Food Intolerance or Delayed Food Allergy as it is also known is an adverse reaction to a food or ingredient where there are no immediate or obvious symptoms. Unlike food allergy where symptoms are almost immediate, food intolerance gradually causes ill health over a longer period of time. Food intolerance is not life threatening but can severely affect a person’s quality of life if left untreated. People most commonly become intolerant to foods which are eaten most often, usually on a daily basis, such as wheat products (bread, biscuits) and dairy products (milk, cheese).
There is no single cure for food intolerance but through careful dietary changes and nutritional supplements the effects of the condition can be minimized or even eliminated. In some cases food intolerance can also be reversed whereby the offending food is cut from the diet for a prolonged period of time and once reintroduced can be eaten again without any ill effects.
The symptoms of food intolerance vary enormously from person to person and can range from mild bloating and indigestion to severe nausea and vomiting. As these symptoms can take up to 72 hours to present themselves after eating the offending food, it is very difficult to see the link between the food and the seemingly unrelated symptoms it causes. Conventional NHS testing methods do not include those which monitor the IgG antibody which is believed to play a significant part in food intolerance; this is why food intolerance is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Without the proper support and dietary changes, food intolerance can significantly lower the quality of life of those who suffer from the condition.
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