Could Unusual Food Allergies Be Cause of Your Stomach Problems?

A British woman who unknowingly suffered from a food intolerance for many years wants to urge people to consider food intolerance testing if they suffer from stomach ailments, cramps, and bloating. Lisa Moore, 42, says she started experiencing bloating and stomach cramps a few years ago.

After a visit to her doctor, she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the treatment did not make her symptoms go away. She suspected that the culprit might be an allergy to milk or wheat, so she began using soy milk and gluten-free bread. However, she says, "It didn't make any difference and so I ruled those out." Even after making the dietary switch and taking medication for IBS, Moore says, "I was still getting IBS- like symptoms but I was finding it very frustrating as I had a very healthy diet – I ate lots of fruit and vegetables and hardly any refined or processed foods." "My symptoms were making my life miserable and I had to take days off sick from work with stomach pain" she complained to This Is Scunthorpe, her local newspaper.

Then a friend suggested that she undergo an allergy test, as she might be allergic to something a bit less common. "I was at my wits' end and decided I had to do something about it, so I took the test." she says.Her doctor performed a test for more than 100 different food allergens, which revealed that Lisa was intolerant to yeast and pineapple.

Once she got the test results, Lisa stopped eating pineapple and yeast, and kept a food diary to track how the changes affected her symptoms. "It definitely helped to remove the foods, and my symptoms stopped very quickly. I feel so much better than I did." she explained. "It is a bit of a pain having to check the labels on everything I eat and I have had to totally swap around my eating habits, but it is certainly worth it."

As Lisa found out, there are dozens of potential foods triggering the symptoms of allergies and intolerances. "I would advise anyone else who is suffering from digestive intolerance symptoms to not just consider the obvious culprits, like wheat and milk" she suggests, "It could be something a bit more unusual that is making you feel ill."

photo by John Nyboer