If you don’t understand food intolerances then you need to now. With the rise of allergies and food intolerances becoming increasingly noticeable, it is time to order a food intolerance test. You may have difficulty digesting certain foods, and this will result in an unpleasant experience. Having an unpleasant physical reaction to food items could affect the way your body reacts to intolerances and allergies, which can be difficult to cope with. Find out more with Test My Allergy about what we can do to help you deal with your intolerances and allergies.
But first, there are some things we think you need to know about whilst you discover your food intolerances, including allergies and intolerances, with the terms often interchanged but confused:
What are the differences between allergies and intolerances?
A food allergy:
- A food allergy is a reaction from your immune system to something your body wouldn’t normally consider harmful. – Your immune system mistakenly treats proteins found in food as a threat
- Can trigger various allergy symptoms that come on rapidly, including headaches, runny noses, and skin rashes
- Can often occur due to particular items – the most common food allergies in adults are to fish and shellfish and nuts, and in children to milk and eggs as well as to peanuts, other nuts and fish
- Can be serious and sometimes life-threatening, so it is important you know what is causing it
Food intolerances:
- Does not involve your immune system – meaning there is no allergic reaction, and there is a very little chance that it could be life-threatening
- Causes allergy and intolerance symptoms that come on more slowly, often after many hours
- Only results in symptoms if you consume reasonable amounts of the food (unlike an allergy, where just traces can trigger a reaction)
- Can be caused by many different items, including if you have eaten too much
For more information on food intolerances, you can order a food intolerance test here. Find out which symptoms you can alleviate and which foods you need to avoid.
