Is It Really a Food Allergy?

It’s not uncommon for people to experience unpleasant symptoms when they eat certain foods. Most are quick to blame the symptoms on a food allergy, although this is not always the case. A far more common condition is a food intolerance which is far more common than a classic food allergy. When it comes to food allergy vs. food intolerance, how can you tell the difference?

Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance: What a Food Allergy?

A food allergy is a condition where the immune system reacts to one or more components in a particular food. This sets off a series of reactions, creating symptoms that can be life threatening. Although food allergies can occur to a variety of foods, the most common ones are to nuts, milk, eggs, seafood, wheat, or soy. When a person is allergic to a food, the immune system responds by pumping out chemicals such as histamine which causes a range of symptoms to develop including itching, swelling, rash, difficulty breathing, and even loss of consciousness or death. A food allergy can be a true medical emergency and should be treated as such. Symptoms can come on within minutes of the body being exposed to the offending food.

Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance: What’s a Food Intolerance?

In contrast, a person suffering from a food intolerance may experience uncomfortable symptoms, but the condition is rarely life threatening and the immune system isn’t involved. It usually takes larger amounts of the food to trigger the symptoms of a food intolerance, whereas a person with a food allergy can develop severe symptoms after eating only a small bite. A food intolerance results when the digestive system is unable to properly digest some component of a food. This may be due to low levels of a particular enzyme such as the lactose enzyme that breaks down milk protein. People with low levels of lactose are intolerant to dairy products. Another example is an intolerance to gluten which is associated with celiac disease.

In some cases, a food intolerance can arise from sensitivity to food colorings, chemicals, or preservatives in a food. The classic example is intolerance to the sulfites found in wine or the salicylates found in some fruits, vegetables, and cheeses. Exposure to these foods can cause a variety of symptoms including rashes, bloating, nausea, changes in stool consistency, headache, dizziness, and cough, among others. Although these symptoms may be uncomfortable, they’re usually not life threatening and generally don’t occur immediately after the food is eaten.

Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance: How Can You Tell?

When it comes to food allergy vs. food intolerance, you probably already know it if you have a food allergy. The best way to determine if you have a food intolerance is to keep a food diary for several weeks, recording everything you eat along with any symptoms experienced. It may be difficult to establish a pattern since the symptoms may not occur until hours or even days have passed. Once you’ve identified potential triggers, your doctor may recommend an elimination diet to see if removing the trigger relieves the symptoms. Once the offending food is identified, a diet can be structured around avoiding it.