There’s nothing like a week or two away from the stresses of work to make you approach life with restored vigour. The great British holiday is a time for carefree abandon as we jet off to exotic climbs, sampling everything the local culture has to offer – especially the food.
From deep fried calamari to baguettes and brie, we all love a good taste tour when we’re abroad. But, all this global gastronomy can backfire on us.
From a bloated belly to sensitive skin, did you bring back more than a Toblerone and a suntan?
Beach bloat – is it more than just over indulgence?
It’s certainly true that, when on holiday, portion control tends to go out the window. Faced with an all inclusive buffet, it can take a will of steel to turn down the delicious treats on offer. Combine this with the cocktail menu and we have a recipe for over indulgence.
But, aside from the bloating simply ‘eating too much’ causes, exposing ourselves to a wider palette of ingredients can mean that we come into contact with foods that simply don’t agree with us.
The difficulty is pinpointing which ones.
When it comes to trigger foods – the ones that cause IgG reactions in the body – every single person is unique. Often the problem foods are ones you’d never guess. Simply put, you may blame the pasta, never suspecting the pine nuts in the pesto.
Unwanted souvenirs
So, you’ve sampled a smorgasbord of snacks, felt a little poorly and put it down to the suspicious seafood. So far, so ‘typical holiday experience’.
What about when you return home and decide that you’d like to bring some of those tasty foreign flavours into your home cooking, hoping to recreate those wonderful memories.
If you experienced reactions to a particular ingredient and are now including that food in your diet back home, you may continue to experience the same problems.
From tummy troubles like bloating, constipation and diarrhoea to skin complaints such as eczema, acne and psoriasis, the effects can be uncomfortable and frustrating. And, with flare-ups often occurring as late as 72 hours after you’ve eaten the offending ingredient, it can be even trickier to identify exactly what is causing the problem.
Sending food intolerances packing
If you’re still feeling the post holiday blues and think something you’re eating is to blame, why not get to the root cause quickly and conveniently with a Smartblood food intolerance test?
Our simple and straightforward test is the passport you need to get quick and accurate results, pinpointing your specific trigger foods. Find out more.