Although supermarkets and food manufacturers alike are investing heavily in the “free-from” foods market, a significant number of people are still not even really aware of the concept of food intolerances. Many people will experience symptoms of food intolerances and shrug, saying something along the lines of “well, that food didn’t agree with me.” This suggests a basic idea of the concept of food intolerances, but not a real understanding of what this truly entails. For instance, they might not know that food intolerance can be “cured.” With this in mind, you’re probably wondering whether you are living with food intolerance that you’d never really given thought to. But how likely is it that you have food intolerances? And how do you know if you do have them? What are the symptoms?
Food Intolerances & Prevalence
To understand how likely it is that you have a food intolerance, it is essential to be aware of the number of foods that you could be intolerant to. The answer is, if you can eat it, you can be intolerant to it. A lot of what makes you intolerant to a food is the ability to digest it, and this is heavily dependent on your body, producing sufficient enzymes to be able to break it down. Where an intolerance is identified, it is likely evidence that your body is not producing enough of the correct enzyme.
So, with such a wide range of food intolerance possibilities, how likely are you to be living with one? Unfortunately, statistics aren’t available on intolerances, but we can use allergy as a reference. Researchers estimate that 32 million American’s are living with a food allergy. To illustrate the scale of the intolerance epidemic, there are tens of allergens, where you can be intolerant to literally anything you eat. So it is likely the number of people with intolerances dwarfs the allergy figure. So, basically, it is almost certain you will be living with some level of food intolerance.
Symptoms of Food Intolerances
It is incredibly likely you will be living with food intolerance, so we will take a look at the symptoms you may be experiencing that could indicate a food intolerance:
- Bloating
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Stomach Pain
- Headaches
- Nausea/Vomiting
You may note that these symptoms are associated with a wide range of conditions, making it easy for intolerance to go under the radar. The best way to identify a food intolerance is with a test. A test can help you narrow down the list of culprits so that you can perform an elimination diet and remove them to experience improvements and eradication of your symptoms. Find a test to suit your budget here.
