Do you or one of your family members suffer from a food intolerance? Food allergies and intolerances have become quite commonplace these days. The outwards signs of a food allergy are nothing more than your immune system, putting up a defense. Your body views the food as harmful rather than nourishing.
Your system kicks into overdrive, producing antibodies to fight this invader. A reaction occurs when the antibodies are in a battle with the protein in a specific food item. Commonly, allergies are observed in things like shellfish and peanuts.
Now, food intolerance is different. An intolerance is a digestive problem more than an allergy. When you eat something, it passes the many channels through your digestive system.
If it’s something that your system cannot tolerate, then it makes it difficult for your body to digest it properly. One of the most common intolerance issues is caused by dairy, especially milk, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt.
The Prevalence of Food Allergies and Intolerances
Food intolerances are much more common than allergies. Almost everybody will experience some intolerance to the food they eat. The reaction is quite unpleasant, but you can learn to adjust your diet by making simple modifications.
When it comes to food intolerances, the most observed are those to lactose, an ingredient in milk products. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases states that there are more than 68 million people who suffer from lactose intolerance globally.
Identifying an Allergy from Food Intolerance
Food intolerance is not as severe, though it can still cause a great deal of discomfort. If your system cannot handle lactose, then eating anything with milk in it can cause you to have all sorts of symptoms. Sure, you can still have milk in your coffee or cereal, but you will pay the price for it afterward.
Intolerances aren’t deadly, in most cases, but they are certainly uncomfortable to handle. A food allergy is poisoning your system when you eat certain foods, while an intolerance makes it difficult for your body to process.
There may be some cases when a food allergy and intolerance lines are blurred, so you should ask your healthcare provider for help. An allergy test can quickly identify things that you should avoid.
Fifteen Signs of Food Intolerance
If you have a food allergy, then eating anything your allergic to will cause things like a rash, diarrhea, shortness of breath, chest pains, and swelling of the airways. Anaphylaxis can occur if the food allergy is severe, and this allergic reaction can cause you to have a full system failure. Your airways can close off, and you can experience a drop in your blood pressure.
Though not as severe, intolerance can be observed with the following symptoms:
1. Bloating & Cramping
2. Diarrhea & Constipation
3. Fatigue
4. Hives
5. Gas
6. Arthritis
7. Migraine Headaches
8. Heartburn & Acid Reflux
9. Joint Pain
10. Shortness of Breath
11. Irritability or Nervousness
12. Rash
13. Stomach Pain
14. Vomiting
15. Runny Nose
It’s essential to chart any adverse effects you have when eating foods. It’s not uncommon for people to develop intolerances after years of having no issues. Keeping a journal of the foods you eat and your digestive system’s problems can help your doctor target the issue.
What Causes Food Allergies?
Nevertheless, you can develop a reaction without anyone else in your family suffering from it. So, this is not the only deciding factor. An allergy develops the very first time you eat a food that your system can’t process.
As stated above, it’s a protein found in foods that your body sees as harmful. The immune system does what it’s meant to do, and it tries to fight off what it sees as dangerous. Your body creates a substance called immunoglobulin E, or it’s often called IgE.
If you should eat that food again, then the body has already marked it as dangerous. So, it immediately sends out IgE and histamine to try to combat it. The goal is for the system to get rid of the foreign invader from your body.
The problem is that histamine is quite potent, and this chemical can affect not only your respiratory system but your heart, skin, and digestive system. If your allergic to shellfish, the first time you eat it, you might feel your airway close. However, the next time you may experience intense itching and a rash.
It’s all dependent on where the body releases the histamine. If your body releases it into your skin, you will develop things like hives or an intense rash. However, if it’s released into your digestive system, then you will spend the day in the restroom.
It’s also not uncommon to have a myriad of symptoms if histamine is released into diverse areas of the body at once.
What Causes an Intolerance?
When it comes to intolerance with food, many factors can contribute to this common issue. For instance, those who have lactose intolerance don’t have the enzymes to digest the proteins found in these foods properly.
Additionally, it’s not uncommon for a person to develop an intolerance to food additives. Have you ever heard of monosodium glutamate or MSG? It’s a common additive used to help enhance the flavor of food and make it last longer.
The problem is that this additive is a chemical ingredient that the body has complications digesting. Now, some people’s system builds tolerance for this chemical while others don’t. The same thing can happen with things like red dyes or gluten.
Gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, is quite common these days. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, about one in 100 people in this country suffer from this ailment. Sadly, more than 2.5 million individuals have this intolerance to rice, barley, and wheat, and they don’t even know it. The long-term effects of not managing this intolerance can be devastating.
It doesn’t have to be food alone that causes intolerance as you can develop them with drinks too. Red wine is a beverage that many can’t tolerate. Did you know that this wine has sulfites in it that occur naturally? Furthermore, the manufacturing company can put additives in the wines that help them to keep from growing mold as they age.
These additives might not set well with your system. In July of 1986, the Food and Drug Administration issued a ban on the use of any spray-on sulfates. These were often used to help preserve vegetation, but there’s nothing they can do about the ones that are found naturally.
Salicylates are found naturally in many fruits and veggies, which means products like coffee, juice, and wine are affected. Did you know that the same aspirin you take for pain is also a member of the salicylate family?
If you are allergic to aspirin, then you will have issues with any foods that have naturally occurring salicylates in them. Many people have intolerances to food but have no comprehension of how intricate their system and what’s going on inside.
Why Allergies and Intolerance Can Be Serious?
In July of 2013, Camp Sacramento welcomed students for the summer. Among those students was Natalie Giorgi. She was full of life and only 13 years old.
Giorgi knew about her allergy, and she was very diligent about guarding what she put in her mouth. A fellow student offered her a crispy rice treat that had frosting on top. As soon as Giorgi bit into it, she knew that it had peanuts in it.
The teenager chewed the bite, but she spit it out. The girl went running to her mother, who gave her some medicine to combat it. Her father also came to her side to administer an emergency injection. It seemed like things were going to be okay, but then about 20 minutes later, she couldn’t breathe.
The little girl died in her father’s arms that day. Her official cause of death was from laryngeal edema. A simple mistake cost her life.
Jaie Benson didn’t have an allergy but an intolerance to gluten that made her deathly ill.
She found it troubling to get out of bed. She said the pain in her head was so bad he felt like she couldn’t go on. Eventually, she ended up in the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with a possible aneurysm.
Her disease caused a small spot on her brain to form. She didn’t think she would live to see another day if she didn’t get help. Once she switched to a gluten-free diet and cut out all wheat products, she noticed a change. She slowly started getting better and now uses her experience as a mission to help others.
Whether it be a food allergy or intolerance to food, they both can kill you under the right circumstances.
Final Thoughts on Food Intolerance
Food intolerances have become so commonplace these days that people think they have to live with them. While there is a vast difference between an allergy and an intolerance, they both are dangerous. If you suspect that you have any issues with your system and certain foods, it’s imperative to avoid those foods and seek medical help.
