Do you always seem to have a stomach ache after having a glass of milk? Do you always regret eating a certain type of food after you spend the next few hours feeling ill? Do you avoid entire food groups because you're afraid of the stomach distress those foods will cause? You could be living with food intolerance, a condition shared by millions of people.

When your body is unable to digest specific types of food, this is called food intolerance. Milk is the most common food to cause a food intolerance. In about 10% of Americans, milk is poorly digested. Food intolerances can manifest at any point in your life, they can even be present at birth. Food intolerances can be temporary or permanent.

Is there a way to see if you suffer from food intolerance? Symptoms vary from person to person, as two people with the same intolerance can experience different symptoms. The common ones include headaches, nausea, abdominal discomfort, fatigue, gas, diarrhea, and sore throat. The symptoms are usually extremely unpleasant and can possibly lead to ill health and long-term suffering on the person's part.

These symptoms should not be confused with the symptoms of food allergies, which can include all of the above and may also include skin hives, itching, and swelling, vomiting, wheezing, swollen lips, and swelling of the throat. These reactions will occur immediately after eating the offending food and may be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, seek medical treatment immediately because they may be life-threatening.

The difference between intolerance and allergy is a small one, and sometimes they are tough to tell apart. You may want to have allergy testing done by an allergist if you are uncertain, to determine which substances you are allergic to and which ones your body simply cannot tolerate. Managing food intolerance starts by ruling out the effects of allergies.

After you have figured out which foods that you are allergic to, how do you consistently avoid them? First, you need to completely remove that food from your diet. Make sure to read the labels of processed foods, many of which have unexpected ingredients that may trigger allergies. You should start feeling better as soon as that food is out of your diet.

Dairy foods are difficult to completely remove from your diet, so if you are lactose intolerant, some problems may arise. Fortunately, most such people can eat some forms of dairy without much trouble. One strategy that you might use is to avoid all dairy foods for two weeks, and then slowly reintroduce certain dairy products into your diet to see which ones cause your problems. Many people can eat yogurt or cheese but cannot drink liquid milk, for example. So dairy may not have to completely disappear from your diet.

Millions of people suffer from food intolerance. This is a condition where the body is unable to adequately digest certain foods. People can be born with this problem or it may develop later. The symptoms differ, but abdominal discomfort, lethargy, diarrhea, nausea, headache, gas and sore throats are common examples. Food allergies may include those symptoms as well as hives, itching and swelling. Only allergy testing can determine if the condition is a food allergy or intolerance. Once the offending food is identified, it should be eliminated from your diet. Many of those who are lactose intolerant can properly digest some dairy products such as yogurt.