There are 29 different categories of food, and thousands of individual products within each category. It’s little surprise many of us don’t react well to everything we eat.
While most of the food you eat throughout your life will have no negative impact on you, you may, on occasion, experience a physical reaction.
When eating or being exposed to a certain food product causes a reaction, this indicates you’re experiencing one of two things: a food allergy or a food intolerance.
Unfortunately, most people can’t tell the difference at a glance.
Many people assume they’re allergic to a specific food when it causes them to throw up or have stomach pains, but the issue may just be an intolerance.
Here’s what you need to know about food allergies and intolerances.
What Are Food Allergies?
A food allergy is the most severe response your body can have to a specific food. Allergies happen when your immune system reacts to a certain substance in a food. You might have an allergy to peanuts, gluten, or dairy for instance.
Food allergies can affect multiple components of your body at the same time, causing swelling around the face, lips, throat, and tongue, vomiting, and hives. Food allergies can be life threatening, as they can often cause the throat to close up, making it difficult to breathe.
If you have a food allergy, you can’t simply cut down on the amount of that food you eat. Instead, you need to avoid the product entirely and contact the emergency services immediately if you end up having a reaction.
What Is A Food Intolerance?
A food intolerance is a less severe, but still negative response to a food. When you have an intolerance, your body struggles to produce the right enzymes required to process certain foods. This can lead to a range of side-effects and symptoms, such as gastrointestinal pain, vomiting, and gas.
With a food intolerance, you may be able to tolerate a very small amount of a certain product before you begin to notice side effects. Sometimes you can take treatments which help you to process the foods you’re intolerant of.
For instance, if you’re lactose intolerant, there are pills which provide you with a version of the lactose enzyme your body is lacking.
While food intolerances are unpleasant, they’re not as dangerous as food allergies, and they’re less likely to be life threatening.
Is It A Food Allergy Or A Food Intolerance?
Because the symptoms of food allergies and intolerances can overlap, it’s possible to get the two mixed up. The best way to determine how significant your response to a certain food is will be to speak to a doctor. Generally speaking…
A food allergy:
* Is an immune system reaction wherein your body mistakenly treats proteins in a food as a threat (like an infection or bacteria).
* Triggers severe symptoms, ranging from rashes and wheezing, to itching, anaphylaxis, trouble breathing, and vomiting.
* Is often related to specific foods, such as fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, and peanuts.
* Can be life-threatening.
A food intolerance:
*Does not involve the immune system, but instead has to do with an imbalance of certain digestive enzymes in the body.
* Can cause a range of symptoms. These symptoms often occur gradually over a few hours after eating the food.
* Can be caused by many different kinds of foods and managed by reducing their intake.
* Will not be life threatening.
How Do You Manage Intolerances and Allergies?
The strategy you use to manage an intolerance or allergy will depend on what kind of issue you have. If you have a mild allergy, your doctor will often recommend staying away from the food product and checking the ingredients in your meals carefully before consuming them.
If your allergy is severe, your doctor may provide you with an epi-pen in case of anaphylaxis. You will also need to avoid eating or being exposed to the problem food at all costs.
If you have a food intolerance, you may be able to simply reduce your consumption of the food that causes problems. In some cases, you may also be able to take synthesized versions of the enzymes required to process your problem food.
In either case, it’s best to seek a doctor’s advice to ensure you’re pursuing treatment correctly. Your doctor should be able to ensure you’re taking the right steps to protect yourself.
Doctors can also conduct allergy tests to determine whether there are any other problematic substances you need to avoid.