Do you have a food intolerance?

Do you have a food intolerance?

By Jo Williams – Registered nutritionist

Information regarding food allergy and intolerance is plentiful, but so are the myths. Self-diagnosed, food sensitivities have become more common place, but how can you really tell if you have a food intolerance?

What is the difference between a food allergy and an intolerance?

are available but the most effective, accepted and accurate way of identifying problem foods is via an elimination diet.

.

What is an elimination diet?

An elimination diet is a free, non-invasive way of working out if you have a sensitivity to a certain food. You don’t need any pills or potions, just a fair amount of will power because compliance and commitment are key to getting accurate results.

is recommended, it is very important that you do not eliminate any foods from your diet until all tests have been completed.

How do I follow an elimination diet?

the most appropriate way to diagnose a food intolerance is to monitor your symptoms when you eat certain foods. Once you identify the possible food culprit(s) you can restrict them one at a time to see if you have any improvements in your symptoms before carefully re-introducing them. This trial-and-error approach may help narrow down suspect foods and allow you to discover that you can tolerate a certain amount of the food without symptoms.

This ‘elimination diet’ is best performed using the 3 ‘R’ approach:

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– once you have identified the suspect food(s), familiarise yourself with alternatives that you can include in your diet and then restrict the suspect food while monitoring and recording how you feel. Do you still get symptoms? If step one identified several foods, you should refer to a dietician for guidance to avoid the risk of nutritional deficiencies. Step two may take some time, for example three to six months, so don’t be tempted to rush this stage because it’s important that you address one food at a time rather than compromising your diet.

– this step helps confirm your suspicions and may help you understand your tolerance threshold. On day one, re-introduce the suspect food but only a third of your normal portion – you can increase the amount gradually overtime. If you do get symptoms, wait until you are symptom-free before you try the next test food.

and be followed by re-introduction of the food to establish your own tolerance levels, if any. Performing the food challenge in this way helps to ensure a balanced, varied diet and minimises any detrimental impact on levels of your beneficial gut bacteria.

If you believe your symptoms are the result of a classic allergy rather than a food intolerance, speak to your GP for referral to an NHS-approved diagnostic IgE testing facility, which also offers professional dietetic support.

What are common causes of intolerance?

Fructose

is a new approach to managing IBS which may be helpful in this circumstance.

Wheat

This is one of the most commonly cited foods for causing digestive upsets including abdominal bloating. When trying to decipher wheat intolerance, it is important to eliminate flour and flour-based products entirely as well as other foods which may contain wheat or wheat-derived ingredients. Wheat intolerance varies between individuals, and some people are able to tolerate alternative grains. If you suspect you have a wheat intolerance, try eliminating wheat entirely. You may find that you are able to tolerate small amounts of some grains such as spelt or kamut, these grains are higher in fibre, lower in gluten and nutritious.

Gluten

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Glucose

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Lactose

may be able to tolerate a little butter, cheese or yogurt while others avoid dairy products completely.

Alcohol

is a common trigger, followed by whisky and beer. Alcohol intolerance may also cause unpleasant symptoms such as nasal congestion and skin flushing. Once again, intolerance is linked to an enzyme deficiency making it hard for the body to break down alcohol. Intolerance may also be due to other ingredients commonly found in alcoholic beverages (especially beer and wine) including sulphites, preservatives or chemicals.

Histamine

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Yeast

Yeast is present in a variety of foods, commonly bread, baked products and alcoholic beverages. Yeast intolerance has a wide range of symptoms including flatulence, bad breath, fatigue, irritability, cravings for sugary foods, stomach cramps, bad skin and indigestion. If you suspect you are intolerant to yeast, try following a yeast free diet (through elimination) for a few weeks. If there is a significant improvement then you have found your culprit!

Salicylates

may be helpful.

For more information on food intolerances visit allergyuk.org .

Read more on this topic…

What is a dairy-free diet?

What is a gluten-free diet?

20 foods you think are gluten-free but aren’t

Top 10 tips for a gluten-free diet

What is the candida diet?

Top 20 low-histamine foods

This article was last reviewed on 27 March 2024 by Kerry Torrens.

Kerry Torrens is a qualified Nutritionist (MBANT) with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food.

is a registered nutritionist (RNutr) with the Association for Nutrition with a specialism in public health.

for more information.

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