How to Differentiate Food Allergy From Intolerance

It can be difficult to determine the difference between a food allergy and intolerance. The main difference is that an allergy invokes an immune response, whereas intolerance causes a digestive response. Some of the reactions can be the same, and only a physician can decide for sure which you are experiencing. Go to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment if you suffer a severe reaction that makes it difficult to breathe.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Keep a journal. Record the food you ate, how it was prepared and how much you ate. Be sure to write down how you feel after eating and what type of reaction you had, if any. Write down how long after eating it occurred and how you corrected it if you did experience a reaction.
2. Review your journal and mark suspect foods. Do this for 1 week.
3. Remove all suspect foods from your diet for at least 2 weeks. This will give your body time to recover and will make the next step clearer.
4. Introduce one suspect food back into your diet. Record the amount of food ingested and the type of reaction experienced. Avoid this food if your reaction involves difficulty breathing, itchy skin, shortness of breath, severe stomach pain, chest pain or rash or hives. You are experiencing an allergic reaction. If the reaction involves nausea, mild stomach pain, gas cramping or bloating, vomiting or headache, it is probably intolerance, though further experiments may be necessary.
5. Continue introducing foods until you determine the range of foods that trigger an intolerant behavior, barring severe allergic reactions. If you experience allergic reactions, take your list--completed or not--to your doctor. She will refer you to an allergy specialist who can run a full diagnostic allergic test. You may need to avoid trigger foods for the rest of your life.

Tips & Warnings

• Your chance of suffering from food allergies is heightened if close family members also have food allergies. Food allergies tend to run in families.
• Food allergies can be extremely dangerous and can lead to anaphylaxis or even death. If you suspect you are having an allergic reaction to food, see your doctor as soon as possible.