Allergy or intolerance?
Pinpointing your personal problem food can be a tricky business
food allergy is a rapid and potentially serious response to a food by your immune system. It can trigger classic allergy symptoms such as a rash, wheezing and itching.
The most common food allergies among adults are to fish, shellfish and nuts. Children often have allergies to milk and eggs as well as to peanuts, other nuts and fish.
Food intolerances are more common than food allergies. Symptoms tend to come on more slowly. Typical symptoms include bloating and stomach cramps, but food intolerances can be difficult to tell apart from other digestive disorders that produce similar symptoms.
It’s possible to be intolerant to several different foods. This can make it difficult to identify which foods are causing the problem. The only reliable way of identifying a food intolerance is through an exclusion diet, where you cut out certain foods one at a time to see if there’s an effect.
Lactose intolerance occurs when your body can’t digest lactose, found in dairy products. The main symptoms are diarrhoea and stomach pain. In most cases, your GP can diagnose lactose intolerance by looking at your symptoms and medical history.
Coeliac disease is a common digestive condition where a person has an adverse reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. Symptoms include diarrhoea, bloating and weight loss. Coeliac disease can be diagnosed with a blood test and biopsy.
With lactose intolerance, you’ll have to reduce your intake of dairy products. With other forms of food intolerance, you’ll have to stop eating the food for a while, or in some cases permanently. Those with coeliac disease must avoid gluten for life.
In all cases, always read food labels carefully and learn where your problem food may be used as an ingredient in other foods.
For more advice on your diet, ask your GP to refer you to a dietician. — © The Daily Telegraph, London