It is estimated that one of every four households in the United States make adjustments in food habits due to food sensitivities.

“Whether it is a food allergy or food intolerance, the problem must be identified and a proactive plan to avoid the food must be implemented,” said Tammy Roberts, nutrition and health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

It is important to note the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance.

A food allergy is a response by the immune system when it does not recognize a food ingredient which is usually the protein of the food. When the body does not recognize the protein, the immune system works hard to destroy it.

The body works to get rid of the “invader” by producing destructive chemicals. It is those chemicals that cause the rash, watery eyes, swelling, runny nose and other symptoms people have to foods their body doesn’t recognize.

“A food allergy can produce a life threatening response called an anaphylactic reaction. People who have severe reactions must take great care to avoid the allergen and carry injectable epinephrine,” said Roberts.

A food intolerance can produce similar symptoms to a food allergy but the immune system is not involved. Generally, the response is in the gastrointestinal tract.

Often, those symptoms include gas, bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Some common causes of food intolerance reactions include lactose (milk sugar), table sugar, maltose, histamine and tyramine, (substances created in the fermentation process of aged cheese, vinegar, soy sauce, and processed meats) and a handful of salts, artificial food coloring and preservatives.

Eight foods cause 90 percent of allergic reactions according to Roberts. Those foods are milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.

Children tend to be allergic to the first five on the list and adults have more reactions to the last four on the list. Four to six percent of children have food allergies while only one to two percent of adults have them. That is because children often outgrow their allergies.

Allergies to fish, shellfish, peanuts or tree nuts are often a lifetime affliction.

“Whether the reaction is a food intolerance or a food allergy, the treatment is the same -- avoid the food. Read labels carefully to make sure your allergen is not present and always ask restaurants about the content of the foods they prepare,” said Roberts.

For more information on nutrition issues, go online to http://extension.missouri.edu or contact Tammy Roberts at (417) 682-3579.