Are most people who say they have food allergies just picky eaters? - Globe and Mail

[Scott Adams]

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Open Original Shared Link Globe and Mail Blogger April Peveteaux, who has Celiac disease, sees the research as a call to dismiss people who are trying to avoid foods that make them sick – even if they're not technically allergic. “I realize not everyone thinks food allergies are a load, ... Open Original Shared Link

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[Juliebove]

My mom, daughter and I all have IgG food allergies. Some people refer to them as intolerances but the Drs. who diagnosed us referred to them as allergies. No, we won't die if we at those foods. But we will get very sick. I also have OAS (oral allergy syndrome) to pistachios. That won't kill me either but it leaves my mouth very itchy.

I have fought with many people in the food allergy community because they feel that their allergy is in some way to be taken more seriously than our allergies. Yes, some could die from anaphylaxis. There is no denying that.

But... It really ticks me off when they make flippant comments to me such as how we don't need to be as careful with our diet as they do. And how it won't hurt us if we eat a cross contaminated food. Well to me, just because our symptoms might not be the same as theirs, it doesn't make them any less valid. Not in my book! That's sort of like saying that an allergy trumps celiac. In my mind neither is a good thing and both mean you need to avoid the offending foods.

I do get angry though when a person says they are allergic to something simply because they don't like it. I would never do that. I am a picky eater. When I order in a restaurant I ask for certain things to be left off of my plate. Well sometimes anyway. Depends on what I order. Once in a while they will ask me if it is an allergy and I tell them, no, I just don't want that food. If in fact it is a case of my just not liking it. I also have other issues such as diabetes and gastroparesis that affect my diet. When I ask for no bun or no bread it might be because I just can't eat that many carbs.

Mostly for me the big thing is eggs. They make me violently ill. So much so that I wish I were dead rather than having to go through it. So yes, I will tell them I am allergic to eggs. And my Dr. would back me up in saying that it is an allergy and a severe one at that.

[mushroom]

I lay this squarely at the feet of the faddist gluten freers People have to resort to using the term allergy because it is the only one that is taken seriously. Intolerances have become just a joke, and it really isn't fair to the anaphylatics either, to whom it really is a life and death situation. But does that mean that celiacs should suffer because they ONLY have an intolerance and are therefore fair game? I will use intolerance if someone "gets it" and allergy if they don't.. I don't feel it is up to me to prove to anyone how I react to a particular food, only that I have an adverse reaction.

[Celtic Queen]

People have to resort to using the term allergy because it is the only one that is taken seriously. Intolerances have become just a joke, and it really isn't fair to the anaphylatics either, to whom it really is a life and death situation

I totally agree. I actually usually tell people in restaurants, "I have Celiac Disease. I am severely allergic to wheat, barley, oats & rye and if I eat anything with those ingredients I will become very sick." Technically I know what I'm saying is wrong. I'm not allergic, and I can eat gluten free oats, but this seems the safest way to get my point across.

But... It really ticks me off when they make flippant comments to me such as how we don't need to be as careful with our diet as they do. And how it won't hurt us if we eat a cross contaminated food. Well to me, just because our symptoms might not be the same as theirs, it doesn't make them any less valid. Not in my book! That's sort of like saying that an allergy trumps celiac. In my mind neither is a good thing and both mean you need to avoid the offending foods.

To me the difference between allergies and intolerances is the difference between poisoning your body quickly or slowly. Either way you get sick. And either way the answer to staying well is to avoid the poison in the first place.