by Elizabeth Meyer, LRD
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was so worried she was going to have a peanut allergy. I had no reason, other than being good at worrying about things, to even be thinking about this. I love peanut butter so much – could the baby top that?
After holding that little chunk in my arms, I knew I’d be able to give up peanut butter if I had to. Thankfully she’s not allergic to anything.
Food allergies seem to be more common these days than I remember them being as a kid. I never had to worry about not being able to bring a peanut butter sandwich to school. Some schools have designated tables for kids with allergies. Some schools have a complete ban on peanuts. I was in one school that didn’t even want kids eating peanut butter before school in case they came into contact with one of these kids with a severe peanut allergy (leftover pb on their shirt, hands, or getting it on a door knob). Reactions with food allergies can be severe. I can’t imagine parenting a child with a severe food allergy. Talk about extra things to worry about.
Some food allergies may be mild, and some can be severe and cause anaphylaxis. It can happen quickly. In some cases, it can be life threatening. Other symptoms of food allergies can be hives, itchy skin, tightening of the throat, itching/swelling in the mouth, cramps, pain, vomiting, and a drop in blood pressure. When someone is allergic to a food, avoidance is necessary. Even small amounts can be harmful.
Food intolerance is different. It involves difficulty in digesting a food. Symptoms of these take longer to show up and may include migraine, cough, bloating, runny nose, irritable bowel and stomach ache.
Recently, I saw a commercial (followed by an ad on Facebook) for an at home food sensitivity test. Two words: Red flag.
I don’t recommend people ordering these. If you think you have a food sensitivity, or allergy or intolerance go see a medical professional. There are doctors who go to school to specialize in food allergies. It’s not something you should be diagnosing on your own for a bunch of reasons:
- You might have a serious food allergy and require and epi-pen
- You might start eliminating foods and start missing major nutrients
- It might be your body telling you something else is wrong.
These are just a few reasons. Self-diagnosis and internet research to self-diagnose never end well. Not to mention, when you get these “results” back, do you know how to read them? Or what to do with them? Did you even solve the problem?
Making an appointment with your regular doctor, who can refer you to a dietitian and/or a specialist is the way to go. A dietitian can help you take a complete look at your diet and help you determine if you should be eliminating foods. And if you do need to eliminate, they’ll be able to guide you to do it in a healthy, appropriate way. And then help you determine if there is an issue and how and when to add foods in.
The internet is convenient and ordering things from the internet can be really fun, but when it comes to your health, it's best to be “old-fashioned” and make an appointment with your provider. Just call yourself vintage.
Elizabeth Meyer is a licensed registered dietitian. Her posts appear monthly on OYT.