The term food hypersensitivity points to both food allergies and food intolerances. A food intolerance is not the same as a food allergy, even though some of the signs and symptoms may be similar.
It can be hard to tell food allergies and food intolerances apart, making it necessary to discuss with the doctor if you suspect you might have an intolerance.
When you have a food intolerance, signs and symptoms normally start within a few hours of eating the meal that you are intolerant to. Yet, symptoms can be delayed by up to 2 days and last for hours or even days, making the offending food specially hard to pinpoint.
What’s more, if you oftenly eat foods that you are intolerant to, it may be difficult to correlate symptoms to a particular food. While symptoms of food intolerances vary, they most often involve the digestive system, skin and respiratory system.
General symptoms of food intolerance include: bloating, diarrhea, headaches, rashes, Abdominal pain, Nausea, Reflux, Fatigue, Flushing of the skin. Food intolerances are generally diagnosed by elimination diets specifically designed to narrow down offending foods or through other testing methods.
intolerance as a chemical reaction that can trigger similar signs to food allergy, but a food intolerance doesn’t involve the immune system or lead to anaphylaxis.
They tend to happen a considerable time (up to 2 or 3 days) after the food has been consumed. Intolerances can’t be diagnosed by blood tests and are usually confirmed by elimination diets with the help of a health professional like a dietitian.
