Food intolerances go under the radar for several years before they’re diagnosed. Why? Because the symptoms of food intolerance are usually systemic and diffuse. While some people may experience noticeable symptoms, such as bloating, stomach discomfort, or flatulence, other symptoms may be harder to detect. These include brain fog, fatigue, and lethargy.
Recognising the symptoms of food intolerance is the first step in management. But there are several other practical tips you can follow to reduce your symptoms and manage the condition. Find out more below.
What is a Food Intolerance?
The term food intolerance is often used as a catch-all for any reaction to consuming a foodstuff that isn’t an allergy. Specifically, it refers to difficulty in digesting certain foods. Unlike food allergies, which involve the immune system, these food intolerances mainly affect the digestive system and are not life-threatening.
On the other hand, the term may be used interchangeably with food sensitivity. In these cases, the body does experience an immune response; however, it’s milder, longer lasting, and slower to develop than the standard allergen reaction.
Common Symptoms of Food Intolerance
The symptoms of food intolerance can affect almost every part of your body. While most people experience gastrointestinal discomfort, the precise constellation of symptoms will differ between individuals.
Look for the following symptoms:
- Gastrointestinal issues: These include bloating, gas, diarrhoea, and stomach pain. Some individuals may also experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms.
- Nausea and vomiting: Feeling sick to the stomach and sometimes leading to vomiting can occur, especially shortly after consuming the offending food.
- Headaches: Some people may experience headaches or migraines triggered by specific foods.
- Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired or fatigued after eating certain foods can be a sign of food intolerance.
- Skin problems: Skin reactions such as rashes, eczema, or hives can emerge due to food intolerances.
- Respiratory issues: Congestion, sneezing, and asthma symptoms might be exacerbated by certain food intolerances.
- Joint pain: Some individuals report joint pain or inflammation after consuming specific foods.
Practical Tips for Managing Food Intolerance Symptoms
Suspect you have a food intolerance? If the symptoms above seem familiar, you could have an underlying intolerance. Don’t worry. Managing the condition isn’t that difficult with the right approach.
Follow these practical tips to diagnose and manage your food intolerance symptoms:
Keep a Food Diary
Finding the trigger food behind your intolerance is difficult. While some triggers, like lactose in milk, are immediately obvious, others can be much more cryptic. Take lupin flour, for example. It’s almost never eaten alone but is a common ingredient in certain food products.
Keeping a food diary lets you notice any patterns in your symptoms. If you develop a skin rash every time you eat dairy, it’s not hard to put two-and-two together. Write down what foods you’ve eaten and what symptoms you’ve noticed. But remember, intolerance symptoms can take up to 48 hours to appear.
Take a Food Intolerance Test
There are thousands of potential culprits causing your food intolerance, from gluten to alcohol. That’s why it’s sensible to start your diagnosis with the Individual Ultimate Test. It can detect up to 975 sensitivities. You’ll receive a risk level for each foodstuff, determining the likelihood of it being a trigger. You can then use these results to guide an elimination diet.
Perform an Elimination Diet
An elimination diet involves removing any potential offending foodstuff from your diet. You then reintroduce the items one by one to see if the symptoms reappear. If they do, you’ve identified your culprit. It might sound simple. However, it can be a long, drawn-out process – especially if there are dozens of candidates. Beginning with a food intolerance test and using a food diary can help narrow down the search.
Read the Ingredients List
Once you’ve identified the cause, it’s time to remove it from your diet. Reading the list of ingredients for anything you eat can ensure you reduce your contact. According to EU law, companies are compelled to use 14 major allergens in bold. However, if your trigger food isn’t included in the list, you’ll need to be eagle-eyed as you review the ingredients.
Tell Friends and Restaurant Staff
Always let your friends and restaurant staff know about your food intolerance symptoms. Stress the discomfort you feel if you come into contact with the food. Restaurants should maintain high standards due to the prevalence of allergies. Your friends, on the other hand, may not understand the severity of your symptoms. That’s why it’s sometimes best to prepare your own food.
Recommended Dietary Adjustments
When managing food intolerance, it’s essential to eliminate suspected foods from your diet and then gradually reintroduce them to gauge tolerance levels. Always read food labels to avoid hidden triggers and consider alternative options that don’t cause discomfort, such as lactose-free or plant-based products.
Taking enzyme supplements before meals can also aid digestion and reduce symptoms. For example, lactase supplements help digest the milk sugar lactose, preventing food intolerance symptoms. That being said, if you continue to consume large quantities of milk, the symptoms will reappear.
Dealing with a food intolerance is challenging. Ensure your diet remains nutritionally balanced, especially if you are eliminating major food groups. Consulting with a dietitian or nutritionist can provide tailored advice and help safely navigate the elimination and reintroduction phases, ensuring long-term health and well-being without compromising nutritional needs.
Control Your Food Intolerance Symptoms with Sensitivity Check
Don’t let your symptoms of food intolerance ruin your life! Get tested with the Individual Ultimate Test. We’ll send you a test kit within a few days.
Send us your hair sample and receive a comprehensive food intolerance analysis within seven working days. Plus, if you need any help interpreting your results, we’re here to help.
