You know that friend who insists they’re intolerant to lactose so they’ve completely cut it out of their diet in the hope of curing their tummy woes? Or that friend who’s simply following the trend and cutting out gluten because they think it’s the ‘thing’ to do?
The truth is there are many dangers that come with self-diagnosing intolerances and cutting out food groups without professional advice.
“Self-diagnosed and the use of unorthodox tests for diagnosing food intolerances can produce misleading results,” says Nature’s Own Dietitian and Exercise Physiologist, Kate Save. “Unnecessarily restricting foods from your diet without professional advice from a dietitian can lead to nutritional deficiencies and further medical problems, given the complex nature of food intolerances.”
So what do you do if you feel like your tummy problems are something more than indigestion? We let Kate explain…
What is a food intolerance?
A food intolerance is the inability to digest food. It doesn’t involve the immune system and reactions are less severe compared to food allergies.
How do I know if I have an intolerance?
Common symptoms of a food intolerance include bloating, irregular bowel habits, constipation or diarrhoea, nausea, stomach pains, migraines, headaches, hives or itchiness, and wheezing or a runny nose. The onset of symptoms may vary from occurring immediately after eating to hours later, or even up to many days after consuming particular foods.
What causes an intolerance?
The only successful method to manage a food intolerance is to avoid the foods containing that allergen or food component. The actual causes are unknown and speculation goes back as far as to the environment in the womb during pregnancy including the mother’s diet and exposure to allergens.
What are the most common food intolerances?
– Lactose. Commonly found in milk and dairy products. Intolerance results from a lack of the enzyme lactase, needed to digest lactose.
– Fructose. The small bowel has difficulty in absorbing fructose and, as a result, the unabsorbed fructose moves through to the large intestine. It’s found in various fruits and vegetables, wheat and honey.
– FODMAPs. This is the term for the malabsorption of carbohydrates, including fructose, fructans, galactans, polyols and lactose.
– Food additives, such as colours, preservatives and additives.
– Sulphites, salicylates and amines. These are natural food chemicals found in a huge variety of foods, including herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables, as well as wine and meat.
I think I have an intolerance. What do I do now?
Seek a referral from your doctor to see an accredited practising dietitian. If your accredited practising dietitian suspects you might have a lactose and fructose intolerance, they may give you a hydrogen breath test. Other food intolerances can be diagnosed using an elimination diet, and then foods can be reintroduced over a period of six to eight weeks as symptoms resolve.
Do you have a food intolerance? What are you intolerant to?
