13/03/2025
What is the difference between food allergies,, food intolerances and food sensitivities?
✅Food allergies are an immune response by the body that occurs immediately after any amount of a certain food is ingested. These can be serious and potentially life threatening. The key here is that it is ANY AMOUNT (in some cases, peanut breath from one person is enough to cause a reaction in an allergic person sitting in the same airplane).
✅Food intolerance happens when digestive symptoms occur after a certain food is eaten and the response time can vary. The amount of food ingested can have an effect on the severity of symptoms. There is a threshold: a person can tolerate a small amount of that food, but not a large amount. For example, some people with lactose intolerance are able to consume a small amount of dairy without having a problem, but if they eat a larger serving, they may experience symptoms. The key distinction here is that this is entirely a DIGESTIVE issue. There is no immune response going on.
✅Food sensitivities are a different type of immune reaction. They can originate from the systemic immune system or the digestive immune system, and the response can be delayed (up to three days!) or can even be undetectable. The amount of food that causes a response varies (again, there is a threshold) and symptoms include nausea, stomach pains, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, headache, irritability, joint pain, eczema, lack of energy, and more. If a certain food triggers
an inflammatory response by your immune system, then that inflammation can cause damage to the lining of the intestine, and gastrointestinal issues appear.