To break down different types of food, your body needs certain enzymes. The absence of these enzymes can cause a food intolerance. A reaction to a food your body does not tolerate can come later than a reaction caused by a food allergy, so the identification of intolerance "trigger foods" can be difficult.

You may have heard of two of the common food intolerances, lactose intolerance (in which the body cannot process dairy products) and gluten intolerance (in which the body cannot process wheat products, also known as gluten). Several other types of intolerances exist, as well, and all of them are associated with unpleasant symptoms.

Diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), pain and fatigue are among the possible symptoms of food intolerances. The best way to really prevent these symptoms to occur is to refrain from eating the foods in question, and the best way to find out which foods these is to undertake a food intolerance test.

One common type of food intolerance test is the elisa food test (it stands for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Blood is collected, usually from the fingertip. This may be done at home or at a doctor's office. It is then analyzed at a lab for reactions with certain foods. Strong reactions will produce many IgG antibodies in the blood; the more are present, the worse the reaction.

The results of the food intolerance test will reveal how much was produced, and from what type of foods. Different providers use different scales, but they all measure basically the same thing - the production of antibodies. It should be apparent which, if any foods were causing intolerance reactions; studies have shown this sort of test to be quite effective in tracking down the source.

If you find out you have a food intolerance, there are several steps you can take. The most obvious step is to remove said food from your diet - this can range from simple to quite difficult, depending on the food. For the more common intolerances, such as dairy, manufacturers have marketed 'safe' products, but for others you'll simply have to read ingredient labels and ask questions. This may be inconvenient at times, but it's certainly better than the symptoms. In the end, a food intolerance test is well worth the cost and effort.

A food intolerance is caused by a lack of enzymes in the body that are needed to break down foods. This causes uncomfortable effects, such as diarrhea, fatigue, and constipation. Fortunately, a test exists to help people with food intolerances discover which foods cause their unpleasant reactions. This test is called the ELISA food test, in which a small blood sample is taken from the fingertip and tested with different types of food. By using this test, doctors can determine which food intolerances you have, and how strong your reaction to each type of food will be when you eat it.