Is it possible to have an intolerance to drinks?

It is possible to have an intolerance to certain drinks such as alcohol, coffee, and milk. If you have digestive problems when you drink these things, it’s most likely that you are intolerant to drinks and liquids. This is not life-threatening; it can just cause you a lot of inconvenience. Let’s find out what drinks you can have an intolerance to, and whether anything can be done about it!

Alcohol Intolerance

Alcohol can cause you to be uncomfortable if you drink it without being aware of an intolerance; an intolerance means you cannot process it normally and is usually passed down from family. If you have an intolerance to alcohol, you may experience vomiting, nausea, headaches and an increased heartbeat. If you’re feeling like you have an intolerance, it’s important to check. This is because drinking alcohol frequently with an intolerance can cause liver damage. You can test by taking an at-home intolerance test or going to see the doctor.

Milk is a common intolerance

If you find that you have digestive issues from milk, you could have an intolerance to lactose. Lactose is a sugar that is present in milk which contains glucose. This can cause a lot of discomfort in your stomach and may cause you to become bloated and nauseous. Lactose makes up 2-8% of milk. It is easy to avoid milk because there are so many alternatives on the market in today’s society. There are a variety of different plant-based kinds of milk or even just lactose-free milk, which will allow you to drink milk without discomfort.

Coffee contains caffeine which is a common cause of intolerance symptoms

It’s not the coffee that causes you discomfort after you drink it. It’s the caffeine. Did you know around 10% of the population is sensitive to caffeine? Some people can tolerate four cups of coffee comfortably, while others can only tolerate one or two cups. Symptoms of a caffeine intolerance are nausea, anxiety, trembling, headache, insomnia and increased heartbeat.

It’s also possible to develop caffeine sensitivity once you’ve grown into an adult. This could be due to older people clearing caffeine from the body slower than younger people. This doesn’t just apply to coffee. There is also an issue with energy drinks because they contain a lot of caffeine. Having no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is recommended. This equates to 4-5 cups of coffee. Energy drinks have around 40 milligrams per can.

Do you think you might have an intolerance to drinks?

If you find that you’re having issues after drinking any of these things, UK Food Intolerance recommends taking an intolerance test or going to see your GP. An alternative to this is doing the elimination method; this is where you eliminate what might be causing your symptoms to see how you feel after not having them. However, the issues that often arise with an elimination diet are the time it takes. It can take up to six weeks, and often, you can find that another food could cause the symptoms by then.

Are intolerances difficult to navigate?

Intolerances can be difficult to navigate and may cause some disruption to your life, but once you know how to deal with them, your symptoms will begin to ease. There are so many alternatives out there. Begin to try some to find out what you like and dislike. UK Food Intolerance has compiled a full list of the most common causes of intolerance symptoms and what the alternatives are. This author has been compelled to start drinking decaf after developing an intolerance to caffeine – typical!