Food intolerances usually happen when the body cannot properly digest certain foods or nutrients. Symptoms of food intolerances can look like those of food allergies. But a food intolerance does not involve the body’s immune system.

A common food intolerance is lactose intolerance. This happens when the body cannot properly digest lactose, a sugar in milk. People with lactose intolerance can often tolerate some dairy and dairy containing foods. People with intolerances like celiac disease need to completely avoid the foods that trigger the intolerance.

Last modified: February 19, 2020