Food Allergy or Food Intolerance?
After we eat, the food is digested by our body and turned into energy. It is the fuel that keeps us alive and well. Sometimes the food does not get digested properly and our body has an adverse reaction. The most common reactions occur in our gastrointestinal tract in the form of gas, heartburn, or nausea. Sometimes the body has a more severe reaction depending upon whether you have a food intolerance or an allergy.
Food allergies affect a large number of people of all ages. Over ten million people, from newborns to senior citizens, suffer from food allergies in the United States alone. Food allergies are far more dangerous than food intolerances, and can even be life threatening. The human immune system functions as an army protecting our body from uninvited invasions, and when an unwelcome entity is found, the army attacks. Occasionally, our immune system makes a mistake and assumes that something in our food is unwelcome and the army mounts an offensive against that which is meant to provide us with energy; this is a food allergy. The symptoms of food allergies include, but are not limited to, difficulty breathing, a sudden and drastic drop in blood pressure, or rashes, hives or itchy patches on the skin. The majority of all food allergies are caused by peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, milk, eggs, soy, and wheat.
Food intolerances occur when your body encounters a challenge in digesting the food. Food intolerance does not necessarily happen every time you eat a certain food, unlike an allergy, which is a reaction that will occur every time. Food intolerances rarely occur when a small amount of the food has been ingested. Most commonly, food intolerance develops over time when a lot of a certain food is eaten or if that food is eaten frequently. Whether you suffer from a food allergy or intolerance can be determined by seeing your doctor and having tests run. There are medications that can be provided in either case, but the best course for avoiding adverse reactions to any type of food, is to abstain from that food all together.
If you have any questions, or to set up an appointment for testing or consultation, visit annapolisallergy.com.