Understanding the Difference Between a Food Allergy and Intolerence

I have had friends who complained that they couldn’t eat wheat and dairy, and to be honest, I thought they were just being a ridiculously picky eater.  Only later did I find out that they were actually suffering from a genuine food intolerance.  As it turns out, this is much more common than you think.  This growing problem is believed to impact 25% of the American population.  Because of this, it has become much more common to find foods that cater to sensitivities.  As an example, I recently bought a friend a gluten free gift basket.

One thing to keep in mind is that a food intolerance is not the same as a food allergy.  A food allergy is something that you are born with.  Because your body believes that the offending food is a harmful invader, it works to create antibodies to fight it.  Symptoms happen right away and may be mild, but fairly often they are quite serious and can even be life threatening.    The good news is that only about 3% of the adult population has true food allergies.

When you have wheat intolerance or lactose intolerance, your gastrointestinal system reacts negatively when you consume that food.  The reactions are not allergic and they stem from the fact that your intestines are having a difficult time assimilating the culprit food into your blood stream.  Unlike allergy symptoms, intolerance symptoms take some time to show up. In some instances, they may not show up for a day or two.  This is especially true for wheat intolerance symptoms. This delay makes it difficult for your doctor to diagnose a food allergy.

There is some debate as to why more people are developing food intolerance.  The most poplar theory is that the food we eat is too clean.  Experts believe that because we do not get enough good bacteria, our gastrointestinal tract cannot properly digest certain foods.