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It is becoming more and more common for people to discover that they have food intolerances.
Today nutrition and health are given more importance, putting aside the food myths of yesteryear and changing the way we eat, listening to our body and detecting what is not good for us.
In recent years there has been an increase in people who are intolerant to lactose, fructose, gluten and more, as we have more tools to detect it.
A food intolerance happens when our body is not able to process a certain food correctly.
In most cases, the symptoms are usually mild and therefore many people live with the intolerance without knowing it. But without a doubt, finding out if you have a food intolerance can go a long way toward improving your overall health and well-being.
The most common intolerances
To recognize if you suffer from a food intolerance, the first thing you should do is listen to your body and be more aware of your diet. If you have experienced several times feeling bloated, with stomach problems or pain after eating, then you may have some of the most common intolerances, which are:
- Lactose intolerance.
- Fructose intolerance.
- Gluten intolerance
- Sucrose intolerance.
In the event that you suspect you have an intolerance, it is best to control what you eat well. A very simple way to do this is by keeping a food diary, where you will write down everything you consume and you will be able to detect if you feel bad after eating a certain food.
If, for example, you feel bad after eating sweets, you may be fructose intolerant and it is best to do a test: eliminate that food for a few days and see if you feel better.
But many times it is difficult to detect these intolerances in foods prepared outside the home or ultra-processed. So if the discomfort continues and you cannot find the cause, surely it is best to visit an endocrinologist, who will do a specific blood test to determine if you have intolerances.
Intolerance vs. Allergy: how to differentiate them
It is important to know how to differentiate between intolerance or allergy, since the symptoms and consequences for the body are not the same. While the ASpanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) estimates that only 2% of adults are allergic to any particular food, the consequences of an allergy can be very serious.
In the case of food intolerance, the most common being lactose intolerance or gluten, usually causes digestive problems such as inflammation, pain or diarrhea, but can also generate other reactions such as: headache or acne.
Unlike an intolerance, an allergy is when the body comes into contact with an element that it considers a threat, and the production of antibodies is triggered with a series of symptoms.
- In this case, the symptoms are somewhat different, since the most common are: dermatitis, swelling of the lips and eyelids, redness of the skin, rhinitis, breathing problems, asthma and stomach problems.
- In cases of severe allergies, the consumption of this food can lead to anaphylactic shock that can be fatal.
And that is why it is essential to differentiate between intolerance and allergy, because their treatment also varies. If you suffer from a food intolerance, it will be enough to avoid this component as much as possible, since small amounts may not have a negative effect.
But in the case of allergies, it is recommended to completely eliminate that food and avoid even physical contact if the allergy is too severe.