WHAT IS A 'FOOD ALLERGY' &&&&&...

Allergy:  The body's exaggerated reaction to a foreign substance..
Allergen:  A substance that produces an allergic reaction...
A food allergy is a term that health experts reserve for any abnormal reaction by the body's disease-fighting immune
system to an otherwise harmless food or component of food.

For a person having a food allergy just eating or swallowing 
a tiny amount of a particular food could  cause symptoms,
such as skin rash, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea.
It is just that the body is reacting to something that is 
otherwise harmless, and it is a  type of  allergic reaction 
the body is giving. When just a reaction to a particular food occurs, and it does not involve the body's immune system, 
then it is called food intolerance. This is not a food allergy…
The people having food allergies need to know which foods 
to avoid, how to recognize the symptoms.  
Only a small fraction of the population have a genuine allergic reaction to food that is a true food allergy.
Food intolerance is a abnormal physical reaction to a food 
or food additive that could be any

• artificial coloring or preservative that does not involve an immune reaction. A chemical deficiency
•  in the body is usually the cause of the problem…
• i.e 'food in tolerance'.
• Studies have found that 80 to 90 percent of children  with food allergies are allergic to one or more of these foods: Like  Eggs, Peanuts, Milk, Wheat, Soy.  Some other common triggers are the ‘tree nuts'  like almonds, cashews, walnuts and Brazil nuts. Fish and Shell fish like crab and shrimp
• also could be a reason for the body to show food intolerance.