FOOD SAFETY: ALLERGY, INTOLERANCE, OR POISON?
Sometimes we confuse these words to mean same thing. Let's have a simple look at these words. FOOD INTOLERANCE ; When someone has a food allergy, their immune system wrongly sees the food as hostile and the body's defence mechanism springs into action. This produces a range of symptoms which can vary from mild itching to severe breathing difficulties or even shock. These symptoms usually happen immediately after eating the food . FOOD INTOLERANCE When someone is intolerant to a food, the immune system is usually not involved and symptoms take much longer to develop and are generally not life-threatening. However, a food intolerance can adversely affect long-term health. With a food allergy or intolerance, the offending food is safe to eat for the majority of people. However, it triggers an unhealthy reaction in some people. For example, peanuts are nutritious and tasty foods enjoyed by a great many people but for someone with a peanut allergy they can be ver...