Knowledge is power.
What’s the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance? How do you know if allergens are in the foods you eat? What happens if you’re sensitive to certain foods? Each year, 30,000 people go to the emergency room and nearly 200 people die from allergic reactions, so it’s important to research these topics and choose foods that will help your body thrive. A food allergy occurs when the immune system produces an antibody in response to the protein in specific foods. Exposure to the food in even the tiniest amounts can produce immediate or delayed symptoms; some may be merely uncomfortable (hives, eczema, stomach upset, sinus problems) while others are life threatening (swelling of the tongue, closing of the throat). Food elimination diets, blood and/or lab tests are used as a part of the diagnosis. A food intolerance happens when eating a certain food triggers a negative physiological response, but the immune system is not affected in the same way. Symptoms may take up to three days to kick in, making food intolerances very difficult to diagnose. Elimination diets and specialty tests are the most common methods for diagnosis. While not life-threatening, symptoms can be severe and range from gastrointestinal distress, headache and chronic fatigue.
We care about your body’s health, so all Enjoy Life Foods products are free from the eight most common food allergens in the United States, as declared by the FDA — wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish. In addition, our products are made in our allergy-friendly facility, so there’s no chance of contamination. We also are free from Canada’s twelve priority food allergens, which include the big eight plus sulfates, crustaceans, sesame and mustard.
We recommend that you talk to your doctor further about food allergies and intolerances.
Did You Know?
About 12 million Americans have food allergies. Children sometimes outgrow allergies, but an early peanut allergy may be in place for good. Surprisingly, adults can develop food allergies at any time!