Do you experience digestive discomfort after eating certain foods? You may be struggling with food intolerance. Impacting up to 20% of the population, this condition triggers various gastrointestinal symptoms and makes it difficult to enjoy certain meals.
In this article, we’ll explore the topic of food intolerance and provide valuable tips to alleviate your symptoms.
What is Food Intolerance, Exactly?
Food intolerance occurs when your digestive system is sensitive to a particular food or ingredient, leading to symptoms like gas, bloating, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, heartburn, and headaches.
Though often confused with food allergies, food intolerances differ from allergies, as they don’t involve the immune system. Intolerances only impact the digestive system and are generally less severe than allergies. Additionally, food intolerances aren’t life-threatening, while severe food allergies can be fatal if left untreated.
How to Manage Food Intolerance
Although food intolerances don’t generally cause severe symptoms, they can be incredibly uncomfortable and may disrupt your day-to-day. To keep food intolerance symptoms at bay and preserve your digestive health, follow these tips:
- Pinpoint and avoid your trigger foods. This may be done by following an elimination diet and using a food journal to track your symptoms.
- Find substitutes for your trigger foods.
- Read food labels carefully and tell servers about your trigger foods. Many restaurants can accommodate food intolerances, especially common ones (like lactose and gluten).
- When in doubt, cook at home using whole ingredients (instead of processed foods) whenever possible.
- Enlist professional help to address your gastrointestinal health and receive personalized care to prevent food intolerance symptoms.
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