How to spot a food allergy or intolerance

This week marks National Food Allergy and Intolerance Week. Allergies and intolerances to certain types of food can affect the day to day lives of a whole family and can be potentially life threatening.

Food allergies and intolerances are widely self-diagnosed without the use of a doctor or allergy testing. This can lead to entire food groups being avoided without the actual intolerance or allergy itself addressed. There are key differences between intolerances and allergies.

What is a food allergy?

A food allergy occurs when the body reacts against harmless proteins found in some foods. The body treats the specific food as an invader and the immune system launches an attack on it. An antibody called IgE is sometimes released to seek out the food and if the same food is ingested again, the immune system attacks again producing histamine to fight the ‘invader’. Symptoms of the food allergy range from mild to severe and can be life threatening.

Actual diagnosed food allergies are fairly uncommon affecting around 2.5% of the population in the UK.

Symptoms of a food allergy

The symptoms of a food allergy appear minutes to a couple of hours after the food is ingested and can include:

Hives
Swelling
Coughing
Trouble breathing
Wheezing
Redness
Skin Rash
Itching
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Lightheadedness
Loss of consciousness

If your child develops breathing difficulties or swelling to the mouth, tongue or throat please seek immediate medical help.

The foods that most commonly cause allergic reactions are Peanuts, tree nuts such as almonds and Brazils, eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, and sesame.

What is a food intolerance

A food intolerance is different from a food allergy because it doesn’t involve the immune system. An allergy promotes the release of antibodies and the immune system launches an attack on the food it sees as an invader whereas an intolerance involves the digestive system.

When a child has a food intolerace, you’ll notice the symptoms are all around the digestive system as opposed to the typical allergy symptoms. The symptoms of a food intolerance can be more delayed than allergy symptoms and often, the list of possible offending foods is lengthy. It can be difficult to pin point the exact food or ingredient causing the problem.

Food intolerance is much more common than allergies and affect around 45% of the population in the UK.

Symptoms of a food intolerance

The symptoms of a food intolerance can last for hours or days and can include:

Asthma
Eczema
Abdominal pain
Bloating
Gas
Constipation
Diarrhoea
Headache and migraine
Nausea
Rashes
Weight loss
Wheezing

Common food types people are intolerant to include lactose (found in cow’s milk and dairy), gluten, carbohydrates and fatty foods.

How to diagnose an allergy or intolerance

If you think your child might have a food allergy or intolerance seek medical advice from your doctor. A food diary might be suggested to keep track of exactly what is eaten and when symptoms occur to help limit the possible offenders.

Dietary changes such as elimination diets might be suggested so there is only limited access to a possible allergen or intolerance so as to monitor the symptoms and create a shortlist of possibilities.

Other tests such as prick tests may be performed to identify exact reactions to specific ingredients.

Sometimes the diagnosis of intolerances and allergies is a long and frustrating journey but trial and error is usually the method taken to come to a successful conclusion.

How to cope with a child with a food allergy or intolerance

Life with a child with food allergies and intolerances can be stressful and worrying. Once the allergen is identified, it must be eliminated from not just all sources of food but skincare and cosmetic ranges also. The diet of the entire family may change to adapt to the dietary requirements of the allergic child.

This management of food sources continue beyond home life with school, friends houses and parties having to be monitored for safe alternatives.

When your child is going to a birthday party but is intolerant or allergic to the typical party foods, create a special party bag just for them with safe alternatives and serve this at the party instead. This will keep them safe whilst making them feel special.

Photography: Gail @Flickr