Do you feel inconvenient after eating certain type of food? Do you avoid drinking a glass of milk as it makes you feel uncomfortable? Are you always scared of eating those foods that upset your stomach some time in the past? If your answer is yes then you could also be one of those people who are suffering from food intolerance.

Food intolerance occurs when the body is unable to digest a certain type of food. The most common food intolerance is milk, which is poorly digested by about 10% of Americans. Intolerances can be present from birth, or they can manifest later in life. They may be permanent, or they may come and go depending on the day.

What are the symptoms of food allergies?There are many but the most common ones are abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, headache, fatigues, gas and throat pain. No two people with the same intolerance experience the same symptoms. These can lead to poor health in the long term if not diagnosed and treated properly.

It is important to note that these symptoms overlap with those of food allergies. Do not confuse the two. Symptoms of food allergies may also include hives, itching, swelling, vomiting, wheezing and swelling of the throat or lips, and usually occur right after eating the food. The medical consequences can be serious, so seek medical treatment immediately if you experience them.

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between an intolerance and an allergy. If you are in doubt, it's best to see an allergist for allergy testing. These tests can determine which substances you are allergic to, but not which foods you may just not be able to tolerate. However, ruling out an allergy is the first step toward being able to manage your food intolerance.

Now that you have come to know that your body is intolerant to certain food you need to be cautious of your food intake. The very first thing is to totally remove this specific food from your diet chart. You also need to read the ingredients of processed foods before consuming them. The idea is to completely shun the offending food if you want to feel good and healthy.

Dairy foods are difficult to completely remove from your diet, so if you are lactose intolerant, some problems may arise. Fortunately, most such people can eat some forms of dairy without much trouble. One strategy that you might use is to avoid all dairy foods for two weeks, and then slowly reintroduce certain dairy products into your diet to see which ones cause your problems. Many people can eat yogurt or cheese but cannot drink liquid milk, for example. So dairy may not have to completely disappear from your diet.