Whether it’s a bacon sandwich, sausage rolls, or pork pie, there is no denying pork meat is a popular British staple. But if you find you experience bloating, nausea or other unpleasant symptoms habitually after eating pork, you may be experiencing a pork intolerance.
What Is Pork Intolerance?
Food intolerance occurs when your digestive system reacts adversely after eating a certain food, in this case, pork. While food allergies and food intolerances are rare for meat – including chicken, beef, and lamb – it is possible. Meat proteins can trigger IgG immune responses which can be picked up through a food intolerance test.
Pork allergy symptoms can be similar to those of pork intolerance, so it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether the reaction to pork is one over the other, making testing all the more important to understanding your gut.
Pork-Cat Syndrome
It’s also worth being aware of a rare, but very real, condition called pork-cat syndrome. This is where someone with a cat allergy also experiences allergy symptoms when eating pork. In those cases, research indicates that the body’s IgE antibodies (part of the immune response to an allergic reaction) cross-react to both cat albumin and pork albumin. As with all food allergies, this can cause a serious, and even life-threatening, reaction. You should seek immediate medical advice if you suspect you have a severe allergy.
Pork Intolerance Symptoms
Pork intolerance symptoms may not be as severe or life-threatening as a pork allergy, but they can be very uncomfortable as it affects your digestive system and can cause other symptoms as well.
Pork intolerance may present itself in the following ways:
- Abdominal Pain
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Tiredness
- Skin Problems
- Headaches
- Low mood
Some of the symptoms above can also be present if pork is not prepared properly and thus causing food poisoning rather than a food intolerance. It’s very important to ensure you’re eating well-cooked pork meat for this reason.
Unlike food poisoning, which is hopefully a one-off, food intolerance symptomswill usually be recurring.So it’s a good idea to keep a food diary to help keep track of when your body reacts poorly to certain foods and to determine whether a food intolerance test is necessary to understand your digestive issues.
Testing For Pork Intolerance
In order to find out whether your symptoms are indeed tied to a pork intolerance, we recommend taking a food intolerance test to determine whether reactivity to pork is to blame and whether there are other ingredients that are also affecting you at meal times. At YorkTest, we analyse your IgG antibodies 1-4 through a finger prick blood sample, one of the most accurate methods of testing available.
The blood test can identify 200 ingredients to which you may have food intolerances and their severity in an easy-to-understand traffic light system. Once you have your results, our expert nutritional therapists can help guide you to understand your food intolerances, as well as advise on how to interpret your results in your everyday diet, and make your food elimination diet journey easier.
How Long Will A Pork Intolerance Last?
Pork intolerance is not necessarily lifelong. Through careful elimination diets, you may be able to reintroduce pork into your regular diet with time. An allergy, on the other hand, can never be overcome and in some severe cases, can induce life-threatening reactions. For allergy we always recommend seeking professional medical advice to make sure your body is getting the nutrition it needs.
Foods To Avoid With A Pork Intolerance
Staying away from pork products isn’t always as easy as eliminating the meat. There are other items to avoid until your symptoms subside that you may not have thought of previously as they may contain animal fats. That’s why it’s always important to read through food labels.
Some foods to avoid include:
- Bacon
- Jelly
- Gravy
- Marshmallows
- Chips
- Fruit snacks
- Canned biscuits
- Gelatin
- Pre-made pie shells
- Deli meat
If you suspect you have an underlying food intolerance to pork, a Premium Food Intolerance Test may help you in gaining back control of your health and improve your relationship with food. With your test results in hand and in line with your nutritional therapist’s advice, you can go on to a successful elimination diet, making the right food swaps to put you at ease.
