Food Allergies, Food Sensitivities, Food Intolerances: What's the Difference?

Have you ever wondered……..what’s the difference in a food allergy, sensitivity, and intolerance?  Let’s break it down.

Food allergy = these are the most serious and can be life threatening. Think peanut or shellfish allergy causing an anaphylactic reaction, hives, itching, swelling. This can occur at any time in life and is an exaggerated response by the body’s immune system. The most common is an IgE mediated reaction. People with known food allergies often need to carry an EpiPen.

Food Sensitivities = These are more subtle and often delayed by up to 3 days after eating the offending food. They are caused by an IgG mediated reaction. Symptoms commonly include GI upset, bloating, change in bowl pattern, joint pain, fatigue, headache, brain fog. This is what the IgG Food MAP test you’ve heard me mention tests for. Uncovering sensitivities will allow you to customize your diet, remove the offending food, and begin to feel better. It is also important to discover what gut issues are present and heal those as most sensitivities resolve with gut healing!

Food intolerances = this happens when the body cannot digest and process a certain food. A common example would be lactose intolerance. This is the lack of of a specific enzyme needed to break down the lactose. Common symptoms include bloating, gas, diarrhea. With food intolerances, you may be able to eat a small portion of the offending food without symptoms. This varies person to person.

So there you have it! Most of the people I work with have multiple food sensitivities and some intolerances. If you have any of the symptoms I mention (bloating, gas, brain fog, joint pain, headache) especially after eating, get tested and stop guessing! Why waste more time when you could get to the root of the problem and fix it!?