Why is it important to consider food intolerance or sensitivity?

Food intolerance can have a huge impact on your quality of life.  Aside from the physical symptoms, it can have a detrimental impact on your energy levels, confidence and mental health.  Signs of food intolerance aren't always digestion related as inflammation can present in different ways for different people.  Scroll down to see a full list of potential signs that you might be suffering from food intolerance or sensitivity.

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What causes a food intolerance or sensitivity?

A food intolerance is caused by a combination of hereditary background, individual metabolic/bio-chemical state and various stresses put on the body.  It is not uncommon to live for years, happily eating whatever you please before an intolerance becomes a problem.  Food intolerance can affect anyone at any time of life.  Common triggers for food intolerance can include illness, infections, hormonal changes, certain medicines, over-consumption of processed foods or additives, toxic load, ageing, stress, trauma or repeatedly eating the same foods on a regular basis.  

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Allergy or Intolerance?

An allergy occurs when your immune system creates an antibody called Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in an effort to reject the food or substance.  Food allergies affect a small percentage of people but have the potential to be quite dangerous.  If you are experiencing a rapid onset of tissue redness, swelling, heat and pain or constriction that comes on suddenly, you could be suffering from an allergy and should see your doctor.  

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A food intolerance, on the other hand, tends to drive unpleasant symptoms without the body necessarily producing IgE.  If your digestive system cannot break the food down as it should, it can lead to a bad reaction.  Food intolerance and sensitivity is more common with foods that are difficult for humans to digest and in people with weaker digestive systems.  

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Our food intolerance test does not test for allergies.  

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Suffering from significant symptoms?

We would always advise seeing your doctor regarding any of your symptoms to ensure there are no underlying conditions.  

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Does a food intolerance last forever?

Not necessarily.  In some instances, an item may come up in your results that you will be able to reintroduce at some point.  This often happens with items that you may have been consuming regularly over a long period of time.  It can also be the case that there are one or two items causing a lot of inflammation leading to sensitivity to some other foods; in these cases in can be possible for you to consume these 'other items' once the main culprits have been identified, removed from your diet and some healing has taken place.  These are all things that we discuss in more detail during your appointment.

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Common symptoms of food intolerance

If you are experiencing any of the below symptoms, it is worth considering food intolerance.  Food Intolerance or sensitivity can contribute to inflammation in the body and this inflammation may present differently at different times.

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IBS   |   Bloating   |   Digestive Issues   |   Fatigue   |   Skin complaints   |   Headaches   |   Itchiness   |   Hormonal Symptoms

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Other symptoms can include: