Understanding Food Allergies and Food Intolerances
Why knowing the difference matters
Food can affect our bodies, emotions and everyday lives in deeply individual ways. In this resource, I explore why knowing the difference matters with compassion, curiosity and respect for the person behind the symptoms.
One of the reasons I became interested in food intolerances wasn't because I was looking for the latest health trend or searching for a miracle solution. It came from wanting to understand my own body.
Living with ARFID since childhood and later discovering I was autistic and ADHD taught me that food is about so much more than nutrition. It's connected to our senses, our emotions, our routines, our health and, for many people, their quality of life.
As I began exploring my own health, I realised there was a lot of confusion surrounding food allergies and food intolerances. People often use the two terms interchangeably, but they are very different conditions that require different approaches.
These are important questions, but they deserve evidence-based answers rather than opinions found on social media.
My aim in this article isn't to tell you what you should or shouldn't eat. It's to help you understand the difference between food allergies and food intolerances so you can make informed decisions and know when to seek professional advice.
Although food allergies and food intolerances both involve reactions to food, they are not the same.
The aim is not to create fear around food or encourage unnecessary restriction. It is to help people notice patterns, understand the difference between allergy and intolerance, and make informed decisions with appropriate support.
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Testing should be considered alongside symptoms, clinical history and appropriate professional advice. A food allergy can be serious: suspected immediate allergy symptoms require medical assessment. IgG food-reactivity testing is different from diagnostic IgE allergy testing and remains debated, so results should not be used alone to diagnose illness or begin a highly restrictive diet.
By Maggie Learoyd
Psychotherapist | ADHD, Autism & ARFID Specialist
Founder of Space to Breathe Therapy
