Making good food choices may not be enough when you are trying to lose weight. Researchers are finding a link between weight gain and food intolerance. Can food intolerance prevent weight loss?
What Is Food Intolerance? Food intolerance is often considered delayed, or Type B, food allergy. It may also be referred to as food sensitivity. You can read more about food allergies in my article “Do You Have Food Allergies?” here on Associated Content.
Food intolerance can happen hours or even a few days after eating the culprit food. According to Fred Pescatore, MD, symptoms of delayed food allergy can include symptoms such as headache, fatigue, asthma or inflammation and weight gain.
How Does Food Intolerance Prevent Weight Loss? A food intolerance can actually make you crave the food you are sensitive to. If you have a food intolerance for carbohydrates, you will crave more carbohydrates after eating foods full of carbohydrates. This leads to a cycle of cravings, eating the food causing the sensitivity then craving the food again.
One problem is that many high carbohydrate foods also have high levels of fat, such as cookies and muffins. So if you have a food intolerance and give in to cravings for these specific foods, you are adding not only more calories to your diet, but more fat as well. You will either not be able to lose weight or you can even gain weight.
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study showing that overweight children were more likely to show food sensitivities, or delayed food allergies. Children may have less self control than adults and be more prone to give in to cravings caused by food intolerance.
How to Tell if a Food Intolerance is Related to Weight Gain. Many people go through an elimination type diet by eliminating one food at a time for a length of time to see if there is an improvement in symptoms, in this case the onset of weight loss.
It is important to remember that since this is a delayed food allergy, you would have to avoid the food for a period of time after that to see if you notice any weight loss or gain. If you are otherwise following your diet carefully, it may take a couple weeks of avoiding a certain food to notice a food intolerance.
Many with food intolerance also experience actual withdrawal symptoms when eliminating the food responsible for the intolerance. This could cause many symptoms that include stronger cravings. It is important to resist these cravings if you want to be successful in your weight loss efforts.
Talk with Your Doctor if You think Lack of Weight Loss Might Be Caused by Food Intolerance. Although elimination method diets are fairly safe, it is best to speak with your physician before attempting a change in your diet. He or she may be able to offer advice on dealing with withdrawal symptoms related to the food you are intolerant to. Your doctor may also be able to perform a blood test to determine any possible food intolerance that could prevent weight loss.
THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT MEANT TO DIAGNOSE OR TREAT ANY DISORDER. PLEASE SEE YOUR PHYSICIAN FOR HEALTH OR WEIGHT LOSS CONCERNS.
SOURCES:
Jolynne M Hudnell; Do You Have Food Allergies?; Associated Content
Fred Pescatore, MD; Hidden Food Allergies; Achoo! Allergy
Cynthia M. Viness, PhD, et. al.; Association of obesity with IgE levels and allergy symptoms in children and adolescents: Results fro the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006; The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
