Why is wellness in the workplace so important? Well, mental health matters, and food intolerance testing helps. But what is the correlation between intolerance and mental health? And the workplace? That’s what we explain in our articles in this category.

People get stressed over food intolerances

Sometimes people get stressed over food intolerances because of the symptoms that come about from them. No one wants to be at work and worry about how their body will react to their lunch. That’s where the mental health correlation comes in. If you’re worried about potential diarrhea at work, then you can get stressed. This can lead to people not wanting to eat their lunch in the workplace. In no environment would this be considered healthy. But a food intolerance test can help with that. To improve workplace wellness, ensure the right foods and diet are being consumed. If people need to take that little extra time at lunch, it is advised they get it. People shouldn’t have to rely on processed meals. They should be able to prepare a proper lunch to ensure they are getting the right nutrients and are not suffering from any troublesome symptoms.

Wellness in the workplace

It really matters. Keep your employees happy by allowing them proper lunches to ensure they are eating correctly. If they’re not stressed about food intolerance symptoms, then they can be relaxed when eating. Otherwise, it can be quite upsetting for people. Learn more in our recent articles about wellness in the workplace with US Food Intolerance.

Living with Food Sensitivity: How to Modify Your Diet and Lifestyle for Better Health

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When you first find out you have a food sensitivity, your first thought may well be, ‘what can I eat now?’ Finding out that a certain ingredient is off limits is a big deal, especially if it’s something you enjoy and eat on a regular basis. Though it’s not easy learning about dietary changes you need to make, it doesn’t have to mean an end to your social life or eating out. In fact, food intolerance tests can help you to embrace a new diet that will not only improve your health but provide a better understanding of your body and the fuel it needs to function properly. Here’s how you can modify your diet and lifestyle for better health, as we help you adapt to living with food sensitivity.

Research your food sensitivity – knowledge is power

There is much information online about food sensitivities and what products can be used as substitutes in baking and cooking. So, use it to your advantage. From blogs to cookbooks, websites, and magazines, chances are someone has already spent time writing about their own food sensitivity, and their wisdom will be at your fingertips. Start by researching recipes catering to your dietary needs to find what substitute items you could use. For example, if you’re baking a cake but need to consider an egg intolerance, avocados can make a good alternative, and the outcome is equally delicious. Taking the time to learn about the biological aspect of a food intolerance can also be helpful because once you understand why your body reacts the way it does, the prospect of a new diet can seem much more logical. Knowing why you are struggling can help you to live with food sensitivity.

Re-learn your grocery store

At first, you might feel discouraged at the thought of cutting a certain item out of your meals. But food intolerances are increasingly common, and brands are wising up to this. The result is that plenty of alternative products are on offer at the grocery store that won’t trigger a reaction in your body. If you find out you’re lactose intolerant, you should find plenty of other choices on the shelves, such as oat, almond or soya milk. It might be a case of trial and error until you find one that suits your taste buds, but plenty of products are designed for those with food sensitivity. We often purchase the same items because it’s a habit we get into, but re-learning your grocery store can open your eyes to new things and encourage you to find foods that are more compatible with your digestive system.

Plan ahead if you’re eating out

Because food intolerances are on the rise, restaurants are becoming more accommodating regarding their menus. This is good news to the ears of anyone living with food sensitivity. However, if you’re going out for a meal, it’s always a good idea to plan ahead so you’re not faced with an empty plate or something uninspiring while everyone else tucks in. Check out their online menu before you go, or phone up and ask if there’s the possibility they can prepare something that suits your dietary needs. You won’t be their first customer with food intolerance, and you won’t be their last, so they should be able to help with any requirements you have. Similarly, if you’re going on vacation, look into the local restaurants close to your accommodation so you know where to head for a meal that won’t kick-start your sensitivity symptoms.

Talk to people

If you’re concerned about your food sensitivity and how it will affect your social plans, the best thing to do is talk about it. Most people have heard of food sensitivity but may not understand the full extent of the implications until you’ve explained them. If you have dinner plans at someone’s home, or going to spend the holidays with them, have a chat in advance so they can prepare food that’s suitable, and you’ll enjoy. You could even offer to take a dish with you so you know there will be something for you to eat that other people could also try. Your host will want you to feel at ease when you join them for food, and they’ll only be able to help if they understand the lifestyle and dietary changes you’re making.

Shop your food sensitivity test from US Food Intolerance

If you have any questions about living with food sensitivity and how it can affect your lifestyle, please email [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help. You can also fill out the contact form on our website, and we’ll aim to get back to you within two hours of a working day. Please remember that you should speak to a dietician or medical professional if you have any concerns about your health or diet.

How do vitamins keep me healthy?

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Head into any pharmacy today, and their vitamins and supplements will likely be on offer. Thanks to coughs and colds being so common this time of year, it’s the ideal time to entice people into upping their nutrient intake to try and ward off sniffles and sore throats.

How many vitamins are there?

But how many of us know which vitamins are the most effective in boosting our health and whether supplements are worth taking or not?

Vitamin A

What does it do?

Vitamin A is an all-around champion for good eyesight and essential for preserving your vision. It also helps to support your immune system as it maintains the mucous barriers in your eyes, lungs and gut, and is particularly good for glowing skin. Although it’s essential to include vitamin A in your diet, too much can make you feel unwell and cause dizziness and headaches (hypervitaminosis A). Therefore, if your diet is already high in vitamin A, you won’t need to overconsume tablets to supplement your intake.

What foods should I eat?

  • Sweet potato
  • Liver
  • Squash
  • Kale
  • Carrots
  • Sweet red pepper
  • Mango

Vitamin C

What does it do?

Arguably the one that most people turn to when they’re full of cold or have flu symptoms, vitamin C promotes the production of white blood cells, which helps to protect your body against infections. It also aids the body’s absorption of iron from your diet and helps it to heal after an injury. Because your body can’t produce or store vitamin C, it’s essential to include it in your diet daily to ensure it receives the right amount to function properly.

What foods should I eat?

  • Strawberries
  • Oranges/orange juice
  • Peppers
  • Blackcurrants
  • Kiwi
  • Broccoli
  • Tomatoes

Vitamin D

What does it do?

There’s a reason why a lot of people become deficient in vitamin D in winter, and this is because it’s created by our bodies when the sun shines on our skin. We need vitamin D to regulate our phosphate and calcium to keep bones and teeth healthy, so it’s worth considering taking a supplement between October and March when the days are darker. Without the required amount of vitamin D, our risk of bone pain and deformities increases, and we’re more likely to suffer from infection and feel fatigued.

What should I eat?

Sunshine and supplements are the best way to make sure your body has all the vitamin D it needs, but there are some foods that will help:

  • Egg yolks
  • Red meat
  • Oily fish
  • Fortified cereals

Vitamin E

What does it do?

A good all-rounder, vitamin E is a fat-soluble nutrient that helps your body’s immune system fight illness and infection. It’s also needed to maintain healthy skin and eyes and could potentially reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

What should I eat?

  • Wheat germ oil (found in cereals)
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Spinach
  • Plant oils such as soya, rapeseed, and olive oil

Vitamin K

Although vitamin K isn’t associated with keeping the immune system healthy, it is needed to help our blood clot and heal wounds. Without it, we can easily bleed excessively after cutting ourselves and bruising. This is the reason babies are regularly given vitamin K injections after birth, as it massively reduces the chances of them developing vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB).

What should I eat?

  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Cabbage
  • Vegetable oil

Learn more about food intolerance tests and vitamins

If you’d like some information on food intolerance tests and which vitamins we test for, have a look around our website. Plus, you’ll learn how they can help improve your health this autumn, please email [email protected] or fill out the contact form on our website.

 

Is weight loss really 80 percent food and 20 percent exercise?

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Going on a weight loss diet is not all it’s cracked up to be. Many like the idea of losing weight but lose motivation almost immediately when realizing how much hard work it can be. At US Food Intolerance, we want to help you achieve your weight loss goals. But we also want you to achieve them the right way. In our latest articles, we provide an insight into why going on a weight loss diet can be such hard work, and why there are better ways that you can lose weight by being healthy. They don’t just involve running marathons either! Keep reading to see our tips on eating healthier.

Set yourself weight loss goals

You need to set yourself targets and aims. In the same way, people set personal aims and goals at work or in sport, achieving a weight loss milestone can bring a person so much pride. They are delighted in what they have achieved. It does wonders for their mental health. That is what is so important for US Food Intolerance. Not only do we want you to feel better physically, we know the importance of feeling better mentally!

So the first step is to set a realistic weight loss goal. The temptation is to set an unrealistic goal that you will never reach. This can be more demoralizing when you step on the scales. The best way to go about it is to set yourself incremental goals. That way, every time you reach a target you feel a lot better about yourself. It can be as good for you mentally as well as physically to weigh yourself and see a decrease in numbers on the scales. For us, weight loss is not a straight 80/20 split. Although your diet is important, a lot of it is about mentality. Mentally, you need to be realistic. You can put as much work in the kitchen as you can, but if you mentally are not prepared to put in the effort, you won’t lose weight.

The thing is, it is about consistency as well. You can’t just go on a diet, achieve your weight loss goals and then leave it. If you do that, you’ll just put the weight back on.

Exercise is still important

Exercise is still important even if you are on a diet designed to achieve weight loss. Exercising just means you might reach your goals quicker. It’s all about calorie deficit. You can run 10k a day but still gain weight if you are consuming 4000 calories a day. That’s how it works. And so if you are on a reduced-calorie diet designed to help with weight loss, you don’t need to exercise as much.

But you still should exercise.

That’s because it is as good for you mentally as it is physically. You can’t tell us that even though that run or walk feels like hard work when first starting out, it does not feel really good after you’ve done it! That’s how you need to look at it. Not only are your achievements there because you have burned more calories than you have consumed, but mentally you feel fresh as a daisy! As with everything, it is all about mindset. Check out our blog page on US Food Intolerance to learn a bit more about mindset, anxiety, and wellness in the workplace.

Symptoms of a weight loss diet

There are reasons why medical professionals don’t like weight-loss diets. A lot of the time people go too far one way and do not consume enough calories. Models and influencers promote fads which often lead to people not eating enough and end up fainting. This is not healthy and can cause serious damage to individuals. There is also the possibility that if you have an intolerance to foods, you might not even be reaching the level of calories you need to. That is because of the resulting symptoms of intolerance. Your body is rejecting the food. Turfing it away, so to speak. Flatulence, diarrhea, or even constipation. If you are constipated, you don’t want to be eating more and more food, do you? You are likely to eat less, thus restricting your calories even further.

Learn more about food intolerance testing with US Food Intolerance. It could be what you need to help you achieve your weight loss goals on a diet. Think exercise. Think food. Feel better.