Life is busy enough as it is, and the last thing anyone needs is an intolerance to certain foods cropping up as well.
Fortunately, there’re ways to make this bothersome process a little bit easier to deal with. Still, the journey ahead will require some degree of dedication and commitment, so be prepared to make a few lifestyle changes of both major and minor varieties.
From meticulously controlling your diet to reviewing existing laws, your entire attitude to managing your food intolerance could be changed after reading the 5 helpful tips below.
Gradual Reintroduce the Intolerant Food to Your Diet
You may be intolerant of a certain food, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to eliminate it from your life forever.
The NHS suggest that the only real way to manage food intolerance is to first stop eating the offending goods, then gradually reintroduce them back into your diet in small quantities. They then suggest monitoring yourself to see how much you can eat without provoking symptoms of your intolerance.
Obviously, this is a process of trial and error, and it’s a strategy that will suit some more than others. If you’d rather avoid the suspected foods in totality, that’s perfect valid. Still, it’s quite possible you’ll be able to still enjoy certain ‘intolerant’ foods so long as you consume them proportionately.
Undergo Intolerance Testing
You could also take a test to shed further insight into your suspected food intolerance.
For example, UK Government approved general testers Check My Body Health provide trustworthy intolerance tests for your convenience. While their tests are not a substitute for professional medical advice, a quick and easy blood test with them will analyse up to 134 key food and drink items that may be triggering your symptoms. Additionally, they only partner with ISO and UKAS accredited laboratories, which means they adhere to the highest professional standards of quality assurance only.
You should always consult medical professionals for a final diagnosis of your intolerance, but a test such as this could offer reliable data to refer to in your appointments with them. Ultimately, these tests are a good starting point for further investigation of which food and drink items are giving you the most trouble.
Study Business Regulation
Once you have an awareness of the food intolerances that you’re susceptible too, the next step could involve increasing your familiarity with business and agency regulations on the matter.
Of course, studying allergen labelling and information laws may not sound like a riveting way to spend your time, but doing so could help you navigate this arena more safely. You may also be better able to hold businesses and the Food Standards Agency to account if they fail in their duty of care of labelling products correctly. In doing this, you may be safeguarding other customers also when these entities fall short of their responsibilities.
Put simply, your management of your food intolerances is by no means a solo endeavour. Ample support should be provided along the way by official bodies and reviewing all the laws involved may give you some peace of mind in making safer food choices during your shopping or when eating out in public with friends, even.
Read the Forums
It might be a good idea for you to extend your reading beyond the basis of facts and figures alone.
For example, you could occasionally stop by online forums to witness the discussions taking place around food allergies and intolerances. Moreover, you may wish to partake in the dialogue yourself, sharing anything from useful guidance that’s worked for you to the problems you’re experiencing with your own intolerances.
Sometimes, it’s nice to have access to a community of people who know what you’re going through, even if they’re anonymous strangers on the internet. Their reassurance and wisdom could give you much comfort or even profoundly change your outlook on life, and make you realise that you’re not alone if you’re intolerant to a high quantity of different foods and drinks. You may be able to strike up new friendships or help people others with their challenges also.
Notify Loved Ones
Food intolerance can be a source of great inconvenience, but dealt with alone, it has the potential to be a much greater struggle.
While intolerances present no life-threatening symptoms in the way that serious allergies can, they can impose certain restrictions on your life. When experienced, they can make you feel physically uneasy, or perhaps make you feel like you’re missing out on lots of fun life experiences from a mental and emotional standpoint.
Therefore, it could be best for loved ones to know about your food intolerance. Obstacles in life are dealt with more easily with a support group around you, so it could be an idea to make sure those in your closest inner circle are aware of what you go through. That way, your needs can be accommodated in any planned social occasion, and your concerns can be heard out with a more compassionate understanding offered by those around you.
