Food intolerances can be more than annoyances, as they cause digestive issues, rashes, headaches and fatigue. They can actually worsen the symptoms of uterine fibroids and contribute to painful menstrual cycles. Here are a few of the most common food intolerances and what you may need to avoid in order to feel your best.
Foods Containing Histamines
People who are sensitive to histamines may need to avoid foods that contain this substance. Examples include cured meats, soy, coffee, citrus, bananas, cocoa products, cheese, and fermented foods.
Dairy
Dairy constitutes more than milk. If you have a dairy intolerance, you need to avoid anything containing lactose, casein, and whey, as well as milk, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, and other products containing milk. You should also read labels to ensure that the food you are consuming was not processed on equipment also used to process dairy containing foods.
Gluten
Gluten is a substance that is found in many grains, such as barley, rye, and wheat. While avoiding gluten entirely can be difficult, it can pay off if you have an intolerance to it.
- Avoid baked goods, flours, pasta, cereal, breadcrumbs, and anything else made from gluten-containing grains.
- You may also need to avoid certain desserts, beverages (such as beer), condiments, and medications.
- The key is to examine labels to ensure that the food you are consuming is entirely free of gluten (and has not been processed on machinery also used to process foods that have gluten in them).
Yeast
Many foods that rise contain yeast. For example, pastries and baked goods often contain this substance. However, beer, stocks and gravies, vinegar products, and fermented foods often also contain yeast. Also look out for mycoprotein, monosodium glutamate, and hyrolysed proteins when examining the labels.
Alcohol
Many alcoholic beverages can contain triggers for food intolerant people. For example, the use of grains and the fermenting process, as well as some preservatives, can make alcoholic beverages a no go for food intolerant individuals.
Artificial Additives
Artificial additives found in many processed foods can also cause problems for some, even though they are not generally considered a food intolerance.
Pinpointing a food intolerance
Symptoms of a food intolerance may show up hours after you eat, and last for days.More troublingly, if you are unaware that you have a food intolerance, you may accept your chronic symptoms as normal.
Pinpointing a food intolerance can take some work, especially if you have more than one. In addition, because food intolerances are often caused by a lack of an enzyme needed to break down the food, it is possible to eat small amounts of a trigger food without ill effect, making it trickier to identify which foods are the culprits.
Keep a Food Diary
If you think you may have a food intolerance and you want to try to pinpoint which one, keep a diary of the foods you eat. Add symptoms you experience to this diary throughout the month. You should then be able to look over your diary and see which foods might be causing problems.
Process of Elimination
Alternatively, you could try to identify a food intolerance by a process of elimination, an undertaking both safest and most effective with the help of a dietitian. Here, you would gradually eliminate and reintroduce foods to better rule out and/or get a handle on which foods are causing problems, food allergies and intolerances.
Pinpoint other fibroid issues with the help of Viva Eve
The more you understand how your body handles the foods you eat, the more you can take charge of your diet and address any symptoms you may be having that are being caused by the foods you eat.
The doctors at Viva Eve have years of experience in the treatment of both uterine fibroids and adenomyosis. We’re committed to providing high-quality, personalized care for each and every patient we see. We will partner with you to determine the best way to treat your problematic symptoms.
