A food intolerance is an adverse reaction to a food or foods and is thought to affect 15-20% of us. The condition generally involves the digestive system, with the amount of food eaten directly influencing the type and severity of symptoms – which may occur a few hours after eating. It’s not the same as a food allergy, as you’ll see below.
Check if you have a food intolerance
If you have a food intolerance, you usually get symptoms a few hours after eating the food or ingredient you’re intolerant to.
Common symptoms include: diarrhoea, bloating, farting, tummy pain. But there are lots of other possible symptoms, including headache, feeling tired or exhausted, feeling sick, constipation, joint pain or rashes
There are many different ‘tests’ available to diagnose food allergy or food intolerance. It can be difficult to know which are reliable or based on science. This fact sheet will examine the tests available and whether they are based on evidence.
