What are the symptoms of a food allergy vs. food intolerance?
Food allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe, and the amount of food necessary to cause a reaction varies from person to person. Symptoms of a food allergy include hives or itchy skin, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, chest pain, shortness of breath, swelling of the airways or anaphylaxis. Symptoms of food intolerance include nausea, stomach pain, cramps and bloating, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches, irritability or nervousness. As you can see, some symptoms are the same, but a food allergy usually worsens with repeated ingestion of the allergen. A food intolerance is much more common and generally does not involve the immune system. I’m allergic to soy products, and there is soy in almost every prepared food. How can I find suitable foods to eat? Soy, ubiquitous in many prepared foods, makes it very difficult to food shop if you have to read every label. The FDA has made it a little easier by requiring prepared foods to list the common allergens in the product in bold-f
