How to Cure Food Intolerances

Food intolerance or food sensitivity is commonly confused with food allergies, but there are definitive differences. Food allergies typically cause more severe reactions, such as airway constriction or even cardiac arrest. Both intolerance and allergies, however, can cause wheezing, hives and rashes. Food intolerance usually is associated with symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, eczema, and sneezing or runny nose. The good news is that with some patience, many people can cure their food intolerance by giving their systems a break from the substance.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet connection

Instructions

Curing Food Intolerances

1. Eliminate any foods in your diet that cause you problems. Do this for at least eight weeks. Be extremely vigilant. This means if you have a food intolerance to eggs, you cannot eat even a tiny piece of a pancake that was made with eggs.

2. Read labels when shopping so you don't accidentally buy and eat any of the problem food. Gluten, for example, seems to be hidden in most processed food. Lactose, derived from milk, is another common item in processed foods. If you are intolerant to nuts, you'll need to avoid any food where the label says it is processed on the same equipment as nuts are.

3. Do some investigating online to find out where your food culprit is hiding, even if it's not on the label. Gluten, for instance, may not appear as an ingredient in cereal, but if the cereal includes malt, that is derived from barley, which contains gluten.

4. Reintroduce the food slowly after eight weeks. Eat a small amount once day. If you don't have any problems, eat a small amount again a week later. You can gradually add more over time if you no longer have problems.

5. Eliminate the food again if it causes a flare-up of any previous symptoms. This time, avoid it completely for six months.

6. Reintroduce the food again gradually after six months and gauge how well you tolerate it now. If you still have problems, eliminate it again for another six months. You can continue to repeat this process as long as you want to.

Tips & Warnings

• Foods commonly associated with intolerance include milk, wheat, gluten, eggs, nuts, yeast, corn and soy.

References

• Different types of negative reactions to food