Food intolerances are negative reactions to certain foods, beverages and food additives. These reactions are often delayed and symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. Food intolerances differ from food allergies. Food allergy symptoms are usually immediate and the reactions are possibly life-threatening. Food intolerances can cause a wide variety of different reactions from stomach issues to headaches to breathing problems.

Some food intolerance symptoms include shortness of breath, throat soreness, a stuffy nose, chest congestion, chest pain and many other problems. Since food intolerance symptoms are often delayed, you may not have connected these issues to the foods that you eat. Unfortunately it has traditionally been quite difficult to diagnose food intolerances.

“Experiencing fatigue, bloating and weight gain is common when you have food intolerance,” said Dr. Mubina Jiwa, ND, a Naturopathic Doctor and assistant professor at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.  “The way to break this cycle is to determine which foods you have an intolerance to and eliminate them from your diet.”

Life is busy. Between work, family and other social obligations, it can sometimes seem impossible to have a moment to sit and relax. However, if you’re feeling tired, sore, weak or fatigued a lot of the time, it could be caused by your diet. Food is supposed to give you energy, but if you have a food intolerance it could be doing the opposite.

A food intolerance makes your body less efficient. It makes it more difficult for your body to turn food into energy. Food intolerances also cause your body unnecessary stress because your body tries to digest food it has difficultly with. This leaves you feeling weak and tired. Over time, a food intolerance will result in near constant tiredness and fatigue.

The holiday season is traditionally a time for gathering with friends and family and celebrating. That usually means there will be a variety of different food and drink options available. This can be a problem for someone with a food intolerance. It can seem a little scary to navigate all of the holiday foods without eating something that could cause you trouble. It can also be difficult to host a party yourself while keeping everyone’s food intolerances and food allergies in mind.

Now that the holiday season is here, many people are thinking about how they’re going to get through all of the parties and dinners without gaining weight. Sometimes it seems very difficult – if not impossible – to survive the holiday season without putting on weight. This is especially true if you have a food intolerance. Food intolerances can lead to weight gain and make it difficult for you to lose weight.