If you have a food allergy, then your body is creating antibodies that will attack the proteins of that food which you are eating. For instance, if you have an allergy to milk, when you drink it, your body will create antibodies to attack the milk proteins. And, as a result of your body attacking the milk proteins, your body is likely to have a reaction.

When it comes to food, lots of people continually mis-diagnose themselves. They go through life believing that they have a food allergy when, really what they have, is a food intolerance. So, if we take the milk example again, drinking it may cause your stomach to become bloated. This is usually a sign of food intolerance, meaning that your body doesn't have enough of the lactase enzyme to fully digest the milk. As a result, some of the milk remains undigested in your stomach causing the bloating.

On the other hand, if you start to have a shortness of breath, congestion of the nasal passages, rashes, or other similar signs, it may indicate that what you really have is a milk or dairy allergy. Testing, of course, is the only way to know for sure.

As a result, it is very apparent just how crucial it is to be able to diagnose a food allergy versus a food intolerance. Food intolerance can often be resolved by simply taking the appropriate food enzymes. Food allergies, however, are much more complicated to treat. In many cases the only thing to do is to avoid the food altogether.

Chemical sensitivity is another symptom that is frequently mistaken for a food allergy. In the U.S. the amount of whole foods that we have consumed has gone down dramatically in the past one hundred years. Today, the trend is towards faster foods that are more refined and processed. And all of the processed foods that we eat today have artificial chemicals added to them. You may believe that you are allergic to a food, when what you are really allergic to are the additives that are in that food.

Something that illustrates this perfectly is the many food colorings that are routinely added to most of our processed food products. This is just about always performed for marketing purposes. The thinking is that it makes the food more appealing to the eye. And although they are probably correct, they don't take into account that many people, especially young children, are sensitive to many if these food dyes used.

You may have a reaction to the food and think that, therefore you are allergic to that food, when what you are really allergic to is the food coloring. Because the symptoms of a food allergy and a chemical sensitivity are often similar, it can be difficult to diagnose which one it is.

The lesson to be learned is that whether due to real food allergies, chemical sensitivities, or food additives, the causes of many of the illnesses we experience can be traced directly back to the foods we eat. And, if you want to really improve your health, you can start by being tested for food allergies.