Is there anything worse than discovering that your food is making you sick? We think not. However, there are a lot of people out there who may not realise that their food is, in fact, making them sick. That, perhaps, is even worse. Food intolerance is a whole lot more common than most people think, and it is definitely something that should be understood as separate from a food allergy. There are so many aspects to a diet which you have to look out for to make sure that you are eating the right foods.
Common symptoms of food intolerance
Firstly, food intolerance doesn’t always happen directly after you eat the food in question, unlike food allergies. Sometimes it can happen hours later and last for a lot longer. Days, even. Common symptoms include:
- Stomach issues: Whether it’s bloating, discomfort, a long-term stomachache or more, it can often last through a couple of days after eating the food, especially if you have other sensitivities (such as IBS or a sensitive stomach).
- Migraines or headaches: Varying degrees and types of headaches and migraines are also common symptoms of food intolerances. Sometimes pain medication can help but other times (like a lot of migraines), it doesn’t.
- Generally feeling unwell: Sometimes, if you’re feeling unwell for no apparent reason, it could be due to intolerance. This includes fatigue, lethargy, a runny nose, coughing, simply not feeling “good”, etc.
There are other symptoms that you can experience from food intolerance, but these are some of the most common ones. The severity of it differs depending on how much of it you’ve eaten and how sensitive you are to the ingredient.
How to determine if it’s intolerance or an allergy
A lot of the signs above can also be considered as a mild food allergy, too. When you’re looking at figuring out which is which, there are a few details you can look at.
- The timing between consumption and reaction: A food allergy often happens immediately after eating the food in question.
- The amount of food: A food allergy will pop up even if you eat just the smallest amount of the food in question. If, however, you have a food intolerance, it may be triggered by a larger portion.
Not sure? Check!
It’s normal to want to know whether or not the problem you’re having is due to an allergy or an intolerance. After all, it makes a serious difference between simply monitoring or reducing the amount of it that you eat to prevent symptoms, or cutting it out and avoiding it altogether.
Since a food allergy and a food intolerance often get confused for one or the other, the best way to determine what you have — as well as what’s causing it — is by using a food intolerance test. It’s fast, accurate and easy to do. Since it may give you the freedom to enjoy good health (and good food!) again, it could be just what you need to get the satisfaction that you’re looking for.
