There are a lot of discussions on food intolerance but do we truly know what it means? When we consume foods our bodies sometimes are unable to tolerate certain foods. People who have sensitivity to certain foods such as lactose, found in cows’ milk, may have a negative reaction which is referred to as food intolerance. This reaction may not happen straight away and could be very severe if a large quantity of the food which is causing the reaction is large.

Sometimes food intolerance is incorrectly diagnosed as a food allergy. Food allergies will affect the immune system where as food intolerance is not involved in the immune system. Food intolerance is also not related to contaminated or spoilt foods.

Food intolerance is something that affects the digestive system and is explained as a negative reaction to the indigestion of particular foods.

The Causes of Food Intolerance
There are a number of reasons to the cause of food intolerance. North Korea Food lists a couple of them here.

1) Inadequate amount of the enzymes required to digest certain foods.
Lactase – This is the enzyme required to break down lactose and milk sugar that is found in many dairy products. Symptoms of lactose intolerance consist of bloating, gas, irregular bowel movements and intestinal distress.
Alcohol Dehydrogenase – This enzyme allows the body to process alcohol. Some of the more common symptoms that may appear are dizziness, grey and clammy skin.

2) Processed foods contain many additives, preservatives and flavour enhancers. Some of these are MSGs, caffeine and benzoates. These can cause fatigue and pain people who are sensitive to these additives.

Who Suffers?
There is no particular group of people that food intolerances are limited to. Absolutely anyone can have or even develop food intolerances. However, there are some things that play a role in the probability that a particular individual is affected by intolerance.

Hereditary - Food intolerance can be passed from one generation to the next. This means that if your parents suffer from a particular intolerance then the chances of you having the same intolerance are more probable.

Ethnicity – People who are from African, Greek, Asian and Native American ancestry have a higher possibility of being lactose intolerant. Approximately only 10% of Europeans experience lactose intolerance whereas about 70 % will experience lactose intolerance from the populations mentioned. Alcohol intolerance will affect half of all Asians!

Food Intolerance Symptoms
All of the symptoms of food intolerance focus on the digestive system. People who suffer may notice bloating, nausea, stomach pains, loose stools or the opposite of this, constipation. Although the symptoms are not life threatening they are extremely uncomfortable and can become apparent within a few hours to a few days after the consumption of food. This makes it very difficult to determine which food is causing the problem.
Alcohol intolerance does not affect the digestive system but can cause nausea, headaches, redness of the face, dizziness and even an irregular heartbeat. It is also possible to suffer from an itchy throat and runny nose which may appear to be more like an allergy symptom.

How is a Food Intolerance Diagnosed?
The simplest way to test for food intolerance is through trial and error. Removing a certain food from a diet and looking for an improvement in the symptoms is one of the best ways to find the problem food. If there is a decrease in the symptoms the food is then reinstated into the diet to see if symptoms return. If so then that particular food is the issue.