Meat is a great source of protein for the human body as it has many nutritional values and gives you the necessary energy and strength needed. However, some people have a meat intolerance or sensitivity, which can cause digestive discomfort, as well as bloating, stomach issues and headaches.
As meat is such a major part of many people’s diets, it’s important to know whether or not you have a meat intolerance with a sensitivity test, especially if you’re feeling unwell. A test from Allergy Test will help you to identify your sensitivity to meat if you are experiencing any symptoms related to an intolerance.
What is meat intolerance?
Meat intolerance refers to the body’s inability or difficulty in digesting meats such as chicken, lamb, pork, or beef. This difficulty in digestion leads to adverse physical reactions.
Although there is no real evidence as to why people develop food intolerances, meat intolerance could be caused by a few different reasons:
- Not chewing properly – as meat is quite hard and filling, it takes time to chew and digest. It’s therefore important to take smaller bites that are easier to chew. If you don’t, the digestive system will have a difficult time processing big chunks of meat.
- Low fibre intake – fibre consumption is extremely important as it aids digestion. So, if you’re experiencing meat intolerance, your fibre intake may be low.
- Eating large meal portions – eating big portions of meat can take days to process as fat and protein found in them can be quite complex. It’s therefore best to east smaller portions for an easier digestion process.
What to look out for in red meat intolerance?
If you are suffering from intolerance symptoms after eating meat, then you should note them down as it could be that you are suffering from a meat intolerance or sensitivity. So, if you are struggling with a headache, a bloated stomach, or even nausea then you should order a sensitivity test to find out if you are intolerant to any food items.
Meat is one of the items that we test for. If meat is highlighted on your report as something that you have a sensitivity to then you know that you have to remove it from your diet and your symptoms will hopefully subside. An elimination diet can be done to find which item you are intolerant to, but this is time-consuming and can often result in you removing items from your diet which are actually beneficial to your health.
Meat intolerance symptoms
Common symptoms of meat intolerance include:
- Fatigue
- Skin problems
- Migraines
- Joint pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Bloating
- Weaker immunity
- Bad breath or body odour
- High blood pressure
- Constipation
How to get rid of meat intolerance
The best way to manage your meat intolerance is to avoid eating it. We would recommend opting for alternative protein based foods such as pulses, nuts, seeds etc. If you’re really struggling, we recommend speaking with your doctor or dietitian.
Meat intolerance vs meat allergy
Meat intolerance and meat allergy are not the same thing. The allergy is an allergic reaction to red meats, this involves the immune system reaction. While an intolerance is a digestive issue, and it occurs when the body has a chemical reaction to meat.
What happens if you don’t digest your meal properly?
Nausea
You may start to feel sick if you have a meat intolerance, as you are not digesting the food properly. If you often go out to eat and are eating meat which you are not digesting properly, then you may often experience nausea which can be painful. Order a sensitivity test to find out how you can stop your nausea.
Double portion size
If you are out to eat, then please remember that eateries usually serve double the recommended portion size, and this will cause your body some major issues as it struggles to digest the food. Overindulgence of a certain item can lead to food sensitivity and so it is important that you make sure you don’t overeat.
Loss of muscle
Yep, many of us eat meat because we are trying to gain muscle mass. However, muscle loss can actually be a sign of food sensitivity. Ordering a sensitivity test can help you learn whether or not you have a meat intolerance. This indicates that meat is not actually being digested and consumed by the body in the normal way.
Remember, food sensitivity is different from food allergy and our food sensitivity test looks to identify whether or not you have a food sensitivity, not an allergy. Find out more about food sensitivities and their symptoms here. If you have any more questions about food sensitivities or which test might be right for you, please speak to our customer service advisors via LiveChat.
