Weekly
Healthy Advice From VÄXA
Food Allergies 101
People with seasonal
allergies at this time of year may be more fortunate than
those who suffer from food allergies, which seem never-ending.
But do you really have food allergies, or can it be a food
intolerance - and is it avoidable?
What's the difference between Food Allergies and Food
Intolerance?
Food allergies are usually caused by Immune System deficiencies.
The Immune System mistakes a food for a harmful substance,
and causes the cells to make antibodies called immunoglobulin
E which normally fight disease. This releases histamines and
chemicals with physical symptoms such as:
- Mild: Skin rashes, hives, over-abundant
mucus, swollen lips, eyes or tongue.
- Worse: Swollen throat, breathing problems
(wheezing, coughing), vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal
pain.
- Deadly: Anaphylaxis (complete throat
closure, anaphylactic shock).
Food intolerance more often involves
a lack of enough enzymes to digest a certain element. The
most common food intolerance is lactose intolerance. The “intolerant”
person may experience bloating, gas, abdominal pain or constipation,
and possibly excess mucus.
Some symptoms can be part of both food allergies and intolerance,
making it hard to differentiate. For example, celiac” disease
a violent reaction to gluten (the starchy protein in wheat
and other grains) is considered by some medical experts to
be both an auto-immune allergy and a toxic intolerance because
of the crossover symptoms.
Your Personality or Behavior can be Affected, too!
Food allergies and intolerances can cause people of any age
to be moody, irritable, anxious or hyperactive. Individuals
may not realize that their mood after eating certain food
correlates and coincides with their physical symptoms. Sugar
intolerance can over-stimulate a person (make them feel "high")
and then make them sad or depressed, but they may not connect
it to their throbbing headache.
Cases of childhood food allergies where children exhibit irregular
behavior can be misdiagnosed as or can actually be a warning
sign for attention disorders like ADD or ADHD.
Common Food Allergies:
- Cow's milk (including cheese, ice cream)
- Soy milk and/or soybean products
- Wheat or all gluten
- Peanuts or all nuts
- Shellfish or all fish
- Food coloring
- Fruits (strawberries the most widespread)
Common Food Intolerances:
- Milk lactose from all dairy
- Sugar
- Wheat, oats, barley, white rice, corn
- Chocolate
- MSG
- Pork products
- Beans
Meanwhile, you can avoid attacks by:
- Keeping a record of what you ate or
drank before a reaction.
- Eliminating one food at a time
to find the culprit. For example:
- Replace dairy with brown rice based
products
- Replace above grains with millet,
brown rice, natural buckwheat and others.
- Eliminate sugary products and sugar
substitutes like high fructose corn syrup.
- For fiber, eat fruits with skin,
lentils, green vegetables, sweet potatoes.
There are some very delicious sugar-free
treats, wheat-free breads and dairy alternative products (even
ice cream!) at most health food outlets. You'll hardly taste
the difference! |
