Food sensitivity can arise from a variety of reasons, and are therefore, often hard to diagnose. Food sensitivities occur when the body treats certain foods like toxins. Most of the time, people are not born with food sensitivities. Rather, they develop them over time. It is a hard day when you find that you cannot eat one of your favorite foods because your body does not have what it needs to digest it.
Having food sensitivity is usually not as bad as being allergic to a certain food. Some food allergies can be quite life threatening. A person who is sensitive to a type food will most likely suffer some mild discomfort, such as a stomachache or gas, if they eat that certain food. It usually takes having this discomfort a few times before you realize that maybe eating that certain food is not good for you.
People with food sensitivity are not alone. Most of the world’s population probably has some form of food sensitivity. There are some food sensitivities that are quite common.
When a person is lactose intolerant, his or her digestive system is sensitive to the consumption of dairy products, such as milk, cheese and ice cream. Being lactose intolerant means that your body lacks an enzyme called lactase, which is needed to absorb and digest milk sugar, also known as lactose. Most people who are lactose intolerant may not even realize that they are. Yet approximately 70 percent of the world’s population has, in fact, sensitivity to dairy products. It is the most common type of food sensitivity. This intolerance will cause stomach problems such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea. The best way to determine if you do have sensitivity to dairy is to stop consuming it for about two weeks to see if your stomach feels better.
Another common food sensitivity is sensitivity to tyramine. Tyramine is an amino acid that can be found in various types of food that are either aged, dried, fermented, salted, smoked or pickled. Examples include aged cheeses, nuts, sauerkraut and beer. Tyramine is produced from the natural breakdown of the amino acid called tyrosine. When your body is intolerable of tyramine, it will cause you to experience migraines, wheezing or even asthma.
Gluten is yet another common food sensitivity. Gluten is a term for the storage proteins that are found in grains, such as wheat, rye and barley. Bodily intolerance to gluten can cause destruction to the small intestine. It is often hard to adjust to sensitivity to gluten because it is in a lot of foods that people eat everyday. These foods include bread, flour, pasta, cereal, candy and even some over-the-counter medicines, to name a few.
Although food sensitivities can cause the body to react in different ways, the best way to manage your body’s intolerance is to avoid eating the food that causes the problem. It may involve changing your whole diet, but in the end, you will feel better and your body will be happy and healthy.