A food sensitivity, or intolerance, may produce similar symptoms as a food allergy, but will not trigger an immunologic response the way an allergy does. The lack of immune response means a doctor may not be able to diagnose a food sensitivity. You may experience bloating, gas, headaches or other symptoms such as skin problems from food sensitivities.
Keeping a food journal for a week is an excellent, easy way to see a direct cause between what you eat and what you're feeling. We don't usually associate our mood or energy levels with what we just ate, but you will be surprised if you take the time to do this simple exercise how strong a relationship you may find. Often you can immediately see what is causing bloating or headaches, I know that I personally solved such an issue just by keeping a food journal.
If you want to take it an extra step you can use an app on your phone that tracks your diet and breaks it down into macro nutrients and calories, so you can really see how much sugar, fat and sodium you are consuming.
You will find that you will identify foods that make you bloat right away and you can eliminate them, also the better you become at identifying foods that trigger a response from you, the easier it will be to maintain an ideal weight, since sensitivities usually lead to weight gain as well. Keep in mind, food can take up to 8 hours to produce a reaction, its uncommon to take that long though.
This may sound like too much work, and it is a commitment, if you are having symptoms that seem unsolvable and are ready to live bloat free you will feel remarkably better very quickly after you remove the offending foods. It is worth the effort, so just take the extra 10 minutes per day and do it.
Keep a food journal
1 Draw a vertical line down the center of a notebook page, dividing it into a right and left section.
2 Record everything you eat at each meal or snack throughout the day in the left column of your notebook page. Be sure to note the time of day you consumed the food and the portion size of the food.
3 Record all digestive symptoms in the right column on the same notebook page and also note the time of day at the onset of symptoms. An example entry may say "2:00 pm -- 1/4 cup of peanuts" in the left column and "3:30 pm -- gas and bloating" in the right column.
4 Review your food intake and digestive symptoms daily to identify patterns. If a pattern emerges, such as a bloated feeling a couple hours after eating only a certain food, this is likely the food you are sensitive to. If bloating happens after certain meals or food combinations, list all the foods the meals contain and identify the common ingredients. The ingredients in common are all the foods you could be sensitive to.
5 Eliminate one potential food determined in step four completely from your diet for at least 10 days, while continuing to track food intake and digestive symptoms. If all symptoms of bloating are resolved, you have determined the food you are sensitive to. If not, carry on to step six.
6 Repeat step five as many times as necessary until all foods determined in step four have been individually eliminated. If no results are produced from steps one through six, carry on to section two to eliminate major allergens from your diet.
Elimination Diet for Major Allergens (more effort)
1 Choose one of the eight major allergens to eliminate from your diet first. The major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
2 Completely avoid all foods that contain the allergen you selected for at least 10 days while tracking your food intake and digestive symptoms. If bloating resolves, this is the allergen you are sensitive to. If bloating does not resolve, move on to step three.
3 Choose a second allergen to eliminate from your diet for at least 10 days while tracking food intake and digestive symptoms. The first allergen eliminated can be re-included in your diet at this point. If bloating resolves, this is the allergen you are sensitive to. If bloating does not resolve, repeat this step until all of the major allergens have been tried.
4 See your health care provider if you are unable to determine the food you are sensitive to.
We would love to hear how you conquered your bloating!
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