Food intolerance is when a person can not digest or has difficulty digesting, certain ingredients in foods that cause a person to feel stomach pain or bloating. Some common food intolerances include casein, a protein found in milk, lactose, a sugar found in milk, and gluten, which comes from certain grains like wheat, rye, and barley.
Studies suggest that nearly 20% of the population may have a food intolerance, but many of them might simply ignore their symptoms and believe their reactions to certain foods are simply normal.
Unlike some allergies to certain foods, food intolerance is not life-threatening, but problems can arise if they are continued to be ignored.
If someone believes they are having problems digesting certain foods, they can buy an IgG food intolerance test at a local drugstore, order one, or complete an online assessment.
Food Intolerance Test
It might be difficult to determine whether someone has a food allergy or a food intolerance because many symptoms of both appear similar. Here are some differences between allergies and food intolerances:
Food Intolerance
● Symptoms appear a few hours after eating.
● You only have digestive symptoms.
● Symptoms are dependent on the amount of food eaten. So if you eat a small amount of a certain food there may not be symptoms.
● Symptoms are not life-threatening
Food Allergy
● Symptoms are not limited to just digestive issues and occur in any part of the body. Respiratory and skin reactions are common.
● Symptoms occur immediately after eating
● Symptoms can be life-threatening or mild
● Even small amounts of food can trigger a reaction that occurs every time the food is ingested
3 Common Food Intolerances
1. Dairy
Dairy contains both lactose and casein which are two of the biggest sources of food intolerance. People are lactose intolerant because they don’t have the enzyme lactase which breaks down lactose. A large number of people who are intolerant to lactose are also intolerant to casein, which is why trying lactose-free milk still doesn’t work.
2. Gluten
Gluten, a protein in wheat and grains like barley and rye, is hard for many people to digest and can cause inflammation. It’s especially troublesome for people with celiac disease because it can trigger an autoimmune response that causes damage to the lining of the stomach.
3. Tree Nuts (Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios)
Nuts can upset your digestive system, trigger cystic acne, and cause eczema, joint pain, and fatigue.
If you want to know more about food intolerances, how to identify them, and what you can do about them, then let’s talk.