COMMON FOOD TRIGGERS & HOW THEY AFFECT YOU
When you are repeatedly uncomfortable after eating, it is very easy to start blaming more and more foods. This guide is designed to help you understand possible food triggers without creating an unnecessarily restrictive diet.
Inside, we look at lactose, wheat and gluten, FODMAP carbohydrates, caffeine, alcohol, sulphites, histamine and other substances that may be linked with intolerance-type symptoms. We also explain why foods such as eggs, nuts, fish and shellfish need particular care because they can cause food allergy rather than intolerance.
There is a practical pattern-finding approach, guidance on food-and-symptom diaries, elimination and reintroduction, warning signs that need medical assessment, book recommendations and a warm composite personal perspective from someone who reached the point of saying they had had enough of guessing.
The guide also gives a balanced explanation of commercial food intolerance testing. If you independently choose to explore YorkTest, my code is PLEAROYD. YorkTest states that its IgG programmes do not diagnose lactose intolerance, food allergy, coeliac disease or histamine sensitivity, so testing should never replace appropriate medical or dietetic support.
The aim is not to discover the longest possible list of foods to avoid. It is to understand your individual pattern and help you move towards greater comfort, nourishment, confidence and choice.
Space to Breathe Therapy
NHS — Food intolerance. Page last reviewed 18 June 2026.
Used for: lactose as the most common food intolerance; examples including histamine, caffeine, alcohol, sulphites, salicylates, MSG and benzoates; food/symptom diary; elimination and reintroduction; dietitian referral; warning against unsupported home intolerance tests and unnecessary food exclusion.
NHS — Lactose intolerance. Current 2026 guidance.
Used for: lactose symptoms, lactose-containing foods, elimination diet and hydrogen breath testing, and advice not to make exclusions without GP/dietitian guidance.
British Dietetic Association — Food Allergy and Food Intolerance Testing, August 2026.
Used for: distinction between allergy and intolerance; evidence review of IgG testing. The BDA states that food-specific IgG testing is not reliable for diagnosing food intolerance because IgG antibodies to food are also found in healthy people.
YorkTest — FAQ and Food&DrinkScan information, accessed September 2026.
YorkTest states that its food-specific IgG programmes do not test for food allergy, coeliac disease, enzyme deficiencies such as lactose intolerance, histamine sensitivity or chemical sensitivities. YorkTest also states that food-specific IgG results cannot diagnose, treat or cure a specific food intolerance and that its information is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
CLINICAL SAFETY NOTE
This guide is educational, not diagnostic. Foods such as nuts, egg, fish, shellfish, milk and wheat can cause true allergy in some people. Sudden swelling, wheezing, throat tightness, breathing difficulty, fainting or rapidly worsening symptoms require urgent/emergency assessment. Persistent gastrointestinal symptoms, unexplained weight loss, blood in stool, persistent vomiting or severe pain require medical review. Do not start a gluten-free diet before coeliac testing has been considered. Broad exclusion diets should be supervised where nutritional risk is present.
