A Food Allergy is a reaction you get after eating a certain food. This could be an immediate and severe reaction like Hives or breathing difficulty which is more globally recognised as an allergy, or it could be a reaction like dry itchy throat, runny nose, or feeling bloated which isn’t as immediate but appears within the hour.

A Food Intolerance is again a reaction you get after eating a certain food but it is more likely to occur anytime after an hour and up to 3 days later which is why it is often very difficult to pin point it to an exact food. A lot of people suffer from a food intolerance and don’t always realise it so they treat the symptoms rather than look for the cause. 

It is said that if you were born with a food allergy you may have it for life, but if you have a food intolerance then you are more likely to grow out of it. However if you become intolerant or allergic to food later in life and you cut that item out for a period your body may adjust and you can start introducing that item again.  However everyone’s bodies are different and it does depend on the severity of your allergy as to whether you want to risk trying the item again as you could end up with a more severe reaction than you started with which could be life threatening.

For the remainder of this website where ever I state Food Allergy I mean both allergy & intolerance as both have an effect on your life and are treated in the same way – avoidance of the food in question.