Patrick Holford in his book The Optimum Nutrition Bible says that food allergies are affecting close to one in three people. So, perhaps we’re not making it up after all. At this point it might be worth defining just what we mean by a food allergy and what we mean by food intolerance, although inevitably opinions differ as to the exact mechanisms of how some reactions to food actually work. Food intolerance is sometimes quite difficult to pin down in that reactions can sometimes occur a long time after the food has been consumed. Symptoms can range from an upset stomach to a general feeling of yeargh or just a foggy, tired, generally below-par sort of feeling. Some experts believe that every-day foods cause a food intolerance to build up.

Commonly wheat is seen as a major culprit, but others are gluten, dairy products and eggs. The reasons why certain foods affect us is still under debate in certain circles, but one theory is that larger particles of food, not completely digested by the system, circulate the body causing an inflammatory response that affects our brain chemistry. Another theory is that because we often crave foods that do us the most harm, the body develops an addiction-like response to these foods that act like natural opiates - great when you’re having them, but terrible once you experience the inevitable crash that leaves you craving more.

The best way to work out if you might have an intolerance is to avoid a suspect food for four weeks. You might try eliminating wheat, gluten, dairy, mould, chocolate or eggs. You must find alternatives to replace the eliminated foods and eliminate them one at a time or you may get pretty hungry. Reintroduce the food after the four weeks is up and pulse test your reaction to it. Consume just that particular food otherwise you won’t know what affected your reaction. For example, if you were avoiding eggs, have a large helping of scrambled eggs and take your pulse 15, 30 and 60 minutes before and after. If you’re intolerant you’ll notice that your pulse will beat significantly faster. Take a note of any other reactions too.

Usually a food allergy is much more immediate. It produces an actual immune response in the body that often manifests itself in hives, rashes, eczema, breathing difficulties, migraine or vomiting. It’s normally quite easy to trace the culprit, as a reaction appears very soon after the food has been eaten.

Very severe types of allergy can be life-threatening. A person can die if their reaction to a substance (commonly peanuts) is severe enough for them to go into anaphylactic shock and victims must be taken to hospital immediately. Some sufferers carry around adrenaline shots, which must be administered quickly to avoid lethal consequences.

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