Food Intolerance Chews ‘Em Up And Spits ‘Em Out.

I had a fan on my community Facebook page ask me if I would be covering the topic of food intolerances. It never occurred to me but it fits the idea of my whole campaign!

Food Intolerances

What are they? Well, food intolerances are not the same as food allergies. Food intolerances occur when an ingredient(s) or compound(s) irritates the digestive system because the body can not properly digest the food.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of food intolerances are predominantly gastrointestinal and include: stomach pain, gas cramps and/or bloating, heartburn, vomiting and diarrhea. Some may also experience headaches or irritability/nervousness.

The facts
Lactose intolerance is the most common intolerance and affects about 10 percent of the American adult population. The second most common food intolerance is to sulfite or food additives (and can sometimes trigger asthma attacks in asthmatics).

Whereas food allergies are triggered by the actual food, food intolerances are often triggered by the dose.

For example, Susie has a lactose intolerance. She enjoys putting creamer in her coffee and that doesn’t bother her. But, when Susie drinks a whole glass of milk, she bloats and gets really bad stomach cramps.

Reactions to food intolerances come on gradually and are not life threatening. It occues only when you eat a large quantity of that food and how often you eat it.