Tired of Tolerating Food Intolerance?

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Do you ever get diarrhea, an upset stomach, or occasional headaches after eating? These symptoms may be caused by foods your body is sensitive to and does not digest properly.

While tolerance is generally a good thing, you do not have to live with food intolerance. If you are tired of recurring, unwanted symptoms, there are natural remedies available that may help.

What Is Food Intolerance and How Is It Different from a Food Allergy?

A food intolerance is a gastrointestinal response that occurs when the body cannot properly digest a protein, fat, or carbohydrate. Although they are often confused, food intolerances and food allergies are very different.

Food intolerance usually involves the digestive system’s inability to absorb or break down components of a food. A food allergy, on the other hand, is an immune response in which the body mistakenly identifies a food component—usually a protein—as harmful. Even small exposures can be severe or life-threatening and may require emergency medical attention, rather than causing a mild-to-moderate nuisance.

What Causes Food Intolerance?

Proper digestion requires enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Without the necessary enzymes, foods cannot be fully digested. This most commonly affects lactose or gluten and can lead to symptoms such as gas, cramping, bloating, and headaches.

These symptoms often occur when the pancreas, intestinal cells, or other digestive organs fail to produce sufficient enzymes. In addition to lactose and gluten, certain chemicals or additives found in processed foods—such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) or the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)—may cause symptoms in some individuals but not others.

Salicylates, naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and spices, can also cause problems for some people. Synthetic salicylates are found in products such as toothpaste, aspirin, ibuprofen, and Pepto-Bismol. Other common intolerances include caffeine and tannins, which are found in coffee, tea, red wine, chocolate, and other foods.

Another frequently overlooked source of digestive discomfort is FODMAPs—specific types of carbohydrates that can trigger symptoms in sensitive individuals.

How Do I Know Which Foods Trigger My Intolerance?

There are several approaches to identifying food intolerances, depending on how thorough a person wishes to be. Some people learn through trial and error. For example, if bloating occurs every time bread is eaten, that food may be avoided.

Many people begin by eliminating common triggers such as lactose and gluten. This alone often brings relief. For a more comprehensive approach, an elimination diet may be used. This involves removing foods known to cause digestive issues—such as fried foods, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, simple sugars, gluten, and lactose—for at least two weeks or until symptoms improve.

Foods are then reintroduced one at a time, monitoring symptoms over a three-day period, as reactions may be delayed. If symptoms do not return, the food can remain in the diet. In some cases, physicians may suggest blood or skin-prick testing, though the accuracy of these tests for intolerances is debated.

What Does the Science Say About Addressing Food Intolerances?

Lactose

Lactose is a sugar found in milk and other dairy products, though amounts vary greatly. A cup of milk contains over 100 times more lactose than an ounce of cheese. The longer a cheese is aged, the less lactose it contains.

Yogurt lactose levels vary widely. Full-fat and strained yogurts, such as Greek yogurt, typically contain less whey—and therefore less lactose—than low-fat yogurts. Whey protein powders may also contain lactose, with whey isolate containing less than whey concentrate or hydrolysate.

Table showing lactose content of common dairy products

People with lactose intolerance commonly experience bloating, diarrhea, gas, and abdominal pain. Research published in Nutrients shows that certain probiotic strains, particularly Lactobacillus bulgaricus and bifidobacteria, can help break down lactose when consumed in yogurt with live and active cultures.

However, the probiotic dose in yogurt is often insufficient for symptom relief. Therapeutic probiotic doses typically range from 3 to 50 billion CFUs. A supplement such as SymBiotics with FOS Powder may help improve lactose digestion.

A study in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that lactase enzyme tablets derived from Aspergillus fungus reduced gas and bloating when taken just before consuming dairy. A similar option is Gluten-Dairy Ultra Enzyme by Douglas Laboratories.

Gluten

Gluten intolerance can cause bloating, headaches, diarrhea, fatigue, and skin issues. Gluten is found not only in bread and crackers, but also in beer, sauces, dressings, couscous, French fries, and ice cream.

Research published in Scientific Reports found that prolyl endoprotease, a naturally occurring enzyme, helped gluten-sensitive individuals digest gluten when taken before exposure. This enzyme is found in Gluten Manager by Integrative Therapeutics.

Those following a gluten-free diet may be low in fiber and nutrients such as vitamin D, B12, folate, iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. A comprehensive multivitamin, such as Basic Nutrients IV with Copper and Iron, may help address these gaps.

Gluten intolerance should be distinguished from celiac disease and wheat allergy. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that damages the small intestine, while a wheat allergy is an immune response that can be life-threatening in severe cases.

Caffeine

Caffeine intolerance may cause insomnia, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, and headaches. While most adults tolerate up to 400 mg per day, genetic differences can reduce the body’s ability to metabolize caffeine.

Individuals with caffeine intolerance may benefit from decaffeinated beverages or caffeine-free alternatives such as Golden Fusion by Metagenics, a warm turmeric-based drink with ginger and spices.

Salicylates

Salicylate intolerance may cause stomach pain, ringing in the ears, itchy skin, and swelling. High-salicylate foods include berries, citrus fruits, tomato products, and mint flavoring. Salicylates are also found in toothpaste, chewing gum, and medications.

Tannins

Tannins are found in foods such as tea, coffee, red wine, dark chocolate, grapes, walnuts, and spices. Intolerance can lead to headaches, migraines, and digestive upset. Tannins can also interfere with iron absorption.

FODMAPs

FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that pass through digestion and ferment in the colon, producing gas and bloating. They are found in foods such as apples, onions, garlic, wheat, beans, lentils, and dairy.

Food Additives

Certain food additives—including MSG, BHT, and artificial dyes like yellow #5—can cause headaches, flushing, anxiety, or skin reactions in sensitive individuals. The most effective solution is to avoid processed foods and focus on whole foods.

Anything Else Worth Trying?

Some people tolerate small amounts of offending foods without symptoms, though evidence supporting this approach is limited. Others benefit from temporarily eliminating a food and reintroducing it later.

Diets rich in natural digestive enzymes may also help. Pineapple contains bromelain, mango contains amylase, honey provides diastase and invertase, and avocados supply lipase to help digest fats.

I hope this information helps you avoid or reduce the uncomfortable effects of food intolerances. If you have questions, please contact our customer service team at 888-460-3091 or email customerservice@oakwaynaturals.com.

Until next time, stay healthy!

Yours in health,
Dr. Gregg Gittins

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Tired of Tolerating Food Intolerance?

Do you ever get diarrhea, upset stomach, or occasional headaches after eating? These feelings may be from foods you eat that your body is sensitive to and just doesn’t digest properly.

It’s generally good to be tolerant, but you don’t have to put up with food intolerance. If you are tired of unwanted recurring symptoms, there are natural remedies available that can help.

What is food intolerance and how is it different than a food allergy?

A food intolerance is a gastrointestinal response that occurs when the body is unable to digest a protein, fat, or carbohydrate properly. Although they are commonly confused, a food intolerance is very different from a food allergy. A food intolerance is usually the inability of the digestive system to absorb the molecules in a particular food. A food allergy is an immune response to a molecule within the food that the body absorbs and mistakenly identifies as something harmful (usually a protein), and a small exposure can be severe or life-threatening and require a call to 9-1-1 — rather than just a mild-to-moderate nuisance.

What causes food intolerance?

Enzymes and bacteria are needed to fully digest foods. Without the needed enzymes, proper digestion does not happen. This inability to digest foods, most commonly lactose or gluten, leads to undesirable symptoms — like gas, cramping, and headaches, just to name a few. Such side effects usually stem from the pancreas, intestinal cells, and other organs not making necessary enzymes.

In addition to the common lactose and gluten intolerances, specific chemicals or hidden ingredients in processed foods such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) or the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are difficult to digest for some people, but have no effect for others. Salicylates, caffeine, tannins, and FODMAPs can also cause problems.

How do I know which foods trigger my intolerance?

Some people gradually learn by trial and error. Many just cut the most common culprits, lactose and gluten, out of their diet. This step alone often brings relief to many people. For a more comprehensive approach, consider an elimination diet – which removes a broad selection of foods (like deep fried foods, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, simple sugars, as well as gluten and lactose) that are believed to cause digestional discomfort. Remove these foods for a minimum of two weeks or until symptoms subside. Reintroduce one suspected food item at a time and monitor the response over a 3-day period — as a reaction can take this long to develop. If the food doesn’t cause the symptoms to return, then keep it in the diet.

Lactose

Some may know that lactose is a sugar found in milk and other dairy products, but many are unaware of the great difference in lactose content between various milk-based foods. For instance, a cup of milk has over 100 times more lactose than an ounce of cheese.

People with lactose intolerance most commonly experience symptoms such as stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea and increased gas. While yogurt is high in lactose, research shows when the probiotic strains lactobacilli (especially L. bulgaricus) and bifidobacteria are included in yogurt, they help break down lactose and lead to less gas and abdominal pain.

Supplements such as SymBiotics with FOS Powder, by Allergy Research Group, like Douglas Laboratories’ Gluten-Dairy Ultra Enzyme can help the body break down lactose better.

Gluten

Those who are intolerant of gluten (a protein found in cereal grains like wheat, barley, spelt, rye and triticale) often feel bloated when they eat it and can also experience headaches, diarrhea, skin rashes, and tiredness. While it is obvious that gluten is found in bread and crackers, it is less obviously found in beer, dressings, sauces (including soy sauce), couscous, French fries, and ice cream, too.

Gluten Manager, by Integrative Therapeutics, has a specific enzyme to help gluten-intolerant people with unintended exposure to gluten. A multivitamin like Basic Nutrients IV with Copper and Iron can help people on a gluten free diet get nutrients they may be missing — like vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium.

Caffeine and salicylates

Those with caffeine intolerance (sometimes called caffeine hypersensitivity) are overly sensitive to its effects – leading to symptoms like insomnia, racing heartbeat, nervousness or anxiety, and headaches. Those with an intolerance to caffeine might consider trading caffeinated coffee for decaf (which has less caffeine), non-caffeinated tea, or another similar beverage with little to no caffeine — such as the tasty, rich, creamy, naturally-healthy alternative known as Golden Fusion by Metagenics.

Salicylates are a group of chemicals found in both synthetically-produced products, like certain toothpastes or aspirin, as well as plants. Avoiding all plant-based foods is obviously not healthy, but steering clear of foods with particularly high levels of salicylates (mint flavoring, tomato sauce, berries, and citrus fruits – especially those that are dried) will help.

Tannins, FODMAPS, and Food Additives

Tannins are certain chemical compounds that are commonly found in various plants like cranberry, walnut, oak, tea, rhubarb, nuts, cacao, grapes and wine. The only way to avoid tannin intolerance-related symptoms is to avoid foods and drinks with high tannin content.

FODMAPs are types of carbohydrates found in many different foods — especially fruits and vegetables (fructose) and legumes. FODMAP foods pass all the way through digestion, instead of being absorbed, and reach the colon where they become fermented by bacteria. This fermenting causes gas and bloating.

There are countless numbers of substances that are added to common foods to alter their color, flavor, and help preserve them. The best solution for those with intolerances to food additives is to simply avoid processed foods and eat healthy, whole foods.

Anything else worth trying?

Some people find that exposing themselves to small amounts of food to which they have a known intolerance doesn’t cause symptoms. Some even suggest that it may help them overcome their intolerance – but the science behind this practice is inconclusive. Similarly, some say that taking a break from the offending food for an amount of time may help the body digest it better when the food is reintroduced. Also consider eating a diet rich in foods that contain natural digestive enzymes. For instance, pineapples contain bromelain and proteases (to digest protein), mangoes have amylase (to break down carbs), honey has diastases (to digest starch into sugar) and invertases (for digesting carbs), and avocados have lipase (to break down fat).

I hope this information helps you avoid, or at least reduce, the uncomfortable effects of food intolerance. If you have any questions regarding the concepts discussed here or anything else,  please feel free to fill out our Ask the Doctor form found at the Doctors Corner.

Yours in health!

* Szilagyi, A. and Ishayek, N., Nutrients: Lactose Intolerance, Dairy Avoidance, and Treatment Options. 1994

* DiPalma, JA and Collins, MS, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology: Enzyme replacement for lactose malabsorption using a beta-D-galactosidase. 1989

* Konig, J, et al., Scientific Reports: Randomized clinical trial: Effective gluten degradation by Aspergillus niger-derived enzyme in a complex meal setting. 2017

* Vici, G, el al., Clinical Nutrients: Gluten free diet and nutrient deficiencies: A review. 2016