Food Intolerance Specialist

What causes food intolerance?

Food allergies and food intolerances are two very different conditions. While allergies are an immune response to a trigger in your body, intolerances are caused by problems digesting certain foods.

An intolerance to a type of food may cause your child to have an unpleasant reaction when they eat that food. This is due to several reasons, including:

• Chemical sensitivities in specific foods
• Missing or deficient enzymes needed to digest certain foods
• Irritable bowel syndrome

In some cases, your child may suffer from a food intolerance due to a psychological problem. This can lead to symptoms when your child eats the food or even from the thought of the food.

What are the signs of food intolerance?

Food intolerance can cause many different symptoms, depending on the severity of the intolerance and the type of food eaten. Small amounts of the food might not cause any symptoms. In contrast, larger portions can cause several reactions, including:

• Skin rash
• Nausea
• Bloating or gas
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Stomach pain
• Headaches or migraines

Your child may also feel fatigued or experience acid reflux as a result of a food intolerance. Because many of these symptoms are vague and caused by many other conditions, food intolerance can be very hard to diagnose.

What are the signs of food allergies?

As mentioned previously, food allergies consist of immune reaction to certain types of foods. Signs of food allergies include:

• Hives
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Weight Loss
• Blood in stool
  
  

How are food intolerance and allergies treated?

While there’s no definitive testing for food intolerance, the specialized team at Academy Park Pediatrics helps you and your child determine the culprit behind their symptoms as efficiently as possible. The best way to do this is through an elimination diet.

The pediatricians work with you and your child to determine what food groups trigger uncomfortable symptoms. They then assist you in forming an elimination diet to remove those foods from your child’s meals to determine if their symptoms improve.

There’s no set treatment for food intolerance. The best way to ease your child’s symptoms is to figure out the food that’s triggering them and essentially remove it from their daily diet.

If your child accidentally ingests one of the problem foods, home care measures and medications may be prescribed to help them get through the symptoms until they pass.

To speak to the team about your child’s food intolerance, don’t hesitate to call the office, or request an appointment online today.