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

Food allergies cause dangerous allergic reactions. Your body treats the food as a hostile invader, and produces increased levels of immunglobin E to attack it. This in turn triggers increased production of histamine, resulting in red, swelling and irritated skin, wheezing, coughing, and a sensation 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 cited occurence of this is an allergic reaction to peanuts, where a quick injection of adrenaline is needeed to stop the often fatal anaphylaxis.

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

In both examples, an exclusion diet and skin prick tests can be highly useful in isolating the specific foods that cause the reaction. Your diet can then be 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.