Many people suspect that they might have a food intolerance or allergy. These are not the same thing, although you might think that they are. An allergy is when your immune system reacts to something, whereas a food intolerance doesn’t involve your immune system. Instead, it can cause digestive symptoms or perhaps other symptoms that might appear over a longer period of time.
If you think you might have a problem with a certain food or even several different types of food, finding out what could be going on is important. There are a few things that you can do to investigate.
Try Eliminating Foods from Your Diet
An elimination diet is often recommended if you think that you have an intolerance to a certain food. You might have an idea of what that food could be or you might be uncertain. The first thing that can help is to keep a food diary of what you eat, which helps you identify which foods might be causing the problem. You can then find out what the problem might be by removing potential foods from your diet. By avoiding them for several weeks to see if your symptoms improve and reintroducing foods to see if your symptoms return, you might be able to identify what is affecting you.
Get Some Tests
Carrying out some tests can also help you with food problems, particularly when it comes to allergies. One of things you can consider is a blood test that you can do at home. This makes it easy to check for any food issues and other health problems at the same time. You can find reviews for some of the companies that offer these tests, such as Everly Well Blood Tests. Checking what other people have to say will help you to feel reassured about the quality of the service. You can check your results online or get them in the mail.
Find Alternative Foods
If you think you have identified a food that is causing you issues, giving it up can still be tough. You might know logically that it’s not good for you, but it could be a big part of your diet. Or maybe it just tastes too good. Finding alternatives that you can tolerate will help you to adjust your diet. There are many things you can replace different foods with, especially for foods that are commonly not tolerated by others. You can discover products that are lactose-free, gluten-free, and more.
See a Doctor
If you’re experiencing what you think are food-related symptoms or generally have digestive problems, seeing a doctor might be what you need to do. A food allergy can be serious, especially if it goes undiagnosed. What you think is a food intolerance could even turn out to be the fault of your digestive system in general and not necessarily the food that you’re eating. A doctor can help to investigate underlying conditions and potential causes.
Food issues and digestive troubles can be tough to deal with, but starting an investigation could help you to identify the problem.
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