Chronic Fatigue and Food Intolerance
With lifestyles becoming busier and more demanding, the number of people complaining of being persistently tired is increasing every year. In fact, 1 in 10 people suffer from constant fatigue, with women more likely to be affected than men.
What is Chronic Fatigue?
Chronic fatigue is characterized by constant sleep abnormalities leading to an overall sense of exhaustion that can last a lifetime.
While there’s no exact cure, lifestyle changes and behavioral therapy can provide symptom relief.
How Can Fatigue Affect Your LIfe?
Consistent fatigue can play a major factor in both your personal and professional life. Over tiredness can lead to mood swings, irritability and other negative side effects often leaving the sufferer feeling a sense of hopelessness.
Symptoms include:
- Always feeling tired despite a full night’s sleep
- Irritability
- Lack of concentration or focus
- Taking a long time to complete simple tasks
One of the key ways we can combat constant fatigue is by auditing our diets.
How Diet Affects Energy Levels
When we eat, our digestive system breaks down the foods into essential nutrients and amino acids. These nutrients are then released into the bloodstream to sustain our bodies throughout the day.
However, the body converts different kinds of food into energy at different rates. Simple sugars like candy, for example, will only offer a quick boost. On the other hand, the energy derived from whole grains is much longer lasting.
Eating a balanced diet filled with unrefined carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy oils can help maintain solid energy levels.
What If I’m Eating a Healthful Diet And Still Feeling Tired?
If it seems like you’re eating and doing all the right things, you may suffer from a food intolerance.
A food intolerance occurs when our bodies cannot properly digest and convert the foods we eat into the necessary nutrients that fuel our systems. When this happens, the immune system will kick-in and start attacking the improperly digested proteins, ultimately causing inflammation, which can cause many negative symptoms including fatigue.
How a Food Intolerance Test Can Help
Eliminating and replacing problem foods from your diet may help fight against constant fatigue. The quickest way to identify your food intolerances is by taking a blood test that measures IgG antibody levels against a variety of different food proteins.
This kind of testing helps to quickly identify which foods are responding negatively with your system and can be much more efficient than food journaling or guess-and-check diets.
All that’s left to do after you get your results is to eliminate the foods you’re intolerant to. That’s it. No follow ups. No exercise regiments. Zero hassles.
