Think you’ve got a food intolerance?
Many people experience food intolerance symptoms when they eat certain things, but struggle to work out exactly what food is causing discomfort and pain.
So first up: if you think that you have an intolerance to a certain food, it’s very important you take yourself to be properly diagnosed by a health professional. You would need to be diagnosed by your GP or allergist for such a diagnosis.
(You can read about the difference between a food intolerance and a food allergy here)
It’s also advised that you meet with an Accredited Practising Dietitian (Hi, there!) to get help with developing a balanced eating plan.
But while you’re in the initial investigation phase looking at what’s causing your symptoms, it’s often useful to keep a note of what you’re eating and how it’s making you feel. It makes it much easier to draw links between certain foods and what your digestive system is telling you.
However, we often see people who have kept a food diary of sorts but have also made the mistake of introducing multiple things to their diet at the same time as eliminating others, all while not having noted what they’ve been eating in the first place.
Let’s just say it’s just as confusing for us dietitians as it is for you!
So here are our top four tips for what to do (and what not to do!) when monitoring for food intolerance symptoms:
FIRST UP: Set a baseline
Before you start monitoring your body for symptoms and trialling any kind of intervention (e.g. a low FODMAP diet), keep a note of your usual food and drink intake as you’d normally be eating.
This baseline is essential – after all, if you don’t make a note of it then you have nothing to compare things to! You need to be able to look back and see the whole picture.
Make a note of when you eat out
We don’t know about you but we like to try new things when we go out to eat! It’s great to try something you wouldn’t normally make for yourself.
You may find that eating out throws up a few clues about what’s causing your food intolerance symptoms. But be wary: many people are affected by the spice and/or richness of restaurant meals, because they’re simply not used to it. So it may not be a true intolerance at all!
Keep tabs on your stress levels
Have you ever noticed that if you eat when you’re stressed out your stomach suffers?
Your digestive system is really affected by stress. You might eat something, feel uncomfortable and think that you have an intolerance to that food, but in fact it might be your stress levels – not the food. Before you eat a meal, take time to notice your stress levels and rate them from 1-5.
Limit the introduction of probiotics/other supplements/fibre (for now)
Don’t complicate matters! If you’re introducing other elements into your diet when you’re trying to monitor your body’s responses to food you’ll find it difficult to draw a correlation between how your body feels and a certain food. Your body might simply be adjusting to whatever you’ve introduced. So until you’ve got a clear view on what’s causing your symptoms, don’t go adding to the mix (unless instructed by your dietitian, of course).
Find us on social media!
Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for the latest news from Essence of Eating.