What are the Most Common Symptoms of a Food Intolerance?

The symptoms of a food intolerance and an allergy can be quite similar. A blood test will prove whether or not what the sufferer is experiencing is an allergy or an intolerance, however, if you feel badly after eating a certain food, it is obviously not agreeing with you.

Intolerance symptoms are most commonly nausea, flushing, gut pain in the area of the stomach and lower abdomen, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, fatigue, headaches or migraines, and breathing problems such as asthma or nasal congestion. Warning: these symptoms can also be indicative of much more serious medical conditions. Seek medical advice to rule out other causes.

Will I Always Experience Some Kind of Symptoms From Eating Foods I’m Intolerant of?

Not always. There may be a threshold of quantity of the food item one is intolerant of needing to be ingested before symptoms surface, plus quantity may play a significant role in the severity of the symptoms. Unlike those who have a severe allergy to even inhaling tiny particulate matter of foods they are allergic to, those with intolerance to foods may be able to tolerate certain amounts of the offending foods before symptoms show.

There are some symptoms that may be more tolerable than others. Certainly mild fatigue after ingesting an offending food would be more tolerable than even mild diarrhea. Eating an offending food every day that caused mild diarrhea would most likely get the sufferer to more quickly ascertain which food is causing the problem and avoid it while chronic fatigue caused by an offending food may be more difficult.

Then there are symptoms such as chronic forms of eczema that a dermatologist will not associate with a food intolerance so the eczema is treated as a chronic condition with topical steroid ointments and creams to minimize the flare-ups. A sufferer of food intolerance will soon discover that many medical practitioners only treat symptoms and not causes. This is why many sufferers go for years without diagnosis and resolution.

How Long After I Eat or Drink Something I’m Intolerant of Will Symptoms Appear?

Typically there is a response within an hour or so, but on the other hand, it could be days. Some symptoms are immediate and manifest upon swallowing the food. Sometimes symptoms only manifest after a certain threshold of consumption is met. Maybe a sprinkling of an offending item wont trigger a noticeable symptom while a bigger amount will. However, symptoms may also not manifest until a day or so later. If there is significant irritation to the digestive system as the food is passed through, there may be symptoms that flare up days after consumption once the body reaches a point where what is going on inside is felt or shown on the outside.

What Are Other Possible Symptoms Of A Food Intolerance?

The symptoms of a food intolerance can be the same symptoms as so many other maladies and consequently, food intolerances often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as something else for years and years. Below is a list of possible symptoms of a Food Intolerance. One or all could mean you have a Food Intolerance. It could indicate another disease or disorder too, so this list must be taken with a grain of salt, so to speak. Food intolerance is so common that almost everyone is intolerant to something. The most common are Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Eggs, Yeast, Sugar, Shellfish, and Nuts.

Possible Symptoms Of A Food Intolerance: