Food Intolerance Information

We have a history of food intolerance in our household and its always very difficult to explain to people that only two of us have Coeliac disease and cant eat wheat and “yes, actually it will make a difference just this one” If you’re interested in food intolerance's or perhaps have one of your own, why not read through this fabulous booklet from Vital Footprint. Here is a sample but feel free to download the booklet for free by clinking this link.

Introduction

George Bernard Shaw once said that “there is no sincerer love than the love of food.” However, sometimes that food doesn’t always love you back, and leaves you feeling far from your best the next day.

This isn’t always caused by a case of overindulgence; it could have been a result of an intolerance to something you have eaten or drunk.

Our handy guide will tell you everything you need to know about food intolerance, from what a food intolerance actually is to the most common forms and how to spot them.

What is Food Intolerance?

A food intolerance, or non-IgE mediated food hypersensitivity, is when someone develops symptoms after eating certain foods. In many cases, a reasonable amount of the offending food can be tolerated. However, if large portions are consumed regularly, a person may develop symptoms.

Many people confuse food intolerance with food allergy, but there are key differences between the two.

A food allergy is a rapid (and potentially serious) response to a food by your immune system, which can result in rashes, wheezing and itching. It is thought around one or two people out of every 100 in the UK have a food allergy.

Although food intolerance results in similar symptoms to allergies, your body doesn’t actually produce antibodies against the offending food.

Food intolerances are much more common than food allergies. It is estimated that around one in five Britons now believe they have a food intolerance. However, food intolerances are often self-diagnosed meaning this figure is difficult to accurately predict.

Food intolerance symptoms generally develop much more slowly, often many hours after eating the problem food. You can also be intolerant to several different foods, which makes identifying the foods that are causing the problem extremely difficult.

It can also be difficult to distinguish food intolerances from other digestive disorders that produce similar symptoms, such as inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal obstructions or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).