At-A-Glance
Learn about the diagnosis for food allergies.
Understand common diagnostic methods: Skin Prick Test, Blood Test, Oral Food Challenge, and Elimination Diet.
Differentiate between a food allergy, food intolerance and food sensitivity.
Discover holistic management by nutritionists and healthcare providers, including personalized nutrition plans and ongoing support.
Understand the importance of emergency preparedness in case of allergic reaction.
Food allergies can be a serious and even life-threatening issue, which is why finding a proper diagnosis is crucial and may even save your life. Learn common testing protocols, the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance (they are NOT the same), and why food allergies happen in the first place.
Common Diagnostic Methods
There are several widely-used allergy testing methods, including:
- Skin Prick Test – The most common and preferred
- Blood test – Touted by healthcare professionals as highly accurate
- Oral Food Challenge – This involves introducing small amounts of the allergen into the body under medical supervision when the blood or skin prick test doesn’t work.
- Elimination diet – Noticing what foods cause reactions is one of the best ways to pinpoint and then eliminate the allergen
First, we’ll look at the role healthcare providers play in diagnosing and managing food allergies.
Role of Nutritionists and Healthcare Providers
Nutritionists and holistic healthcare providers play a critical role in diagnosing and managing food allergies, conducting more in-depth assessments regarding your medical history, test lab results, symptoms, and a plan of action to keep you safe and well. They will assess your current dietary habits, help you read and decipher food labels, and discuss related food allergies and intolerances. Learn more about the differences between food allergy vs. food intolerance.
What is the Difference Between Food Allergy, Food Intolerance And Food Sensitivity?
People often think that a food allergy and food sensitivity are the same thing as having a food intolerance, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Simply put, a food allergy is triggered by the immune system, and a food intolerance is a digestive issue where your body has a hard time breaking down a specific component of a food. Let’s take a deeper dive into what this looks like.
A food intolerance
Unlike a food allergy, a food intolerance involves the digestive system. That means, when you eat a certain food, your body has a hard time processing it. It often happens due to a lack of a specific enzyme needed to break down the food, IBS, or having sensitivity to the food additives. While eating just a tiny amount of a food can cause an allergic reaction, eating a small amount of the food that you’re intolerant to may not cause any symptoms at all. Lactose intolerance is the most common food intolerance that affects a large population.
Food intolerance symptoms include:
- Bloating
- Gas
- Cramps
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
A food allergy
A food allergy is an immune system response that treats a food like a foreign invader as it would a germ or pathogen, going into attack mode, resulting in mild to life-threatening symptoms. While this is the most concerning, it’s important to see if you may have a food allergy through skin prick tests, blood tests, or an elimination diet. For a food allergy, seeking medical care and testing is recommended.
A food sensitivity
Different from food intolerances and allergies, a food sensitivity creates an immune reaction that generates an array of symptoms, including:
- Joint pain
- Stomach pain
- Fatigue
- Rash
- Brain fog
Gluten, a mixture of two proteins present in many cereals, breads and wheat-containing items, is one of the most common food sensitivities that differs from Celiac disease. Healthcare providers recommend trying an elimination diet. This is a process of completely abstaining from problematic food groups, such as dairy, wheat, eggs, or shellfish (for example), for 2-4 weeks. After this period, you can slowly introduce one food at a time to see if it creates negative symptoms, pinpointing what foods are bothering you and which to stay away from going forward.
Personalized Treatment Plans for Food Allergies
Your undiagnosed health issues could be the result of unsuspecting food items. Once your food allergy is pinpointed, there are many holistic treatment options available to help you manage your food allergy and avoid reactions.
Developing Safe Meal Plans
Holistic nutritionists tailor meal plans to help you avoid allergens or a chance at cross-contamination while providing a well-balanced diet. Avoiding certain foods may lead to nutrient deficiencies, so a specialist will create a personalized plan to ensure you’re getting all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. In some cases, supplements may be recommended.
Ongoing Support and Education
Food allergies require ongoing education and management to ensure you’re safe and that your gut health is protected. We offer solutions for food allergies, food intolerances, and food sensitivities from our team of integrative healthcare providers to manage allergies effectively.
Emergency Preparedness for Allergic Reactions
When dealing with a food allergy, it’s crucial to be prepared. Here, we provide what to look out for should you find yourself in an emergency situation that comes from food allergies.
Recognizing Severe Reactions
If you notice any of these signs of anaphylaxis, it’s time to seek emergency medical help right away:
- Skin reactions including hives, itching, or flushed, pale skin
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- Constriction of the airways and a swollen tongue or throat, making it difficult to breathe
- A weak or rapid pulse
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Dizziness or fainting
Using Emergency Medications
Epinephrine (adrenaline), is a hormone and life-saving medication that reduces or reverses symptoms of anaphylaxis that could save your life. If you exhibit these signs, your doctor will prescribe you an auto-injector such as an EpiPen to carry with you at all times should you accidentally consume an allergen. If you do go through an episode and use an EpiPen, you still need to visit the ER as a follow-up.
Long-Term Management of Food Allergies: Importance of Avoidance Strategies
Because there is currently no cure for food allergies, avoidance remains the most effective solution. To avoid exposure and cross-contamination, first:
- Know your allergen (if you’re not sure, get tested)
- Read food labels carefully, and if you’re out at a restaurant or are not sure what’s in a food item or drink, be sure to ask and make sure the allergen isn’t contained in it
- Communicate with waiters, friends, and family members of your allergy to avoid a severe allergic reaction
- Have an emergency plan: carry your EpiPen with you, especially when you’re traveling
- Be aware of buffets, and do not share food if someone ordered something you’re allergic to. If at all possible, do not order anything you’re allergic to at the table.
- Keep allergens out of the house. If that’s not possible, create a special area with the allergen clearly labeled and sealed.
Integrating Lifestyle Changes
Having a food allergy is a serious health concern that is luckily avoidable. Make sure you check of all these tips to ensure you’re safe and that you can eat food and go out to eat worry-free:
- Meal plan: Plan your meals ahead of time for the week – this helps you avoid grabbing something last minute that’s not prepared at home, which could increase your risk of consuming allergens.
- Label everything: clearly label your food in the fridge or pantry to avoid accidental consumption.
- Designate cutting boards, pans, utensils, and cooking materials as allergen-free. Make sure to thoroughly wash everything after use to avoid cross-contamination.
- Keep things clean: wash your hands, regularly sanitize your kitchen, and never eat from a fork, plate, or cup that hasn’t been washed.
- Communicate: inform friends, family members, coworkers, and roommates of your allergy, as this greatly helps your chance of staying safe and allergen-free.
- Research restaurants and call ahead of time to ask what they cook with (as an example, ask if they have nuts in their dishes or cook with peanut oil.) This is especially important while traveling.
- Always have a back-up plan: carry your EpiPen with you at all times and consider travel insurance should a medical emergency arise.
Does Gut Health Affect Allergies?
Although the gut doesn’t directly cause food allergies, it could be at the start of a deeper root-cause issue. Food allergies deal with the immune system, and many studies show that underneath a healthy immune system is a healthy gut microbiome. When there’s not enough diversity in the gut microbiome, it could affect the immune system, as roughly 70 percent of the body’s immune system resides in the gut. Here, it learns to differentiate between harmless and harmful substances. One of the reasons people are experiencing gut issues in the first place is that they may be allergic, intolerant, or sensitive to certain foods.
Explore our advanced gastrointestinal effects testing protocols to assess the health of your gut.
The Role of Healthcare Professionals
Working with Functional and Integrative Providers and Nutritionists
While conventional medicine may be helpful in diagnosing food allergies, functional and integrative providers and nutritionists can offer several more layers of support that impact your overall well-being, pointing to root cause issues as well as building your gut health. You’ll experience a personalized plan, focus on rebuilding a healthy gut, receive education around consuming adequate nutrients, and get helpful tips on managing stress, which is also linked to gut and immune health. Through proper education and restoring your gut health, you may see far less reactive symptoms in your body as a whole.
Collaborative Care Approach
Through holistic support and integrative nutrition, a team of experts will work with you on multiple levels so you will target the root cause of your issues, whether it’s food intolerances, sensitivities, or allergies. Getting comprehensive care will also address more than just a symptom, but takes into the account the whole person, rebuilding health from your mind, body, and spirit.
Understand the difference between food intolerance, food sensitivity, and food allergies.
Consult with a functional nutritionist nearby or virtually and learn more about managing food intolerance and food sensitivity.
FAQ
Can food allergies go away?
In some cases, yes, certain food allergies will naturally go away over time (especially after childhood). These include milk, eggs, wheat, and soy. Peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish tend to be life-long. However, all of these results vary from person to person.
How can I prevent food allergies?
There is no way to prevent having a food allergy, but you can avoid eating the allergen to stay safe. While there may be deeper root-cause issues to explore holistically, the best thing to do is to avoid the allergen altogether to avoid severe health reactions.
How do I test for food allergies?
You can test for food allergies through:
- Skin Prick Test – the most common and preferred
- Blood test – touted by healthcare professionals as highly accurate
- Oral Food Challenge – this involves introducing small amounts of the allergen into the body under medical supervision when the blood or skin prick test doesn’t work
- Elimination diet – noticing what foods cause reactions is one of the best ways to steer clear of the food
A more thorough approach may be ordered from functional medicine doctors.
How long do food allergy symptoms last?
Food allergy symptoms can arise minutes after you accidentally eat the allergen up to 2 hours after consumption. Severe symptoms will typically appear during this time, but less severe symptoms could persist for hours or even days.
What’s the most common food allergy?
Milk, wheat, shellfish, fish, soy, eggs, milk, peanuts, and tree nuts are among the most common food allergies, affecting millions of people.
Pinpointing food allergies can literally save your life. By thoroughly testing, practicing elimination diets, seeking medical care for any prescriptions (such as the EpiPen) and avoiding the allergen all together, you’ll reclaim your health and freedom – knowing your body is safe. Consult with our team of holistic and integrative medicine practitioners at Forum Health for personalized testing, treatment, and guidance in your journey living with a food allergy.
