When the immune system is weakened by malnutrition and stress, it is unable to fight off harmful toxins and infections effectively. This leads to a spectrum of inflammatory conditions, including Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Other conditions involve foods, such as food allergies and food intolerances, which can affect your health. They can trigger allergic reactions, asthma, and even autoimmune diseases.
What is food intolerance?
Food intolerance is when your body doesn’t react well to food or food additives. There are many reasons your body may react negatively to certain foods, including allergies and intolerances. These reactions can range from headaches, fatigue, digestive upset, and even skin conditions.
What causes food intolerance?
Food intolerance is a condition where the recipient’s immune system reacts to food in a negative manner. This reaction is mild but can range from mild discomfort to a life-threatening reaction in most cases.
Here are some of the more common causes of food intolerance:
*Food allergies: Food allergies are caused by the body’s immune system misinterpreting a food protein as harmful. The allergic reaction usually occurs within minutes after eating the food.
*Food sensitivities: These occur when we have a reaction to a particular food, but the condition goes unnoticed. *Food intolerances: The symptoms of food intolerances include digestive issues such as abdominal cramps, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, or muscle aches or joint pain.
So, here are the 10 common food intolerances
- Food Additives
Food additives are used to improve the taste, texture and appearance of food. They are then added to processed foods, including meat, dairy, frozen food, and canned food.
- Casein
Casein is a protein found in milk, and it’s also naturally present in many foods we eat. While many different processes are involved, the most common side effects of casein intolerance are bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, and constipation.
- Amines
Amines are a common class of nitrogenous compounds found in many foods, including meats, nuts, cheeses, and legumes. They can be naturally occurring but are commonly produced by the Maillard reaction. Amines are formed by reacting amino acids with sugars, acids, and other cooking ingredients.
- FODMAPs
FODMAPs (short for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols) is a kind of indigestible carbohydrate that can make you uncomfortable when the bacteria do not properly digest them in your gut (and also, some people are bothered by them). FODMAPs are found in a lot of foods but can also be produced by your body when you’re stressed out, or following a low FODMAP diet can help you with that.
- Sulphites
Sulphites are little-known food additives used to prevent the oxidation of foods. They are also present in some wines, dried fruits, dried mushrooms, and some other foods. They’re absolutely harmless if consumed in small amounts. However, if you’re sensitive to sulphites, you’re likely to experience unpleasant reactions (e.g., a headache, nausea, or vomiting).
- Fructose
People with fructose intolerance notice a wide variety of symptoms, from mild to severe. Some of the symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, bloating, fatigue, headache, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Your body is not able to properly metabolize the fructose found in fruits and many processed and refined foods. Fructose intolerance can be treated effectively by healthcare professionals who offer integrative medicine in Mooresville, NC, or other locations. Integrative medicine takes into account the whole person and aims to address the underlying causes of illness or imbalance rather than solely focusing on symptom management. Put simply, the combination of holistic and evidence-based conventional medical approaches of integrative medicine can aid in remedying this problem successfully.
- Dairy
Dairy products are among the most common food allergies. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are among the most common food intolerances. Lactose Intolerance: People who have lactose intolerance have a difficult time digesting the sugar in dairy products. The symptoms include abdominal (and sometimes, severe-allergy-like) pain, bloating, diarrhoea, and gas. People with difficult-to-digest lactose are advised to avoid dairy products, although this issue can be difficult to diagnose.
- Gluten
There are some people who are sensitive to gluten, a protein found in wheat and related grains such as barley, rye, and spelt. Such people may have to adopt a gluten-free diet to avoid severe allergic reactions. So, if you have such a dietary problem, you can look for food substitutes as well as seek restaurants and eateries with allertrain gluten-free allergy training and certification. That can ensure you don’t end up consuming food that may contain gluten in it.
- Caffeine
You may be surprised to learn that caffeine is a common food sensitivity, which may cause a range of symptoms in the body, and that these sensitivity symptoms can vary from mild to severe. It’s everywhere: you’ll find it in many foods, as well as drinks, and it can be ingested in a number of different ways, from tablets to drinks, soft drinks, coffee, tea, chocolate, and various other methods.
- Salicylates
Salicylates are a group of substances that have been used in food processing and medicine for decades. These ingredients break down into chemicals that we can’t tolerate, causing reactions like vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhoea. The three most common salicylates are mustard, rapeseed, and horseradish.
Food intolerances are a health problem that affects people in a whole range of ways, including the way they eat, their mood, and even the way they feel in the morning.