FOOD INTOLERANCE: INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS OR NATURAL FOODS?

Food intolerances are often considered responsible for abdominal symptoms, like bloating, pain and alterations of bowel movements after the assumption of certain foods. Restrictive diets are very popular and they are based on food intolerance not scientifically validated diagnostic tests. Inappropriate use of these tests increases the possibility of false positive, with useless dietetic restrictions, risk of malnutrition and reduced life quality. Exclusion diets must be monitored and managed by specialists to avoid nutritional risks. They increase the phenomenon of “diet industry” and they represent a direct cost for the patients and an indirect cost for the public health, because the therapy is inadequate for the needs. The industry created a big range of products for people with food intolerances for example to lactose, gluten, however they have a bigger content of fat and calories in comparison with the classic products in order to improve their taste. Processed products contain substances like emulsifiers, stabilizers and acidity correctors so they have a worse quality. It is important to not exclude foods from our diet unless a food intolerance is diagnosed by validated tests, in addiction to this, considering that the diet remains the only life-style therapy for many intolerances, it is crucial to prefer not processed products and naturally gluten or lactose free products.