Understanding Food Allergies and Intolerances with Dr Will Bulsiewicz

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1 in 5 people suffer from food intolerances. A figure that is growing each year. As a result, people are eating evermore restrictive diets. Unfortunately, as they remove some foods, they add highly processed foods in their places, damaging their gut microbiome and leading to long term health problems.

Jonathan speaks to Will Bulsiewicz, board-certified gastroenterologist, New York Times best-selling author and Zoe's science board member whose latest book is all about food intolerance.

Timecodes:
00:00 - Intro
00:09 - Jonathan’s introduction
01:27 - Quick-fire questions
03:55 - What are food allergies and intolerances?
10:57 - The rise of food allergies and intolerances
15:21 - Training your microbes
18:03 - How do I know if I have a food intolerance
20:42 - The difficulty of managing your diet and reintroducing foods
22:46 - Can you fix these food intolerances?
24:36 - The counter-intuitive approach to improving allergies and intolerances
26:40 - What can parents do to prevent allergies in their children?
27:31 - How do FODMAPs relate to the step by step exposure concept?
28:24 - What is a FODMAP?
29:38 - FODMAP examples
30:05 - FODMAP intolerance considerations
31:56 - Celiac disease tests
32:54 - Can FODMAPs tolerance be increased?
34:01 - What is histamine intolerance and what can you do about it?
43:01 - Summary
47:33 - Goodbyes
47:27 - Outro

Buy Will Bulsiewicz’s cookbook, “Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome” in all major bookstores.

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

[guylawley]

As a retired British GP who discovered my own FODMAP intolerance about 8 years ago, I am SO pleased that the truth about ‘non-coeliac gluten sensitivity’ is coming out like this. It can be difficult to get this message across, even within the medical profession. Thanks for this discussion and your recognition of the value of Monash’s work (and app).

[sjb]

As the mother of a child with true allergies, I'm so pleased to hear someone explain to everyone a clear distinction between allergy and intolerances. People saying they have an allergy when they have an intolerance causes allergies to be seen as inconsequential when they can be really dangerous. Thank you!!

[nlpu]

I am a celiac, I had no symptoms, my brother tested positive so I got tested to rule myself out and in fact I have it too. Had a scope into stomach, a biopsy, and it confirmed it. It can lead to cancer so important to know if you are celiac as you can avoid gluten and stay healthy.

[mcguinnessqueen]

Just FYI, my food intolerances and digestive issues got much, much worse over the last 2 years. Spoke to my GP, a couple of dietitians, even a gastro consultant. They just said I had IBS and try to reduce stress... In the last few weeks I developed a sinus infection and then strep throat, had to take antibiotics, and now, my digestion has never been better! Must have been a gut microbe overgrowth that none of these health professionals considered 🤷🏻‍♀️

[andrewmainprice]

The doctor is really good at explaining the topic in a way that everyone can understand.

[littlevoice_]

I think a part 2 histamine intolerance session would be interesting. Can one start out as histamine tolerant but then become intolerant? If so, what are the causes? Stress? SAD? Deficiencies?

[neilmaginnis]

Came back to say thank you - I listened to this podcast in Spring last year and since then I've been working gradually to reintroduce foods. It's been slow, sometimes painfully so, but at some stage momentum started to build and it got easier and easier to eat more of the foods that I previously couldn't handle. My diet is transformed and I'm taking great joy in preparing delicious food packed full of beans, garlic, onion etc.. That seemed totally inconceivable to me prior to this! So thank you - keep up the good work.
"Start low, go slow!"

[robynanna]

This is the clearest, most empowering description I've ever seen of the relationship between our microbiome and our reactions to food.
And it's so refreshing to be given straight information and simple hacks for getting our microbiome into peak form -- instead of the sales pitch for magic supplements and pricey tests marketed by the vast majority of half-assed health-related videos out there.
My family eats mostly plant-based, but some years ago my husband developed an intolerance to soy products. They used to be a great source of high-quality protein in our menus, so I'm very excited to know that I can help him beat his 'sloppy digestion' and broaden our food choices.
Thank you, Dr. Bulsiewicz!
And thanks to everyone at Zoe, for everything you do.

[lyndabrooks]

I have struggled for three decades with food intolerance, chronic fatigue, and allergy and only very recently have come to wonder about histamine intolerance which appears to explain the catalogue of symptoms from which I suffer. I have tried so many dietary approaches including following a low FODMAP diet which helps to some degree. I always cook fresh from scratch and eat healthy foods. I was interested to hear Dr. Will advocate eating sprouted peas to increase levels of DAO in the gut ; herein lies my problem - I cannot tolerate legumes even sprouted peas as I found out recently when I sprinkled them on my salad and was very unwell for several days. The same applies with sauerkraut. I have found that the very fibre needed to heal the gut only increases my digestive problems.

[alangrant]

After 3 days and nights of no sleep because after 30 secs I’d choke on steaming post nasal drip I went to the GP who dismissed my suspicion it was food related. Bollocks. I did an elimination diet and bananas which I was having daily or more were a really problem. I live like a normal person now without eating those. I never thought I could live normally again. I am still anxious about food after being conditioned by bad experiences over years.

[deniseh]

Histamine- thank you so much for the hacks. I definitely have a histamine problem that got worse with Covid and Ling Covid. I take DOA blockers but will sprout peas and grow my own spinach. Bought and have followed Will's book for months now with great results. Thank you so much. I have also signed up on early waiting list for Zoe UK. Really looking forward to getting going.

[rmil]

What a fantastic informative, affirming video. Great to hear these two people I wish all medical professionals were equally as informed. My son was in a trial for Edinburgh University for using Fodmaps. It works. 2 of my siblings have difficulties with the youngest of 4 of us affected worst. The tools you offer are so accessible, thank you..I’ve forwarded this to my son.

[Daz]

After years of trial and error I coincidentally took an almost identical approach to the one described. What inspired my approach was seeing the nhs method prescribed to treat my daughters MSPI (in her case incrementally going through the milk and soy ladder).

I have reduced my wide spread food intolerances significantly. To avoid very bad symptoms for years I was reduced to eating the same three foods daily for every meal. Now by comparison I can eat most foods without issue and I can even treat my self to the odd Chinese takeaway (without issue). I can't believe the changes.

Meat and especially fish were perpetuating my issue and hindering my guts ability to heal and get on top of the other intolerances I was trying to tackle. Removing them and going plant based was a big step towards healing.

Hearing about histamine and fish makes a lot of sense now.

[charlie]

Thanks for doing this video. I have allergies and intolerances, and a couple of symptoms that couldn’t be explained till now.

[evasz]

This is a great program. Thank you for sharing it. Unfortunately most of the dietitians and physicians are behind the latest research. Allergy is at the bottom of their concerns. They never ask about your life style or your diet. These should be part of your annual checkup.

[adas]

Since making my own yoghurt, I have finally been able to heal my gut. Pro-biotic capsules didn't work at all. Tried it for 20 years. Now I can finally eat the things I have been intolerant to without getting brainfog and tiredness.

[humanitarianH]

Since I was in my twenties, I was diagnosed with RA, SLE Lupus fibromyalgia, asthma and the list continued to later grow. I had no idea that it all could be caused from a food allergy. My mom had all my conditions so assumed it was all genetic. I don't eat wheat, gluten, milk, soy, sugar, nuts (not including trace amounts), ultra processed foods and red meat. I'm never in remission even with losing these foods and very moderate pilates. I suppose I will try reintroducing foods and look into FODMAP. Thank you gentleman for this valuable information.

[nicolaattwood]

I’m a uk registered dietitian and I’m FODMAP trained. Thanks for an informative video and for highlighting the role of the dietitian in managing food intolerance.

[wendy]

Fabulous episode. Zoe has made me excited about food again!

[Laura-cjne]

Best video ever on the topic. Never had a food allergy in my life until my fifties. It took me years to discover that dairy and gluten induced itchy rashes and joint pain. I removed them from my diet and all was well for a time. After almost two years I slowly added them back will very little difficulty until now. As I look back, I noticed that both rounds of rash occurred 6 months after a vaccination. The first was a tetanus booster the current my second MRNA Covid vaccine. I had no negative reaction to either vaccine, however, could my immune response to these vaccines have triggered and reactivated food allergies?