A healthy diet is one that is balanced and adapts to our nutritional requirements, but also one that takes into account food intolerances. Suffering from a food intolerance can have a negative impact on our quality of life , since the consumption of certain foods or components may be generating unpleasant symptoms.
But what is a food intolerance? It is an impediment of our body to correctly process certain components or foods. This impossibility generates certain symptoms when we ingest them, which can range from stomach problems to mood swings.
Among the most common food intolerances we find: lactose intolerance , fructose intolerance and gluten intolerance . It is important to differentiate food allergy from intolerance, since the former is a much more serious condition and whose symptoms can be fatal. In the case of a food intolerance, most symptoms are limited to specific reactions or pain without much severity.
Knowing the symptoms of each of the most common food intolerances can help to identify them more easily, since many people live with an intolerance for years before discovering it. Determining if you have a food intolerance will not only allow you to have a better quality of life, but it will also improve your health and your relationship with food.
Symptoms of gluten intolerance
Also called celiac disease, gluten intolerance occurs when a person cannot consume products that contain this protein, present in wheat, barley, rye, and spelled . This is one of the most common intolerances, but it is difficult to detect, since gluten is very much in our diet.
People intolerant to gluten suffer from inflammation of the small intestine when they consume this component and may have different symptoms such as:
- Stomachache
- Swelling
- Gases
- Diarrhea
- Weightloss
- Humor changes
Symptoms of fructose intolerance
A natural sugar found in fruits, vegetables, cereals, honey, and certain processed foods. Being a component very present in natural and prepared foods, it is also difficult to detect if you have a fructose intolerance.
There are 2 types: intestinal fructose intolerance and inherited fructose intolerance (HFI). Both have similar symptoms, but in the latter type it is very important to maintain a strict diet, as it can cause long-term kidney and liver damage. Among the most common symptoms of fructose intolerance we find:
- Diarrhea
- Stomach sounds
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Flatulence
- Halitosis
- Stomach aches
Symptoms of lactose intolerance
Lactose is the sugar present in milk and other dairy products, and people intolerant to this component are unable to digest lactose, since they do not have enough lactase, the enzyme that is responsible for it.
Over the years, the production of lactase in our body decreases and in some people this can cause lactose intolerance, which can be personified by the following symptoms:
- Swelling
- Bowel noises
- Stomach aches
- Gases
- Diarrhea
- Sickness
A food intolerance has no cure, but it can be treated with a healthy diet specific to your body . If you suspect that you suffer from an intolerance, it is important to see health professionals so that they can perform the necessary clinical tests and determine it with greater certainty.
