Food is a key part of our day-to-day life. It can be our most powerful medicine and may even be the sole reason for sickness.
Your body requires lots of nutrients that can be gained by eating a whole range of clean foods. But what happens when you’re already eating a well-balanced diet and are still suffering from debilitating and downright embarrassing symptoms?
The answer: you may have a food intolerance.
Unlike allergies, food intolerances aren’t life-threatening. However, they can still be very problematic if you don’t know how to deal with them.
Page Contents
What Is A Food Intolerance?
A food intolerance relates to the difficulty someone may face when digesting particular foods. Also known as food sensitivity, a food intolerance means your gut is very sensitive and cannot tolerate some food.
Some foods may elicit unpleasant physical symptoms within a couple of hours of eating, whereas others might occur within minutes.
Common Types Of Food Intolerance
- Gluten: This is a protein in barley, rye, and wheat. Gluten sensitivity simply means that you have a much more difficult time digesting gluten.
- Histamine: these are naturally occurring chemicals in food products like chocolate, cheese, and bananas. Some red and white wines also contain histamines. People who are intolerant to histamines don’t produce enough enzymes to break down the chemical.
- Lactose: individuals who are lactose intolerant don’t produce enough lactase enzymes to successfully break down lactose. This is a sugar found in dairy and milk products. It’s the most common food intolerance.
Common Symptoms
Symptoms present themselves in many ways. Some of the most common symptoms of food intolerance include:
- Gas
- Cramping
- Bloating
- Heartburn
- Diarrhea
- Irritability
- Nervousness
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
If you love pizza but find yourself suffering from some of the above symptoms after eating it, you may be sensitive to some of the ingredients. You can visit https://coookingbefun.com/does-pizza-crust-have-eggs/ to find out more information.
What Causes Food Intolerance?
It’s not entirely clear why a person may be sensitive to particular foods. If you notice common symptoms occurring after eating a particular type of product, then you will know you are intolerant to that particular food.
For example, if you struggle after consuming dairy products then you might have lactose intolerance, meaning your body cannot digest lactose. This is found in soft cheeses and milk. A doctor can carry out a series of tests and will also look at your symptoms and medical history to diagnose this.
However, you might also find the culprit to be a chemical, food additive, or a contaminant, including:
- Alcohol
- Artificial sweeteners
- Alcohol
- Toxins that have contaminated food
How To Deal With It
While there are no definitive cures for the different types of food intolerances out there, there are some ways to deal with and manage them.
Confirm The Diagnosis
If you experience symptoms after eating a particular food, you may be tempted to simply avoid the food to reduce the overall hassle, time, and expense of allergy testing. This could involve embarking on a specific diet trend. However, it could cause more harm to your body than good.
As a result, simply avoiding your “trigger food” is not the best course of action, especially if you’re experiencing more severe symptoms. This is when you should speak to a doctor to confirm your diagnosis.
Make Dietary Changes
Some food intolerances might require you to completely shift your diet and daily eating habits which can be both frustrating and difficult. But not every food intolerance has to restrict your diet.
For example, if you are allergic to nuts but don’t regularly consume them, you will likely be able to adjust to diet and lifestyle changes quite easily.
If you’re sure that you are intolerant to a specific food, then the first step is to immediately cease eating it. During this period, you must monitor the amount of food that you can consume without causing any symptoms.
You should then seek external help.
Consider Specialized Help
If you struggle with this part of your diet, it might be time to enlist professional help. You can speak to a doctor, or a dietitian with expertise in food intolerances, and may even want to consult an allergist for their advice.
These individuals will ensure that your diet is nutritional and will provide alternative safe foods for you to include in your diet that you might not have considered.
Summary
Food intolerances are non-life-threatening but extremely frustrating. If you carefully monitor what you eat, seek help when needed, and make necessary dietary adjustments, you can prevent symptoms from flaring up.
