Food intolerances are far more common than many people believe. Food allergy is a term which is often used erroneously to describe what are actually food intolerances.
Allergies are sensitivities to certain substances which the majority of people find harmless.
Most reactions to food do not involve this classic antigen-antibody reaction and therefore many traditional allergists do not believe that food creates health problems for many individuals. The allergists believe that only a few people have food allergies. For them there is a short list of foods which cause only a few possible symptoms. These symptoms include urticaria, anaphylaxis, rhinitis and stomach problems. Over 30 million people in the United States suffer at some time from known allergies, ranging from mild to severe.