How to tell if you have a food intolerance
Ever feel bloated or a bit sick after a meal?
Do you ignore it, or do you avoid eating that food again?
You wouldn’t believe how common it is for people to ignore or put up with food intolerances, to the point where it becomes ‘normal’, even though the quality of their daily life may be suffering.
What’s the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?
An allergy is an IgE response by your immune system to something it perceives as foreign or harmful. Think of immediate reactions like anaphylaxis, hives, asthma and swelling.
An intolerance is an IgG immune response, which results in symptoms that occur hours or even days after exposure to certain foods. The good news food intolerances are treatable, with a little time and patience.
Symptoms of food intolerance
The first step to determining if you have a food intolerance is to recognise what foods you are reacting to. Food intolerances can result in a wide range of symptoms, including:
- Aches
- Asthma
- Backpain
- Bloating
- Candida or thrush
- Constipation
- Diarrehea
- Drowsiness
- Headaches
- IBS
- Skin problems such as eczema
- Sinus or hayfever
- Weight gain
The next step: Testing
One method of determining whether you are reacting to the foods you are eating is to go on an elimination diet for six weeks. This involves removing all common allergens, intolerances, additives, preservatives, salicylates and amines, before slowly reintroducing suspect foods to uncover any reactions. We recommend this option for people with complex food reactions.
If you or your Naturopath believe a food intolerance is the most likely suspect, a Food Detective Food Intolerance Test is a faster method of determining what foods you are reacting to. Using a small pinprick, Food Detective tests for intolerances to 43 foods and gives you results in just 40 minutes. We can also arrange to test for a larger number of foods if necessary.
After working out which foods are causing you problems, we work on avoiding those foods for a period of time and building up your gut, liver and immune health to reduce your susceptibility to future intolerances.
Ultra Flora LGG is a specialised form of probiotic that has been shown to decrease your body’s sensitivity to food allergies. This is the same strand of probiotic that Australian scientists have recently discovered as part of a cure for people with potentially fatal peanut allergies. For more details about this practitioner only product click the view product details below.
So if you think a food intolerance could be impacting your health, call us on (02) 4961 4075 for a free 15 minute phone consultation with one of our Naturopaths to discuss your options.
Yours in health,
Peter
Do you suspect you have a food intolerance? If you would like some free advice from our qualified Naturopaths, drop in to the Herb Bar anytime Monday through Friday from 8am – 1pm or Saturday 9am – 1pm. No appointment necessary and a qualified Naturopath will be on hand ready to assist you with free advice, practitioner grade natural supplements and herbal medicines. The Herb Bar is located at Mullen Natural Health Centre, 16 Murray Street Hamilton NSW 2303.
