Top Tips on Improving Food Diversity in Your Home

Ya’ll know we’re a gluten and dairy free home. 

• Because some things our bodies just aren’t meant to eat.

• Both my husband and my son can go sleep outside if either one of them consumes dairy. 

• I get eczema if I eat gluten.

• I have Hashimoto’s and I’ve cut my antibodies down (*which I was told could never be done*) from over 800 to about 100 by just cutting out gluten.

All that to say, the foods we eat play a HUGE role in our health, wellness, & overall immune function. 

Before we dive in, what’s the difference between food allergies and food sensitivities?

FOOD ALLERGIES ARE IGE MEDIATED RESPONSES.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) are antibodies produced by the immune system. If you have an allergy, your immune system overreacts to that allergen by producing IgE antibodies. These antibodies travel to cells that release chemicals, causing an allergic reaction. Food allergies can lead to hives, swelling, itching, dizziness, and even anaphylaxis. 

FOOD SENSITIVITIES ARE IGA OR IGG MEDIATED RESPONSES.

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) are antibodies that line our mucosal membranes of the lungs, sinuses, and gastrointestinal tract. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are involved in “remembering” what germs/foreign invader you’ve been exposed to before and how that germ/foreign invader has impacted your immune system.

So, in functional medicine, we look at ALL of those antibodies. Why? Because optimal gut function is crucial for a healthy immune system.  

And, if a patient is consuming foods that are causing their IgA and IgG antibodies to increase - not only does this indicate their body can not properly digest/absorb that specific food, but the inflammatory response that follows can lead to bloating, constipation, diarrhea, brain fog, fatigue, skin issues, and it can provoke candida, autoimmunity, and immune dysfunction.

To explain it simply. Remember that time multiple conventional doctors told me there’s nothing I could do to lower my thyroid antibodies?

Well, I don’t have Celiac disease and I’m not allergic to gluten. BUT I do have a sensitivity to gluten (i.e. my IgE antibodies are fine, but my IgG antibodies are high when I eat gluten). So, for me, by simply removing gluten from my diet it decreased an inflammatory response that was contributing to the increase of my thyroid antibodies. 

MY POINT HERE IS, FOOD SENSITIVITIES MATTER JUST AS MUCH AS TRUE FOOD ALLERGIES.

Food sensitivities are not just an intolerance that causes gas - their role in autoimmunity & our immune function is far beyond what conventional docs tell ya. 

Another great example with Jackjack is ketchup. My son is fine eating organic ketchup, but the second he eats non-organic ketchup he breaks out in a rash around his mouth. I’m assuming it’s from the corn syrup in non-organic ketchup. And although this reaction is not life threatening like a food allergy can be, a rash is an outward symptom of something going on internally (just like eczema or psoriasis). The immune system is being provoked, creating this outward rash.

So to us, both food sensitivities and food allergies matter.

So, what can you do to help prevent food allergies and sensitivities?

The immune system is immature at birth, but it develops over time with antigen stimulation and appropriate nutrition. Bacterial colonization also starts during the first few weeks of life. Nutrition plays a huge role in the development, maintenance, & optimal functioning of immune cells. The innate immune system has the ability to modulate adaptive immune responses to food proteins. Therefore, the type of gastrointestinal microbiota of the newborn and the preservation of intestinal permeability is crucial for preventing the development of food allergies.

English, CeCe. English.

This means that from the moment we’re born, building up and protecting gut function is critical for overall immune function and to decrease the chance of developing food allergies. I have to say it, what tears that gut function down? Antibiotics. Which is why it’s so so so important to protect your kiddo’s gut anytime he or she has to go on antibiotics. 

Research shows that the diversity of food introduced in the first year of life can positively impact allergic diseases (asthma, atopic dermatitis, food allergy and atopic sensitization). Exposure to a variety of food antigens during early life correlates with the development of immune tolerance. Not only that, but improving the gut microbiome during this time also plays an important role in ensuring gut wall integrity & regulation of the immune system.

Diet diversity, not only for newborns but for everyone, has shown to reduce allergic diseases. A more diverse diet leads to a more diverse microbiome, improved gut wall integrity, and immune function. 

But what are some other reasons we need food diversity?

Glad you asked. 

NUTRITION SYNERGY

Numerous studies reviewing high intake of fruits and vegetables find correlated health benefits, including preventing heart disease and cancer. However, when studies have looked more closely at the individual antioxidants, they have found the opposite effect. For example, one study found that supplementing with beta-carotene actually increased incidences of lung cancer. Another study found that vitamin E supplementation actually increased the risk of prostate cancer. While these results may seem counter-intuitive, it may be that these nutrients require synergistic actions with other molecules to provide their beneficial effects. When you consume a variety of food, you gain from thousands of phytochemicals acting together to provide you with many advantages to your health.

REDUCED INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is associated with several chronic illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease. One study found that a variety of fruit and vegetable intake was inversely associated with lower amounts of the inflammatory biomarker, C-reactive protein (diverse fruit and veggies choices = less inflammation). The study also showed that consuming an assorted range of produce was more important than the quantity (it’s not about how MUCH of one ‘good’ food you eat, it’s about the VARIETY of ‘good’ foods you’re eating).

COMBAT OXIDATIVE STRESS

Another common factor in many diseases is oxidative stress. This area of health has become the focus of many studies on antioxidants, since these compounds work by neutralizing the free radicals to reduce oxidative stress. One study looked to see if consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables, a source of antioxidants, reduced lipid peroxidation and DNA oxidation. Their findings stated that both low and high biodiversity diets had an association with reduced lipid peroxidation, but only the high biodiversity diet reduced DNA oxidation. So, botanical diversity is an important component in providing these antioxidant effects, which provides further substantiation to the point that it is advantageous to consume many different phytochemicals, even in smaller doses, than consuming higher levels of a few in a low diversity diet.

On top of simply mitigating deficiencies, a diverse diet also ensures you benefit from the complementary actions of phytochemicals and mitigate some of the contributing factors to chronic diseases, such as dysbiosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

MORAL OF THE STORY HERE: WHEN YOU EAT THE SAME FOOD AGAIN AND AGAIN, YOU INCREASE YOUR RISK OF DEVELOPING A FOOD INTOLERANCE OR ALLERGY TO THAT FOOD AND YOU’RE MISSING OUT ON INCREDIBLE WAYS TO POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR GUT & OVERALL IMMUNE FUNCTION.

It can be tough increasing the diversity of food in your home. But,

Here are some tips to help:

GO TO THE GROCERY STORE MORE OFTEN

Rather than doing one large trip at the beginning or end of the week, make smaller trips more frequently during the week. This way, you can purchase produce in smaller quantities and cycle through. For example, when it comes to fruit, one shopping trip I’ll grab bananas, apples, and strawberries. The next shopping trip I’ll grab blueberries, oranges, and pears. The next trip I’ll go for some blackberries, grapes, and kiwi. 

I do the same for veggies - I’ll grab some brussels sprouts and carrots one trip, then broccolini and pea pods then next, then asparagus and zucchini.

That way, when it comes to cooking or making lunches, I don’t have to worry about switching it up - because it’s already been done.

MEAL ROTATION

Yes, we’re creatures of habit. You still can be - just be a creature of habit that’s in constant rotation.

What does that mean?

In our home we have 3-4 breakfasts we rotate through. One day it’ll be scrambled eggs with toast and avocado. Another day it’ll be oatmeal with nut butter, chicken sausage, and some fruit. Then we’ll do some pancakes with turkey sausage and fruit. Another day we may do a nutrient dense, protein packed smoothie and eggs over easy. We typically cycle through these with small variations - which makes life easy but also keeps the food diversity up.

You can pick your faves and cycle through them for breakfast, lunch, & dinner!

Plan Out Your Week

It may help to create a ‘schedule’ of meals. For example:

Breakfast A will be eaten Monday and Friday.

Breakfast B will be eaten Tuesday and Saturday.

Breakfast C will be eaten Wednesday and Sunday.

Breakfast D will be eaten Thursday.

You can do the same for lunches and dinner. It’s still a routine, just a more diverse food routine. If you choose to do this, keep in mind that routine should be switched up every few months. 

Our bodies are not designed to eat the same foods over and over again. By making some minor adjustments to increase your family’s food diversity - you can create some serious change to your health!

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The Discovery Doc - Dr. CeCe Brooks - Atlanta Holistic NP