The food that you’re putting in your body should always be working to sustain you, yet there are many people out there that are living with food intolerances. Instead of making you feel better when you eat, these food intolerances could actually be making you feel worse. Proper identification of these intolerances will help you to make sure that you aren’t unintentionally eating food that makes you sick. Here are some of the most common examples.

Some of the most common food intolerances

The truth is that there are quite a few foods you can be intolerant to, so it’s important not to try and diagnose yourself after reading this list of common food intolerances. These are amongst the most common results, however, and may help guide you into getting a test to determine for yourself:

  1. Lactose intolerance: This often spreads throughout all of the foods within the dairy section of the grocery store. Lactose is in eggs, cheese, milk, cream (yes, even ice cream) and more. Arguably, lactose intolerance is the most common food intolerance, and it can be anywhere from mild to severe.
  2. Gluten intolerance: You’ve probably also heard of this one before. Gluten is found in all sorts of foods such as barley, bread and pasta. Gluten intolerance can be the starter of understanding a more advanced and serious kind which is coeliac disease. This is basically a food intolerance, but it can impact the gut by stripping its lining permanently.
  3. FODMAP intolerance: You often hear about intolerance to FODMAPs when it comes to IBS. However, intolerance to these kinds of examples doesn’t always mean that you have IBS. You could just be sensitive to these ingredients.
  4. Sulphite intolerance: This chemical is often used in a variety of medications, but it can also be found in grapes as well as some cheeses. It is designed to help preserve food and drink for longer and, if you are intolerant to it, it can make anything with preservatives hard to digest.
  5. Fructose and sugar intolerance: Whether it’s fructose in itself or simply sugar (sucrose), being intolerant to sugar can happen throughout life, especially for those that eat a lot of it over a short period of time (for example, over the holidays). This could mean that anything sugary (soda, chocolate, etc.) could make you uncomfortable.
  6. Egg intolerance: You hear a lot of about egg allergies, but it is possible to be intolerant to egg (including egg ingredients or proteins) as well. The intolerance would be to eggs themselves and even certain ice creams or baked goods that rely on egg proteins. 
  7. Caffeine intolerance: Caffeine is another popular intolerance that could be hidden behind withdrawal or sickness symptoms. The more caffeine you drink, the more likely you are to become intolerant to it.

Not sure? Get a test!

If you aren’t entirely sure whether any of these match your recent digestion problems, or you think it may be more than one, consider a test for food intolerances and make sure that you get the details right for you, yourself. The results may surprise you!