We all occasionally suffer fatigue and tiredness, especially after stress, strenuous activity or insufficient sleep. Even though these two are valid reasons for fatigue, sleeping for a healthy number of hours every night after a long day and still suffering from fatigue could also mean having food intolerances.
Food intolerance or sensitivity mostly results in fatigue. In case of an intolerance, you will notice other symptoms like dizziness, joint pain, IBS, and drowsiness accompanying fatigue. However, fatigue following meals shouldn’t automatically mean that you have food sensitivities. Sometimes overeating can cause your body to go into overdrive to digest and process the food.
The link between fatigue and food intolerance
Food intolerance symptoms are often delayed by one or two days, making it hard to pinpoint which specific food is causing certain symptoms. Fatigue and anxiety are often indicators of adrenal fatigue, and if you experience these symptoms after eating certain meals, it could mean that you have a food intolerance.
In the case of adrenal fatigue, one will also experience a lack of clarity and fogginess in their thought process. These symptoms, such as brain fog and fatigue, are often delayed, and you can experience them even two days after eating the food you’re intolerant to.
Fatigue can be a reaction due to food allergy or food intolerance. If you experience a food allergy you’ll experience this symptom almost immediately, while when you have a food intolerance, the onset of the symptom will take a while.
Your body uses energy to deal with a food sensitivity, making you too tired to do anything else. Sometimes fatigue in the presence of food intolerance occurs due to the stress caused on your body by typical intolerance symptoms like stomach pain, migraines, and IBS.
Sometimes food intolerance results from your body being unable to absorb specific nutrients and antioxidants in your food. When your body struggles to absorb these nutrients, it lowers energy levels. Fatigue is a common symptom of intolerance and allergies.
Which foods can cause fatigue?
Fatigue is a symptom that occurs when you have a food intolerance or allergy. So, it can be difficult pinning down a specific food that causes this symptom. For example, most people assume that lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, and wheat could cause fatigue.
However, no evidence shows one specific food could cause this symptom. However, gluten, lactose, and wheat are the most common food intolerances {1}. Even foods that we all as a society consider to be “healthy” can cause symptoms like fatigue when you have an intolerance.
For example, if you have an allergy or intolerance to fruits and vegetables, especially from the nightshade family {2} like tomatoes and potatoes, you can experience fatigue as a symptom. These foods are typically viewed as healthy and can cause fatigue and intolerance.
However, getting an Allergy and Intolerance Test is essential to help you determine which foods you need to eliminate from your diet. This test will give you a complete list of all the foods your body is reacting to in different ways so that you can eliminate them from your diet. You end up feeling better when you eliminate problematic foods from your diet.
Naturally, these foods cause fatigue even if you don’t have an allergy or intolerance towards them. These foods are often high in sugar, temporarily giving you a spike, then dipping later, making you feel fatigued.
Foods that can increase fatigue include:
- Baked goods
- Sugary foods
- White bread
- High-caffeinated drinks
- Heavily processed foods like potato crisps
- Sugary foods like honey and syrup
How to prevent fatigue after meals
Allergy & Intolerance Test Plus
If you notice you experience fatigue more often than is normal, you need to take an Allergy and Intolerance Test. this test will help you take control of your diet. Living with food allergies and intolerances can be difficult, but it becomes more straightforward once you get the hang of it.
Avoiding these trigger foods helps you manage the symptoms by avoiding them. It could offer relief if you’ve been fatigued for a long while. Avoiding trigger foods reduces your immune overload, preventing fatigue from setting in unless you over-assert yourself and don’t get enough rest.
When you get your test results back, this doesn’t indicate that you must avoid the nutrients offered in the food you can no longer eat. Instead, you need to think outside the box and get a meal containing different nutrients. Fatigue may interfere with your work or school with repeat negative symptoms.
Does an allergy and intolerance test help fatigue?
Even though taking an Allergy and Intolerance Test doesn’t help ease fatigue, it gives you the knowledge you need about the foods you consume. Knowing what your body doesn’t want and what is causing an immune overload helps you better manage it.
Once you get a list of foods you need to avoid, with the help of a nutritionist, it’s essential to look into alternative foods, primarily if you have eliminated something that’s a core part of your daily diet. An allergy and intolerance test helps you better manage your diet and take control of it, preventing symptoms like fatigue.
Taking control of your diet is the first step to eliminating unwanted symptoms and feeling better overall. Living with brain fog, fatigue, and joint pain, among other symptoms, can be pretty exhausting, and it’s time you got to the root of the issue and better managed your diet.
Final thoughts
To battle fatigue, you must start the day with a healthy breakfast that doesn’t contain any foods that cause intolerance symptoms or ones you’re allergic to. You can also boost your energy throughout the day with healthy foods and drinks, but ensure you don’t use caffeine to cope.
Once you have your Allergy and Intolerance Test results, avoid the foods listed there to feel better. But if you don’t have any allergies and intolerances, be conscious of what you’re eating or drinking throughout the day, and it can give you a clue as to what you need to avoid and what makes your body feel good. Intuitive eating is a genius way to manage your diet and food consumption.
1 https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_most_common_food_intolerances/article.htm What Are the Most Common Food Intolerances?
2 https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/nightshade-allergies#:~:text=Some%20people%20may%20have%20a,experience%20fatigue%20and%20joint%20pain. Nightshade Allergy
