Find Out If You Have Food Allergies

In this episode, we discuss how to know if you have food sensitivities or allergies.

As you get older, food sensitivities you’ve had since you were younger can start to build, making your body more reactionary to something that it’s had a hard time processing. By 40, you can actually become partially intolerant of certain things you could eat when you were younger. Before you believe you’re allergic to something, I think you should understand what a food allergy actually is. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, a food allergy is a reaction that occurs in your immune system after you’ve eaten a certain food. These foods can lead you to break into hives, develop itchiness or swelling in the throat, nose, mouth and airways, or even lead to anaphylaxis. When it comes to a food allergy, almost 90 percent of all food allergies are related to eight foods: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. 

What’s the Difference Between a Food Allergy and a Sensitivity (or Intolerance)? 

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, a food allergy is a reaction to food proteins that your system can’t break down and results in severe reactions like the ones listed above. A food intolerance or sensitivity is related to an enzyme deficiency in your digestive tract that makes it hard to process a certain food, but it doesn’t lead to the severe outcomes that an allergy does. We can be sensitive to foods, but not allergic to them. 

There are a variety of ways to determine whether or not someone has food allergies or intolerances, including simple elimination diets, saliva, hair, skin, and/or blood tests. Two types of blood tests, IgE and IgG, are becoming more common for determining allergies as they are believed to provide greater accuracy in finding food allergies and sensitivities.

• IgE tests can only be ordered by licensed health care providers (your doctor).  
• IgG tests can be done by a healthcare professional or can be ordered online and sent directly to your home, and some you can only get from holistic practitioners. 

To learn more about food allergy testing and why you really need to see a qualified medical doctor to determine food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances, read the entire blog post here: https://www.gracegritandwit.com/blogs/news/do-you-really-have-food-allergies-or-sensitivities