Wondering how to find out if you have a food intolerance? You're in the right place! Many of us are likely familiar with the feeling of experiencing stomach pain or other annoying symptoms after eating a meal or snack. There might have been something in the food that your body didn't tolerate.
If you notice that this scenario happens frequently, you might have food sensitivity. Food sensitivities are common especially in those with autoimmune disease and can become a constant bother if you don’t know what they are. As such, it is helpful to find out if you have a food intolerance so that you can avoid those triggers.
Elimination Diets
The AIP Diet (Autoimmune Protocol) is one type of elimination diet used for figuring out your food sensitivities. It involves removing various foods from your diet for a period of time and then reintroducing them one by one at a later time to check for reactions. Check out the Beginners Guide to the Autoimmune Protocol to learn how it works.
Keep a Food Diary
As we go about our day, we don’t tend to pay too much attention to the foods we consume. That’s why it can be challenging to narrow down any foods you might be sensitive to.
As such, you might consider keeping a food diary throughout the course of a week. Try to be as meticulous and diligent as possible, as this will help narrow down your sensitives. Moreover, it’s a good idea to add timestamps for your meals and any symptoms you experience.
Common Sensitivities
If you’re trying to find out if you have a food intolerance, it would be helpful to know about the most common types of food sensitivities among adults. While some of us can have unique food sensitivities, there’s a bundle of common types, which include nuts, fish, wheat, and dairy. Flip through your food diary or think back to the moments when you experienced symptoms. You might find that one of these foods could have triggered you.
If you're sensitive to gluten, check out this post on ways to avoid accidental gluten exposure.
Food Sensitivity Test
One of the best ways to be certain of the foods you’re sensitive to is to take a comprehensive food sensitivity test. Trying to parse through a journal to find what foods trigger you can be challenging. Moreover, it doesn’t provide an overall view of the other foods that could be potential intolerances. The best part is that these tests are easy as you can take them in the comfort of your home and test upwards of 200 foods, providing you with more certainty.
If you like this post, you may also like:
Hashimoto's and Gluten- Should you Really Give up Gluten?
Guide to AIP Reintroductions Plus Worksheets
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @foodcourage for the latest AIP/Paleo recipes and Food Courage happenings!
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