tolerate nuts (allergic to nuts), but it does tolerate chocolate 😶 weird. My body also doesn't tolerate cow's milk. But it loves oatly milk, rice milk and hemp milk.

[@david_oliveira71]

Maybe you are lactose intolerant

[@erickamunoz9497]

No because I have an allergy to shellfish-ish I actually don’t know genuinely what to call it I just know that I cannot have it because the last two times I did I kept throwing up till I threw up acid puffiness the inside of my throat even before I threw up or hours or even a day it was already still hives extremely itchy and my eyes usually get red No I don’t have like bathroom stomach girl issues I have very much discomfort issues

[@Reoh0z]

Jokes on me, My body is allergic to itself.

[@user-vk2ni4oc2m]

한국어 번역도 넣어주시지.,., 증말 ~

[@muzzybeat]

"Talk to your doctor." Yeah, because doctors have SO MUCH training in nutrition. I'm pretty sure that most medical degrees require either zero or one course in nutrition. If you do talk to a doctor, find one deeply knowledgeable in nutrition like either Chris Kresser's team or Sarah Ballyntine's or find a local nutritionist who is very oriented towards gut health well (most don't focus on that but focus on outdated academic training).

[@RobertTheBruce88]

You should also be cautious of people who are implementing dietary interventions based on latest results for small studies that are not replicated in large studies and RCTs. I do appreciate people who do not dismiss new findings though, it's just that professionals generally don't recommend based on emerging evidence that is outside of practice guidelines.

[@youawesome2068]

"I'm going to prevent something from putting you in danger (not actually dangerous) , by putting you in danger!!!

[@phonzy]

This settles it, I’m allergic to berries 😢

[@ChowMeinLover805]

I have some food allergies.

[@LifeisANovel]

Idk what you'd call my allergic. Can't be just shell fish because fish also irritates me. But crab and shrimp has literally sent me to the ER without eating. Just being around it. Last tike the doctor told me if it didn't get better he was about to put me in an induced coma.

[@Shortydude847]

No he didn’t 😂 stfu. You have allergies just like other people. My sister has a peanut allergy and can’t be around it. It’s not coma worthy

[@Avash0007]

☺

[@afellowmanofculture4165]

☕

[@TheGreatWallOfJapan_]

prof. Trelawney....????

[@elliewellie_YouTube]

I have a food allergy! Me me me! I'm also super intolerant to aspartame.

[@RottenboiJa]

lmfao

[@Field_Ant]

Mast cells don't make antibodies, B-cells and Plasma cells do! 0:51

[@marksimmonds6364]

I'm allergic to people with fake allergies.

[@kartikagrawal8422]

Why countries opt for war rather than solving disputes by dialogue and diplomacy?

[@heliumfreak5364]

To sum up, a food allergy is something that can could kill you. A food intolerance is something you develop to be trendy.

[@hotchpotch00]

That's not how she explained food intolerances mate. Watch the video again and listen carefully this time.

[@Artscapades]

If I could pick not throwing up every time I had meringue desserts I would pick the not throwing up. I would also pick the not having to be deeply suspicious of any other kinds of undercooked egg white. It's not going to kill me but the vomiting sure aint to be trendy.

[@pricelesscovent5867]

I've got acid reflux, meaning eating too much of a certain food (wheat, fibre, dairy, anything spicy, or acidic) can make my reflux worse, it maybe my digestive system is telling me that I need to be careful about what I eat because my cannot digest food as quickly as it used to do?

[@ironmaiden5658]

Talk to a Naturopath. Not a Doctor. Thats like taking you car to a mechanic to have window tint applied.

[@RyanCoomer]

I'm a Librarian and I oversee the shipment of books that come into different libraries around Illinois. When we receive LGBTQ Children's books, I will purposely throw them in the Dumpster and make sure they are under a bunch of other garbage. I also will sneak some of the books home and place them in the oven so they melt. I havnt been caught yet and no one has asked for any type of book like these anyways.........!!!!!

[@bobainsworth5057]

So you steal from your local Gov. ,Your employer, and violate the first amendment, which you know is wrong because you said ," I haven't gotten caught yet", and you want us to applaud you? Do your job and stop injecting your personal beliefs on your neighbors - us.

[@Field_Ant]

niiiice

[@vidamaciulyte1206]

I developed an intolerance with pineapple.

[@pricelesscovent5867]

I can eat pineapple but not in large amounts because it's very acidic and my body finds it difficult to digest it