Food allergies and food intolerances are quite similar terms that are often used interchangeably – however, they are two very different afflictions that need to be more fully understood.

Food allergies cause dangerous allergic reactions. Your body sees the food as a hostile intruder, and manufactures increased levels of immunglobin E to attack it. This in turn produces increased production of histamine, resulting in red, swelling and irritated skin, wheezing, coughing, and a feeling of tightness in the nose and throat. Sometimes the reaction is even more dangerous, where the body goes into anaphylactic shock, and beginsstarts to shut down. The most obvious occurence of this is an allergic reaction to peanuts, where a quick injection of adrenaline is necessary to stop the often fatal anaphylaxis.

Food intolerance is a less severe allergic reaction. Most often observed in cases of lactose intolerance, food intolerance is where the body is unable to completely process a certain food. This commonly results in migraines, diarrhoea, vomiting, or feelings of dizziness and lethargy.

In both situations, an exclusion diet and skin prick tests can be highly successful in finding the specific foods that cause the reaction. Your diet can then be altered to cut out the unwanted foods whilst still being nutritious and satisfying. Many special food allergy recipe books are available which can be a huge help to those suffering from food allergies.

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