Food intolerances are reactions to certain food types that are not due to allergy, although the immune system may be involved, for this reason they are also not life threatening but can cause significant discomfort and pain. In most cases it is caused by the absence of an enzyme that helps break down certain foods, this means that as these foods travel through the digestive system, the bacteria in your intestines digest them and produce a lot of waste products, such as gas. You may have a food intolerance if after certain meals you feel tummy pain, bloating, or even diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and possibly migraines.

The most common food intolerances are to certain proteins or sugars found in food, these are lactose, fructose, histamine and gluten. Part of the world’s population are lactose intolerant after a certain age, this may however not have been clear because there may not be any symptoms if you only consume a low amount of dairy products per day. Celiac disease is the body’s immune response to the presence of gluten in food, this is not the same as a gluten intolerance. If you have a gluten intolerance, you may simply not be as able to digest gluten well, but may tolerate small quantities, this will not lead to damage to the small intestines like it would in coeliac disease, but will lead to the common symptoms of food intolerance. Fructose intolerance is the inability to digest fruit sugar well, it is mostly diagnosed at a young age, from when a baby starts eating solid foods, it may however also be seen suddenly when an adult starts to eat a lot of fruit. Histamine intolerance is caused when your body cannot produce an enzyme that breaks down a chemical found in many common foods, like wine, cheese, bananas, and even chocolate.