These days, it’s expected that servers at restaurants ask guests aboutfood allergiesbefore taking their order, and for good reason: Almost 20% of adults believe they have a food allergy, according to a January 2019studyin the Journal of the American Medical Association.
However, only about 10% of adults actually have a diagnosed allergy, according to the same study. While it’s still a significant number, it means half the people who think they have an allergy are still in the dark about what the issue really is. Instead of self-diagnosing, or ignoring a potential problem, here’s what you should know about food allergies, how they differ from食物敏感性and what to do if you have symptoms of either.
FOOD ALLERGY OR FOOD SENSITIVITY?
食物过敏和食物敏感性可以引发一些悲惨的症状，如胃痛和疲劳。食物敏感性只发生在消化系统中，而在吃食物的同时你对此感觉敏感might cause discomfort like bloating，它不是危及生命的。根据“的”American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology（aaaai）。虽然这是一个很好的消息，但它也可以使食物敏感性难以诊断。
另一方面，食物过敏，在消化系统之外具有后果。如果Aaaai的说法，如果您对食物过敏的食物，请吃它会引发免疫系统反应，导致整个身体过敏反应导致整个身体过敏反应。过敏的严重程度可以从人到人类的范围;在吃触发食物后，有一个严重过敏的人可能会发痒，而具有更严重过敏的人可能面临过敏性休克的风险（一个严重的病症，导致肿胀和呼吸呼吸困难）。
SYMPTOMS TO LOOK FOR
“食物过敏症状可以包括刺痛，荨麻疹，瘙痒，湿疹，嘴唇肿胀，面部，舌头或喉咙，喘息，充血，麻烦，头晕，灯头，晕厥，腹痛，腹泻，恶心或呕吐，“说Amy Gorin, MS, RD. Food sensitivity symptoms, she says, include stuffy nose, fatigue, headaches and stomach pain or discomfort.
如果您遇到任何这些症状，该怎么办
Make an appointment with an allergist, says Gorin. Anyone with a severe food allergy has likely already been diagnosed, since symptoms like vomiting, closing of the throat and trouble breathing can land you in the emergency room. But, it’s important to get a diagnosis from a professional even if your allergies aren’t so severe. “Eating a food that once caused a mild reaction could another time cause a severe, life-threatening reaction and it’s not worth taking a chance,” notes Gorin.
An allergist will run one or several tests to help you sniff out a food allergy. “This testing could include a skin prick test, a blood test, an oral food challenge or a试验消除饮食，“说Gorin. If the tests show evidence of an allergy, “you can manage your symptoms as well as take any necessary precautions, such as carrying an epinephrine pen if you have a risk of an anaphylactic reaction.”
当它可能是一种食物敏感性
If allergy testing doesn’t lead to a diagnosis, it’s possible you have a food sensitivity. While the consequences aren’t as serious when compared to food allergies, it can still be a big pain. Trying to self-diagnose or following an elimination diet without the supervision of a doctor or dietitian can lead to more problems.
“消除饮食是一项短期协议，旨在帮助您弄清楚你敏感的食物，如果你敏感，”Leslie J.Bonci，Rd，Owner积极的饮食建议. “You really should only do one if it’s medically necessary, and you should be under the guise of a dietitian the whole time.” He or she will guide you through a process of eliminating common trigger foods, then systematically reintroducing them one at a time in order to figure out which ones might be causing problems.
此外，Bonci强调消除饮食并不是长期的意思。“所有这些流行的消除饮食漂浮的问题是恐惧因素，”她说。“当人们限制某些食物并仍有症状时，他们经常想，”哦，我应该限制更多，“而不是认识到食物实际上可能不是问题。”这可以导致disordered eating habits, and evennutrient deficiencies. If a dietitian-supervised elimination protocol still doesn’t get to the root of your problems, schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist, who may diagnose irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or anotherdigestive issuethat can be managed with doctor-recommended生活方式改变或处方药。
