Ever wondered why you feel fatigued halfway through the day, or you feel quite different when you’ve eaten a meal you thought tasted great? Or, maybe you stay away from certain foods but you don’t know why.
Could you be gluten intolerant? The current statistics suggest that you probably are!
But, wait… what is an intolerance?
An food intolerance is where your body has a dislike to certain particles, not necessarily food; so, you can have an intolerance to dust, hair or chemicals that you are using. The intolerance comes from your immune system, which has become sensitive to the particles and when your body comes into contact with them your immune system activates to defend itself.
You may be switched on to your body’s reactions and recognise the changes your body makes when an intolerance factor is affecting you. However, more often than not people have lived with these types of sensations for so long that they become desensitised to most of the reactions.
The reactions/ sensations can come in many forms, including:
- Bloating
- IBS
- Skin rash
- Mood change
- Abdominal weight gain
- Constipation
- Fatigue
Each body will react differently to intolerances and the above list is just a summary of the many common ones. You may also not feel any of the above but still have intolerance factors that you and your body has learned to ignore. The latter is what commonly happens to a lot of us.
This can be a major issue for your body because whilst you may not feel any actual symptoms, your body will still have the internal reactions associated with the intolerance. Namely, a weakening and over-worked immune system that will result in you over-producing cortisol; cortisol is your primary stress hormone. Cortisol is used by the body to counteract any stressful event, so when you encounter one your body produces this hormone to enable you to handle and deal with the situation.
Whilst this sounds pretty useful, over production of cortisol can have several negative effect on your body, body including:
- Increased belly fat storage
- Aggravated sleep patterns
- An inability to relax
- The inability to switch off
- A breakdown of muscle tissue
- Exhaustion of the adrenal glands
This results in ‘easy to notice’ elements for people who are trying to increase their fitness levels, which include:
- Struggling with body fat
- Can’t sleep
- Picking up injuries easily
- Constant pain
- An inability to build muscle
So, what’s the answer?
Get intolerance tested.
Getting tested for your intolerances will provide you with a comprehensive list of low and high level intolerances which you should avoid. It doesn’t mean that you should be removing these from your lifestyle, but that you are aware that if you ‘consume’ them then you are at risk of experiencing the above symptoms and negatively affecting your body’s ability to lose fat and get the body you desire.