What is Food Intolerance?

November 18, 2009 by mbelcher
Filed under: Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS 
Have you ever feel bloated and suffer discomfort in your stomach after a meal? Are you accepting these discomforts as part of the your life and accepting it without finding the cause? Do you know that the underlying cause of ailments like migraine, eczema, arthritis, bloating could be a case of food intolerance?

Food intolerance is a condition where a person feels unwell after eating certain foods. The symptoms for food intolerance are often mistaken for common ailments such as headaches, bloating, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema and acid reflux.

How do you know if you have food intolerance?

Food intolerance is usually diagnosed through a process of elimination, also known as blind elimination. That is, to removing certain food from the diet, wait to see if the symptoms clear up. However, it is sometimes very difficult to identify the food or combinations of foods that are causing the problem as symptoms can appear up to 48 hours after the food is eaten. The process of blind elimination is lengthy and would require lots of patience.

Nowadays, there are proven medical test used to diagnose food intolerance. A blood test done to check any elevation in the level of food specific IgG antibodies can identify the problem food or ingredient. Such test will significantly reduce the process of identifying the sensitive food and corrective treatment can be carried out quickly.

There are 4 common types of food intolerance and they are:



Wheat Intolerance - Wheat is a staple and nutritious diet for many people around the world. However, many people do not realise that the underlying cause for some of their ailments could be due to wheat intolerance. Symptoms such as aching joints, bloating, flatulence, fluid retention, eczema and joint pains can be relieved with medical help and by eliminating wheat from our diet. 

Gluten Intolerance - Wheat is one of the main problems for people who suffer from gluten intolerance. However, wheat intolerance is not necessarily linked to gluten intolerance. People suffering from gluten intolerance are sensitive to the gluten, a protein found commonly in wheat, barley, rye and oats.  

Lactose Intolerance - Lactose intolerance occurs when the digestive system in a person cannot break down completely the sugar called Lactose that is found in milk. Symptoms for lactose intolerance are: Stomach bloating, Diarrhoea., Abdominal pain, Nausea, Flatulence, Vomiting   

Yeast Intolerance - Yeast is a fungus organism that feed on sugar and produces gas. We need certain amount yeast in our body to maintain a normal and healthy digestive tract. However, too much yeast in our body will give rise to many health problems. 



Food intolerance is usually not life threatening but it will give you discomfort and make you unwell. Knowing what your food intolerance is; not only enable you to identify the cause of the ailments, it also helps you to take to necessary action to make you healthy again.



By: Jenn Lim

About the Author:

“For many years,I have accepted and live with a condition I did not know as food intolerance. Since identifying the food intolerance problem and doing the neccessary remedy, I have learned to overcome this health issue.
I have condensed my research and experiences which I hope could help others in similiar condition.” Jenn Lim, writer of www.gored.eu, about food intolerance.



food intolerance

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