Food Allergy or Food Intolerance?

While it is true that some people have dangerous, life-threatening allergies to some foods, others may only think they are allergic. Unfortunately, distinguishing between an authentic allergy and a probable allergy is very difficult. Doctors cannot even give a 100 percent definitive answer to their patients about whether or not they have an allergy. As many as 9 percent of people believe they have some type of food allergy, when, in fact, only 5 percent has a true allergy.

Often times a person may have a food intolerance, not an allergy. The two may cause similar reactions, but for different reasons. An intolerance is usually because of a combination of ingredients or psychosomatic, meaning the person has talked their brain into having a reaction. This is not to say situations like peanut allergies are over dramatized. That particular allergy is very real and very deadly. The problem lies in a minor reaction after eating a specific food. The reaction prompts a person to assume they are allergic to a particular food. In reality, it may have been something the food came in contact with or a reaction to something else in the environment.

Skin and blood tests alone are not definitive. One test that very few doctors will take the time to complete is a food challenge test. The challenge involves a person blindly eating a variety of foods and watching for any reactions. This test is often avoided because if a person truly is allergic to a specific food, they may have a life-threatening reaction.