Health Auxiliary

What is Food Intolerance?

Food intolerance is discussed quite often these days – so what exactly does it mean?  Well, sometimes our bodies cannot tolerate the foods we eat. This is known as food intolerance. When people consume foods that they’re sensitive to, such as dairy products for lactose intolerant individuals, their bodies have a negative physical reaction. The effects show up every time the food is consumed, although not always right away. If large quantities of the food are ingested, symptoms can be severe.

Food intolerance is sometimes mistaken for food allergy.  Food allergies cause a person’s immune system to sit up and take notice, while food intolerances don’t involve the immune system.  Neither are they linked to contaminated or spoiled foods; those cause food poisoning, not intolerance.

Food intolerance describes the adverse physical reaction to the ingestion of certain foods; it is something that affects the digestive system.

The Causes of Food Intolerance

As mentioned earlier, food intolerance is caused by the inability to digest certain types of food, usually due to insufficient amounts of the chemicals or enzymes needed to digest a particular food.

Lactose intolerance is very common. People who suffer from this condition don’t have enough of the enzyme called ‘lactase’. Therefore, their bodies can’t break down the lactose, or milk sugar, in dairy products.

Common symptoms of lactose intolerance include intestinal distress, gas, bloating, and bowel irregularities.

Other people can’t process alcohol because they don’t have enough of the enzyme ‘alcohol dehydrogenase’. They can become ill if they consume even a single alcoholic beverage.

The additives, flavor enhancers, and preservatives in processed foods are another common source of food intolerance. MSGs, caffeine, benzoates, and aspartame cause pain and fatigue in sensitive individuals.

Who Suffers from Food Intolerance?

Anyone can!  Food intolerance is not limited to any particular group of people, however there are some factors that play a role in the likelihood that a person is affected by intolerance.

Food intolerance can be hereditary; therefore if your parents have food intolerances, chances are good that you’ll have some too. Ethnicity plays a role, too. Only 10% of northern and western Europeans suffer from lactose intolerance whereas persons of Asian, African, Greek, and Native American descent are much more susceptible.  Lactose intolerance affects 70-90% of the latter populations.

Newborns tend to produce more lactase, so they can digest lactose more easily than adults and older children. The symptoms of lactose intolerance can appear in children as young as two, but many people develop it later in life. Gastroenteritis sometimes causes a dip in lactase levels, bringing on a temporary intolerance to dairy products. Children face a high risk of lactose intolerance following gastroenteritis.

And half of all Asians are affected by alcohol intolerance!

What are the Symptoms of Food Intolerance?

The symptoms of food intolerance center around the digestive system.  Sufferers may experience stomach pain, bloating, nausea, loose stools, or the opposite (constipation.) These symptoms are seldom life-threatening, but they can make a person miserable on a daily basis. They can manifest anywhere from a few hours to a few days after the food is consumed, making it difficult to identify exactly what the problem food is.

Alcohol intolerance causes redness of the face, nausea, irregular heartbeat, headaches, and dizziness.

Symptoms can also feel similar to allergy symptoms, such as a runny nose or itchy throat.

Food intolerance symptoms can become quite severe if a large quantity of the food has been consumed. People with a slight enzyme deficiency typically don’t experience symptoms as acutely as people with a larger deficit.

How is a Diagnosis Made?

Trial and error is the simplest way to test for food intolerance. This is done by removing one food from the diet for a while and monitoring symptoms for improvement. If symptoms decrease, the food is then reintroduced. A return of symptoms will reveal whether or not that food was the culprit.

This method works best for those who have intolerance to one or two foods.

For those people (like me!) who have intolerance to several foods, the elimination method could take months…years…and an answer still might not be found.  There are home tests on the market, that can identify your problem foods for you.  Check out http://www.foodintolerancenews.com to see one.

Specific tests are used to diagnose lactose intolerance. For example, your physician might recommend a test to measure the amount of hydrogen in your breath; a stool acidity test; or a blood glucose test to determine how well the patient digests milk sugar.

How is Food Intolerance Treated?

Food intolerance is usually controlled by removing the troublesome food(s) from the person’s diet. For instance, lactose intolerant individuals can replace regular milk with soy milk.

If the intolerance is mild to moderate, the affected person can try eating only very limited amounts of the food in question. Mild lactose intolerance can be managed through the use of lactase enzyme supplements.

If foods are removed from one’s diet, they should be replaced with nutritious alternatives. It’s crucial to avoid malnutrition, especially in growing children. If you have questions about suitable food replacements, speak with your nutrition specialist.

The FDA has made it a requirement for the food nutrition facts to be clearly labeled on all packaging. The majority of the people pay little attention to this unless they have a food allergy. Who has time to go grocery shopping and read every label in their shopping cart. Understanding the food labels is essential to a healthy diet and critical to those who are experiencing weight problems.

The labels describe the food nutrition facts and other important information about the foods that your children eat. From calories, fiber, and fat grams, to the total of all other food ingredients. Knowing how to read the food labels will help you to provide the healthy nutrients that your family should eat such as: calcium and fiber, and at the same time know about the unhealthy ingredients, like fat, saturated fat, sodium,and cholesterol.

Serving Size: The serving size and number of servings per container or package is critical. Many times people overlook this data. Quite often containers or packages contain more than one serving. If you were to eat a small container yourself when it is labeled as 2 servings you are consuming twice the portions. This is a common way that people overeat. A solution would be to purchase single sized portions or portions just big enough to feed your family. A rule of thumb: 40 calories per serving is considered low in calories, 100 calories per serving is considered moderate in calories, 400 calories and up per serving is considered high in calories.

Total Fat Grams: Learning about the amount of total fat in the foods that you eat will help to maintain a low fat diet. Understand that unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats and trans fats. It is recommended to keep your fat intake at 30% or less of which saturated fats should consist of 1/3 or less. For example: A serving that contains 100 calories should have 30% or less total fat and 10% or less saturated fats. In addition solid fats contain a lot of saturated and/or trans fats. Examples would be: butter, beef fat, pork fat, vegetable oils, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and shortening. Some animal by products also contain a lot of saturated and trans fats. Vegetable oils, however, consist of more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Palm kernel oil and coconut oil being the exception.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are sugars and starches that our bodies process into glucose, which our cells and muscles need for energy. For children half of their caloric intake should come from carbohydrates. It is important to know that there are good carbs and bad carbs. Rather than eat foods that are high in simple sugars you would be better off choosing more starcy foods such as: whole grain breads, rice, potatoes, pasta, and cereals. Whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads, brown rice, and whole grain cereals are good choices for whole wheat foods. When reading the ingredients on the food nutrition facts label try to avoid added sugars and if they are listed as the first few ingredients look for better alternatives. Some common added sugars are high-fructose corn syrup, juice concentrate, sucrose, dextrose, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, and maltrose.

Dietary Fiber: Eating a high fiber diet is an important part of a healthy diet. High fiber diet helps prevent cancer, heart disease, obesity, and other ailments. For children the amount of daily fiber should be their age plus 5 in grams. Example: 16 year old would need 21 grams of fiber. 16+5=21g. According to the food nutrition facts fruits, vegetables, breads, and whole grain cereal are excellent sources of fiber.

Vitamins And Minerals: The food nutrition facts also contain data on certain vitamins and minerals that children need including calcium and iron. Keep in mind that less than 5% of daily value is considered low in vitamins and minerals and over 20% of daily value is considered high in vitamins and minerals. A happy medium would be between 10% and 20% of the daily value per serving. Generally calcium rich foods consist of 20% to 30% of a child’s daily value per serving. If your child doesn’t get enough milk or other dairy products, which are high in calcium, check the food nutrition facts for foods that contain high calcium to compensate. Teenagers, on the other hand, need more than 100% of the daily value of calcium. 130% is about right as listed on the food container.

Cholesterol And Sodium: It is important to limit the amount of sodium and cholesterol in your childrens diet. Knowing that less than 5% of the daily value is low and over 20% of the daily value is high should help you choose foods that are in the normal range. When reading the food nutrition facts look for foods with under 140mg of sodium per serving. If the packaging lists the sodium as low or very low in sodium it is a good choice. Foods that are low in cholesterol should be under 20mg per serving.

Proteins: Proteins are needed to maintain lean muscle mass and are a critical element to overall health. Generally protein should be between 10% and 12% of your child’s daily calories. Be aware that many children get more protein than they need particularly if they consume eggs, meat, and dairy products. Beans, nuts, and soy also contain proteins.

Percent Daily Values: Since less than 5% of the daily value is low and over 20% of the daily value is high for food ingredients; fat, cholesterol, sodium, saturated fats, and trans fats should be low in daily value percentage. A rule of thumb is to eat less than 100% of the daily value for these components. On the other hand, you should eat at least 100% of the daily values for calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and dietary fiber.

Healthy Results

Those are the main food nutrition facts. Eating healthy and getting exercise is a matter of survival. Too much of one or not enough of the other is asking for trouble. Amazing things happen when you get good nutrition.