Archive for September, 2009
Do any of you suffer from a nut allergy… or indeed and food allergy? If so how extreme is it? And what is most annoying about it?
Its really annoying not being able to have what you want whenever you want, always have top read labels!
It really is annoying having to pay special attention to every food item you want. Reactions can vary for me from very mild, like breaking out, bloating, or heartburn, to more severe, like hives, rashes, and facial swelling. I’ve never gone into anaphylactic shock, so no need for an epi-pen. For a while, I took an antihistamine to slow down the allergic reactions, and tried to keep away from most bothersome foods. After a while, I was able to ‘cheat’ a little, especially during seasons when I was not normally suffering from any seasonal allergies. Everything is so much worse if you also suffer from non-food allergies, so try to be good if you do. Otherwise, you choose based on how much discomfort your willing to tolerate.
Also, allergy testing is a very good way to tell how severe your allergy is to specific food and non-food items. It would be worth it to find out exactly what it is that aggravates your body the most and avoid it! Good Luck!
I have a feeling i may have a food intolerance of some kind and am going to attempt to find out what i could be intolerant too (possibly could be wheat or lactose).
Im just a bit confused - Do products that state they are ‘gluten free’ also mean that they are wheat free? Is it the same thing?
I was thinking about possibly going to the doctor but dont want to risk going there and coming out feeling stupid if they say they cant do any tests to find out whether i have a wheat or milk intolerance!
Any help would be great 
I’ve answered this one at greater length elsewhere, but just to reiterate - gluten free and wheat free are not necessarily the same thing. Gluten is also in barley, rye and some oats and there is ‘washed’ wheat starch which contains virtually no gluten.
But do go to your doctor. It’s important to get all the testing done while still eating a normal diet. And yes, there are tests (initially a simple blood test) they can do.
A food allergy involves the production of histamines by the body in response to an allergen. In severe cases an anaphylactic response can occur (breathing difficulty, bradycardia, collapse). An example would be an allergy to penicillin or peanuts. This can be relieved by taking an antihistamine drug or adrenalin.
A food intolerance usually involves the gut and is not life threatening. An example is the diarrhoea which can result from taking the drug erythromycin.