Food allergies and intolerances

Food allergies occur when your body reacts to a food by triggering an immune response. Common foods that cause allergies are nuts, eggs, and shellfish. Food intolerances, on the other hand, do not trigger an allergic reaction but cause a response from the digestive system.

Avoiding foods that trigger allergies

Just eight foods account for 90 per cent of all food allergies. They are eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, soya, gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts (eg walnuts or almonds). It is typically the protein component of a food that is responsible for the allergic response. However, even foods that we do not...
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Preventing food allergies in babies

A food allergy develops when a baby's immune system creates antibodies to a specific food the first time that the food is eaten. The next time the food is eaten, the baby or young child may experience symptoms of a food allergy.
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Food allergies: getting a balanced diet

If you have a food allergy or intolerance, and avoid a whole food group, such as milk and dairy products, you may be missing out on key nutrients. This is especially important for those needing extra calories, vitamins, and minerals, such as growing children, pregnant and breast-feeding women,...
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Case study: active child with food allergies

This case study explores the life of 10-year old Malik, and how his various food allergies are managed both in terms of lifestyle and diet.
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A bit about food allergy and intolerance

Some foods cause adverse reactions in susceptible people. The best-known example of a food intolerance is lactose (milk sugar) intolerance. Up to ten per cent of northern Europeans suffer from lactose intolerance.
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Treating food allergies and intolerances

For people with a true food allergy or food intolerance, even a tiny amount of a food that affects you can cause discomfort or, in the case of an allergy, potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis. Strict avoidance of the food is the only way to prevent symptoms, but avoiding some common foods...
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Food allergy or food intolerance – what’s the difference?

Food allergy and food intolerance are rather misunderstood ailments. So let’s take a look at how to distinguish between the two, so you can find out whether you are actually allergic or intolerant to certain foods.
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Getting by with gluten-free

The only way around coeliac disease (better known as gluten intolerance) is a totally gluten free diet. So how easy is it to get by on a gluten-free diet?
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Managing children’s food allergies sensibly

Children’s food allergies can rapidly become a real headache, complicating meals – especially if there are a number of different allergies in the same family.
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When sport reveals food allergy

Hives, abdominal pain, coughing and other ailments sometimes occur after eating during physical exercise. Few people are familiar with exercise-induced food allergy, yet it may in some cases prove a very serious condition. Doctissimo sums it up for you.
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Gluten intolerance: Could there be a new treatment?

Gluten intolerance affects around 1 in 200 people. Sufferers spend their lives watching their diets carefully so that they don’t run the risk of eating villainous grains like wheat, rye and barley. But numerous studies have given new hope of a cure. Could those who are gluten intolerant have a...
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