FOOD ALLERGIES & INTOLERANCE

A food allergy is the bodys response to a food it mistakenly believes is harmful.  Thankfully they’re not as common as you might think.  People often confuse them with food intollerances.

Although we could have a reaction to just about anything, like wasps or rubber flip flops, only a small number of foods are to blame for 9 out of 10 food based allergies in the UK.

WARNING SIGNS:
Food allergies affect your immune system, which reacts whenever it comes into contact with problem foods, causing symptoms such as:

• Itchy skin or rash
• Dry, itchy throat and tongue
• Coughing
• Nausea or bloated feeling
• Diarrhoea or vomiting
• Wheezing and shortness of breath

Anaphylaxis is where the mouth and throat swell to make breathing difficult.  This can be life threatening and needs urgent medical treatment.  Thankfully its quite rare and people can use auto-injectors or anti-histamines to reduce the symptoms prior to medical attention.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS:

Peanuts | Wheat & Soy | Milk & Eggs | Fish & Shellfish

Not a Good Reaction:

Food intollerances dont involve the immune system, but they can make you feel ill…  Wheat and dairy products are the big offenders here.  They can cause diarrhoea, weight loss, bloating and anaemia.  The most common ones are…

• Lactose Intolerance: In the UK & Ireland, some 5% of adults cant drink milk.
• Gluten Intolerance: See’s the immune system attack itself in response to foods containing gluten.  The lining of the small intestine can be damaged and the body stops absorbing essential nutrients.
• Food Preservative Intolerance: If its brightly coloured (for some thats a key sign they wont be able to eat it).  Food additives may lead to hyperactive behaviour, cause rashes or exacerbate asthma.

EATING OUT:

By law here and in Europe, if pre-packaged foods contain certain ingreadients that commonly trigger allergies, they must be listed on the label.

Tags: food allergies, food intolerance

Category: Health News, Nutrition