Food Allergy vs. Food Sensitivity vs. Celiac Disease: How to Tell Them Apart

A food sensitivity is an adverse reaction to a food. Unlike food allergies, food sensitivities are not life-threatening and may resolve after a period of abstinence from the trigger food.

Common Food Sensitivity Symptoms

Symptoms can vary widely from person to person, but some of the most common food sensitivity symptoms include:

• Digestive discomfort or bloating
• Gas
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Headaches
• Stomach or abdominal pain

How Long Does It Take for Symptoms to Appear?

Unlike a true food allergy, food sensitivity symptoms may appear up to 72 hours after consuming the trigger food.

How Is a Food Sensitivity Diagnosed?

A two-part elimination diet is considered the gold standard for identifying food sensitivities. Everlywell’s at-home collection kit can help you measure your body’s IgG reactivity to 96 common foods, with results categorized from normal to high reactivity.

Using those results, you can prioritize foods to remove during a guided elimination diet to help identify which foods may be contributing to your symptoms.

How Can Food Sensitivities Be Managed?

The initial approach is to avoid the offending food. An elimination diet is then recommended for a period of time before gradually reintroducing foods while monitoring symptoms for adverse reactions.

In many cases, problematic foods may eventually be reintroduced in moderation or consumed less frequently. Testing for food sensitivity with Everlywell can help streamline and expedite this process.

A food allergy is an IgE-mediated immune response to a specific food that triggers a histamine reaction with potentially severe symptoms. Some of the most common foods associated with allergic reactions include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy.

Common Food Allergy Symptoms

A true food allergy can cause potentially life-threatening symptoms, including anaphylaxis, and reactions often occur almost immediately after exposure.

Common symptoms may include:

• Hives or itchy skin
• Stuffy nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, or watery eyes
• Vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach cramps
• Swelling
• Anaphylaxis in severe cases

How Long Does It Take for Symptoms to Appear?

Food allergy reactions are typically immediate and may occur within minutes of consuming the trigger food, although some individuals may experience symptoms several hours later.

Some people may also experience Oral Allergy Syndrome, a type of cross-reactivity between certain allergens. For example, individuals with a latex allergy may react to foods like avocado, kiwi, or banana. People with pollen allergies may also react to certain fruits and vegetables.

How Is a Food Allergy Diagnosed?

Several methods may be used to help diagnose a food allergy, including:

• Skin prick testing or intradermal skin testing
• Blood-specific IgE testing
• Physician-supervised oral food challenge testing
• Patch testing

A positive skin prick test alone does not necessarily confirm a food allergy or indicate the severity of the reaction.

How Are Food Allergies Managed?

The primary treatment for food allergies is avoiding the offending food or foods. Researchers are also studying Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) and Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) as potential treatment options for food allergies.

It’s also important to note that while many children outgrow some food allergies, adults can develop food allergies as well. A 2019 study published in JAMA estimated that 10.8% of U.S. adults have one or more food allergies.

Shop the Food Allergy Test.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition, also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Current estimates suggest that approximately 1 in 100 people in the United States are affected.

If left undiagnosed, celiac disease can damage the small intestine and impair nutrient absorption, which may contribute to additional health complications over time.

Common Symptoms of Celiac Disease

Symptoms of celiac disease can vary, but common digestive symptoms include:

• Bloating or gas
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Nausea or vomiting
• Weight loss

Adults with celiac disease may also experience:

• Anemia
• Mouth ulcers
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Skin rashes or dermatitis herpetiformis
• Numbness
• Cognitive impairment

How Long Does It Take for Symptoms to Appear?

Celiac disease can take weeks or even years to diagnose. It is often identified during childhood, and many children diagnosed with celiac disease have a close relative with the condition.

How Is Celiac Disease Diagnosed?

Several methods may be used to help diagnose celiac disease, including:

• Physical assessment of symptoms and signs of malnutrition
• Small intestine biopsy
• Capsule endoscopy using a wireless camera
• Serology testing, including tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA and IgG, endomysial antibody (EMA) IgA, and deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) IgA and IgG
• Genetic testing for HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 variants

Nearly all people with celiac disease carry either the HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 gene variant. If neither variant is present, celiac disease is considered unlikely.

How Is Celiac Disease Managed?

Once diagnosed, it’s critical to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Even small amounts of gluten from cross-contamination during food preparation may trigger symptoms and intestinal damage in people with celiac disease.

Shop the Celiac Disease Screening Test.

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With Everlywell’s expanded collection of food-related at-home lab tests, you can better understand which action plans may be right for you and gain insights to help address your food-related symptoms.

Explore our full collection of digestive health support tests.