Food Intolerance to salicylates, amines & glutamates
Your guide to food intolerance caused by salicylates, amines & glutamates
Food intolerance can cause a wide range of symptoms and are notoriously difficult to pinpoint. So, what are the symptoms of food intolerance, and what causes food intolerance symptoms?
Are food intolerance and food allergies the same thing?
Ah huh! This is the burning question on everyone’s mind. Although many people talk about these
kind of interchangeably, as if they’re the same thing, the answer is no!
What is a food allergy?
Food allergies are more commonly spoken about than food intolerances. Technically speaking, a food allergy is an immune response that causes a adverse reaction caused by the protein part of the food.
An example is the gluten in wheat or an allergy to the protein in dairy products. There is an immediate immune system reaction – making allergies typically easier to diagnose.
A food intolerance has no immune system reaction, unlike an allergy, but rather the body reacts to natural chemicals within food.
What is a food intolerance?
A food intolerance (also known as a food sensitivity) occurs when a person has trouble breaking down the natural chemicals or additives found in food, which can trigger reactions and unpleasant symptoms.
Unlike food allergies, which affect the body’s immune system, food intolerances involve the digestive system. Sensitive people find it hard to pinpoint the cause after severe reactions because they do not show up on allergy testing, and reaction times may vary considerably from person to person. In fact, food intolerance symptoms can even rear their ugly heads up to three days after you’ve eaten!
The term intolerance is also used to describe conditions where there is an enzyme deficiency, such as lactose intolerance (an intolerance to dairy foods).
Also, unlike food allergies, food intolerances do not cause severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis).
What are the symptoms of a food intolerance?
Symptoms vary from person to person, and it’s important to note that sensitivities often trigger similar signs and symptoms as food allergies. Watch out for these common symptoms:
Skin symptoms
- Eczema
- Rashes or itching
- Hives
- Tingling, numbness or burning sensations
- Acne
- Psoriasis
- Sensitive skin
If you’d like to know more about skin symptoms, particularly Eczema & Dermatitis, read more about the conditions here.
Digestive symptoms
Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Bloating or gas (bowel irritation)
- Nausea
- Loose stools or constipation (diarrhea)
- Reflux/GERD
- Leaky Gut
- Mouth ulcers
- Abdominal cramping (general stomach pain, abdominal pain)
- Irritable bowel syndrome
Nervous system symptoms
- Depression, fatigue or irritability
- Migrainesor headaches
- Ringing in the ears
- Brain fog
- Arthritis
- Colic
- Dizziness
- Behavioural issues
Behavioural issues in children
In many children, food intolerance is the underlying cause of aggressive behaviour. Whereas other children with food intolerances display hyperactivity and/or silliness. Excess dopamine drives a lot of aggression, so such issues may have to do with the children having too much dopamine in their system, and their bodies not clearing it well.
Many of our practitioners would agree that we observe significant improvement working with children when we’ve begun managing their intolerances.
Respiratory symptoms
- A runny nose or post nasal drip
- Mucous congestion (general nasal congestion)
- Asthma
- Wheezing
- Sneezing
Our practitioners encounter many clients with a classic combo of respiratory symptoms and digestive symptoms. The combination is a big sign of potential salicylate issues.
Allergy symptom or food intolerance?
A real frustration for people experiencing one or more of the above symptoms is going down the typical routes of treatment; however, in the end, not testing positive for allergies. They can leave feeling confused, and unaware that the food they are ingesting (often a healthy diet) is causing the issue, but for a different reason than what they expect.
Common food intolerances
Again, this is individual, and most people with food intolerances are intolerant to more than one substance. Here are some common substances that cause sensitivities.
Salicylates
Salicylates are a family of natural plant chemicals that help protect plants against diseases, insects and other harmful things.
They usually concentrate just under the skin (or outer leaves) of fruit and vegetables, and usually decrease with ripening.
There are many foods that contain salicylates, and it tends to be a lot of healthy foods. A classic example are people who have started on a healthy ‘clean eating’ diet, and then they start getting these
symptoms, which start getting worse and worse. It can all be confusing to people.
The symptoms might appear all over the place, and they might be attempting other classic treatments, such as cutting out gluten and dairy. Other things people may consider is taking supplements. These approaches often don’t work, or results are very short lived.
They can also be created synthetically, and are added to various medicines, perfumes and preservatives.
For a deep dive into What Causes Salicylate Intolerance, and a comprehensive list of foods, read our article.
Glutamates
Glutamates are amino acids that are found naturally in a wide variety of foods, including aged cheeses and soy sauce. Natural glutamates are bound with proteins, so they are absorbed slowly.
They are also often added as a flavour enhancer, such as perhaps the best known food additive, mono-sodium glutamate (MSG). Added glutamates, like MSG, give a much more concentrated level of glutamate than is found in nature, and are not bound with proteins, so are absorbed much more quickly, and trigger reactions.
Why do glutamates affect me?
Glutamate is one of the most abundant neurotransmitters in the brain. It activates or excites cells in the brain. So it’s referred to as an excitatory neurotransmitter
Consider glutamate as a stimulant. And while it plays an essential role in the body, it can cause a range of issues, kind of related to its excitatory nature, if people have a glutamate sensitivity.
In food, glutamate is found in either abound or free form. It’s the free form of glutamate that can cause symptoms. The free glutamate is found in many natural food sources and is the essentially flavor of food.
So this is why we find it very high amounts in tomato, cheese, mushroom stock cube sources, meat
extracted, yeast extract, soy sauce, milk powder, whey protein, anything concentrated
A big source of glutamate is MsG. MsG stands from mono sodium glutamate and is basically a synthetic form of glutamate specifically made to make food tastier. A sensitivity can drive a lot of headaches and migraines, in particular because it’s such a concentrated form of glutamate than which you’ll find in nature.
A collection of symptoms people experience are nausea, sweating, rapid heartbeat and chest pain. The same symptoms you might feel from pumping adrenaline.
Amines
Amines are a naturally occurring food chemical that is the result of the break down of proteins as the food ages or ripens. They are highly concentrated in aged foods such as cheese, wine, chocolate and processed meats.
They also increase the speed of ripening in fruits that soften (e.g. banana and avocado) and can be ‘bumped up’ in foods via specific cooking methods such as browning, grilling or charring.
What foods are high in amines?
As salicylates and glutamates, amines are a naturally occurring food chemical. They’re not bad or good, they’re just a natural food chemical, and they exist in food due to the breakdown of proteins as food ages.
Many foods that are overly ripe, overcooked, grilled, charred, processed or decomposing will have high amine levels. Expect them in high amounts inside of cheese, wine, chocolate, processed meat, beer, yeast extracts and fish products.
Learn more about Animes in Food in our article.
Managing food intolerance
There are two approaches to pinpoint your triggers and manage food intolerance symptoms.
An elimination diet
An elimination diet is a typical approach to allergies and food sensitivities. It involves eliminating all foods containing salicylates, glutamates or amines, to pinpoint which is causing your symptoms.
A major issue with these diets is that they’re restrictive, and most people who have visited our clinics have found them stressful. Some people have gone on these diets and actually come out worse off.
When it comes to food intolerance, there’s often what’s known as a ‘threshold’ of tolerance. In this, small amounts of a chemical may not cause symptoms unless eaten repeatedly, gradually accumulating in your body, resulting in sporadic symptoms. So again, an elimination diet may not be the best approach.
Also, there are many types of amines, glutamates, and salicylates, and you may not react to them all. For instance, there are 18 types of amines.
An excellent place to start understanding whether the symptoms you may be experiencing are due to food sensitivity is to know a comprehensive list of those most likely to cause issues.
To request a full list of foods containing salicylates, amines and/or glutamates, please fill out and submit the form below:
2) Try our Natural Allergy Treatment
At Health & Wellness Australia & Auckland (HWA), our Naturopaths use a form of muscle testing (kinesiology) to help pinpoint the substances triggering your allergy symptoms. Following this, we perform a natural allergy treatment called Positive Association Technique (PAT), which aims to reduce your reactions and symptoms to food chemicals like salicylates, amines and glutamates.
PAT is a non-invasive holistic therapy, which:
- draws on acupressure and kinesiology techniques
- aims to re-train your body
- may reduce your reactions to substances that may be causing or exacerbating your symptoms.
Some cases can be complex, so our Naturopaths may recommend supplements and herbs, and provide lifestyle advice to help you achieve the best long-term results.
Get in touch
- Call us on 1300 853 023 / 09 479 5997 (NZ) to chat to our friendly staff
- Send our PAT Naturopaths a question HERE
- Request a Free PAT Information E-PACK HERE
Please note that this blog contains general information only. Always consult your health care professional before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
Related Articles
Salicylate Intolerance
Salicylate intolerance occurs when there is a build-up of salicylates which are not being metabolised or ‘flushed out’ of the body properly, resulting in salicylate sensitivity.
Amines in Food
You may be quick to blame things like gluten or dairy if you react to certain foods. But what if what you’re reacting to is something different? It could be because of amines in food.
