Dr. Robert Loblay is Director of the Allergy Unit at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia and co-author of the RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook. In this Expert Q&A, Dr. Loblay answers some basic questions on food intolerance to clear up common misconceptions.
When dealing with foods on the list of Big 8 allergens – milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybean – there are a lot of reasons to see a doctor and not many reasons to do an elimination diet on your own. Which of these foods actually cause reactions that don’t involve the immune system?
Fruits are often associated with salicylate sensitivity and histamine intolerance, but it is also possible to suffer allergic reactions and even anaphylaxis from common fruits.
Food intolerance is real. What is it? Which foods do you react to? What can you expect if you have pharmacological food intolerance?