3 ways to find out if you have a food intolerance
Defined as difficulty in digesting certain foods, food intolerance causes a person to experience an unpleasant physical reaction. It is different to a food allergy, as an allergy is an immune system response. A food allergy occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food as being harmful, creating a defence system, antibodies, to fight it. Some of the most common food allergies that people have are nuts, peanuts, eggs and shellfish. But in this article, we will focus on food intolerances and, more specifically, suggest three easy ways you can find out if you do have a food intolerance.
Food intolerance reactions are generally less serious in comparison to food allergies and are often limited to experiencing digestive problems. One of the most common food intolerances is lactose intolerance, in which the digestive system is unable to break down lactose – a sugar found in the milk from cows, goats and sheep. It is estimated that in the UK, between one and two in every 10 people have lactose intolerance.
Many of us will go our entire life suffering from symptoms that could be triggered by certain foods we consume. If you think certain foods are causing you issues, here are just a few ways to find out of you have a food intolerance.
1. Take a food intolerance test
Luckily, there are food intolerance tests available that can help to identify any of our potential food intolerances. Additionally, they can also be beneficial in helping us to optimise our diet and health at the same time. Companies, such as Check My Body Health, will send you a test to complete and return, then will provide you with the results once they are ready. Aside from providing the results, there will also be beneficial additional information to help make changes to your daily diet. You can find out more about intolerance tests if you click here.
2. Keep a food diary
Trying to pinpoint a food intolerance can be a little challenging since you might be able to consume small quantities of food without experiencing any issues. Symptoms might only occur after consuming a large portion or if you consume the potential triggering food frequently.
To help determine what is causing you problems, write daily entries in a food diary of what you have eaten that day, listing both individual foods and meals. Create another list that shows any symptoms that have occurred, with an intensity scale from 1-to-10 of the reaction – 1 being no reaction and 10 being the most severe reaction.
By keeping a food diary for two to four weeks, you should be able to find a correlation between foods, portions and also the common symptoms. After you have narrowed down which food, whether it is one particular food or multiple, you can eliminate them from your diet.
3. Process of elimination
Eliminating the foods you think of the triggers of your issues entirely is the easiest move to make. Although many refer to this process as the “elimination diet”, this method helps to zone in on what food is causing you the most issues.
You can add them back into your diet slowly as you monitor your reaction to each once eliminated food. If you find your symptoms have returned after re-introducing certain foods, you will have found the triggering food.
Ensure you compensate for any dietary changes
If you have been suffering for some time, it will come as a huge relief when you eventually know what your food intolerances are and you can adapt your diet accordingly. But do bear in mind how that new diet may affect getting sufficient vitamins and minerals. For example, wheat is a common intolerance trigger but if you stop eating bread, are you still getting enough of the essential mineral selenium?