Food sensitivities, food allergies and food intolerances are all terms used to describe conditions that cause unpleasant symptoms after you eat certain foods. Food intolerances can cause some of the same signs and symptoms as food allergies or sensitivities, so people often confuse these terms.
Food Allergies and Sensitivities
Food allergy symptoms can manifest it several ways: difficulty breathing, feeling sick, lightheaded, hives, swollen lips or throat, itchy skin/eyes, stomach pain, diarrhoea, sneezing, or even anaphylaxis.
A true food allergy affects the immune system. Even small amounts of the offending food can trigger these range of symptoms, which can be severe or life-threatening. If you have a severe food allergy, your GP should give you an epinephrine pen to carry around with you. Scientists don’t understand as much about food sensitivities as they do about food allergies, but they are also the result of an immune reaction to certain foods. They can cause a range of symptoms, but they don’t lead to anaphylaxis and aren’t life-threatening.
Food Intolerances
In contrast, a food intolerance often affects only the digestive system although, in minor cases, headaches, skin reactions or shortness of breath have also been reported. With intolerances, you might be able to eat small amounts of the offending food without trouble. They are digestive problems caused by an inability to break down substances in certain foods, like lactose intolerance after eating dairy products.
Causes of food intolerance include: an absence of an enzyme needed to fully digest food, irritable bowel syndrome or sensitivity to food additives (eg. sulphites in dried fruit and wine, food colouring, aspartame). Some foods are also high in histamine which can cause an upset stomach or other allergy symptoms. Common high histamine foods include fish, alcohol, fermented and aged foods.
There is some evidence appearing that food allergies and sensitivities could be associated to imbalances in your gut microbiome – this is the name for the thousands of microbes and bacteria that exist in your gut. Some studies have seen that these imbalances have preceded food allergies. Differences have been found in the composition of the gut microbiome between people with and without food allergies. With food sensitivities, symptoms can produce longer-term issues, such as inflammation to the lining of your gut. In this case, small molecules could then slip through the gut lining and produce more problems. The good news is that sensitivities can improve over time with diet and lifestyle changes.
For some people who suffer from IBS, digestive reactions to high-FODMAP foods can be one cause of food intolerance symptoms. FODMAP as an acronym for the types of sugar found in specific foods which include certain fruits, vegetables, wheat and dairy. IBS is very complex, but a low-FODMAP diet could improve symptoms.
Food intolerances don’t always have a single, easily identifiable cause. If you suspect you may have an allergy, sensitivity or intolerance it is important to see your GP. A nutritionist can help you understand the foods that are causing your symptoms and can help you in the successful implementation of an exclusion and reintroduction diet. They can advise you on how to prevent symptoms while maintaining a healthy, balanced diet that meets your nutritional requirements.
If you feel I could be of assistance please do get in touch: rosiecardoenutrition@gmail.com, www.rosiecardoenutrition.com, 07794 902467.
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