The food habits of people have changed over generations and, nowadays, food intolerance to different kinds of food are more common.
It can be caused by unhealthy dietary habits, stress, an immune function that is super sensitive, and weak digestion.
A food intolerance is different from an allergy in that it won’t be dangerous to life and the immune system is also not involved.
But with a food intolerance people can feel ill and their health will be affected over the long term if it is not diagnosed soon.
A person can develop intolerance for any kind of food as the body does not produce a sufficient quantity of the necessary chemical or enzyme that is needed to digest that particular food lactose intolerance, for example, or alcohol, or food additives such as caffeine and monosodium glutamate.
The Symptoms of Food Intolerance
The symptoms manifest themselves as;
- Reflux
- Flatulence
- Heartburn
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Skin problems
- or nervous disorders.
If you find that these symptoms constantly recur then you should seek the help of a physician who will help you to identify the food intolerance by carrying out allergy tests and analyzing your diet and lifestyle.
The most obvious step is to remove from your diet the food that has been identified as causing you the intolerance and this should, to a certain extent, relieve you from some of the symptoms.
In some cases it could be a whole food group that needs to be eliminated from your diet.
When this is the case you must replace it with some other wholesome and nutritious food group that provides your body with the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Your doctor can advise you on this or you can consult a nutritionist who will help you decide on how best to gain your nutritional requirements.
Once the offending food is removed from your diet you will be on the way to feeling better.
But your body must make a full recovery so that it is able to digest, absorb, and eliminate food in a normal manner. For this you will need to make certain changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Certain supplements can help remove parasites from your intestines and your doctor can prescribe these.
The hypersensitive immune system reaction will have to be reduced and this can be done with the help of probiotic food supplements, which will also help in the digestion, assimilation, and excretion of food and toxins; for example, natural yogurt that is both unprocessed and unsweetened.
Bitter foods enable digestive juices to be released, which is good for the body’s digestive processes so you can include foods such as endive and chicory.
Drink as much water as you can, say around one and a half to two liters a day.
This will regulate your bowel movements. Raw fruit and vegetables, which are high in natural fiber, will help clear out the intestines, thus maintaining the digestive system in a peak condition so that food can be absorbed well.
You must also include in your diet foods such as pineapple, papaya, and sprouted foods that are rich with natural enzymes.
These will help the digestive process in breaking down particles of food that would otherwise irritate the intestine wall.
Eliminate too many refined foods from your diet as they require more energy to digest.
Vary your diet with all kinds of vegetables, fruits and nuts, herbs and grains. If your lifestyle is stressful combat it with relaxing activities as stress does affect your digestive system.
Make mealtimes a relaxed affair and avoid having food on the go.
Regular exercise will also help to regulate the digestive process and the bowel movements. Include a multivitamin in your diet in the form of spirulina or any other supplement.
Take the help of a nutritionist to chart out a balanced and healthy lifestyle and diet so that you are not at the mercy of your particular food intolerance.
