Food Allergy Awareness Week is being recognized, as food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern that affect about 8% of children in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That equals 1 in 13 children, or about two students per classroom. Washington County Hospital and Clinics Dietician Taylor Stevens shares how an allergy contrasts from an intolerance, “A food allergy is what you normally think of, that’s where your body has an actual immune reaction to the food. That can be a life threatening reaction where your throat closes up or it can be hives or itching or nausea or things like that. So that’s a food allergy, but a food intolerance is where your body still has a reaction but it doesn’t involve your immune system. You just kind of get an upset stomach or a headache or more mild symptoms. So food intolerances are not life threatening and food allergies can be very life threatening.”

Stevens mentions that food allergies and intolerances are typically both handled with an elimination diet and finding substitutes for the food causing the allergic reaction or intolerance. As there is no cure for food allergies, Stevens recommends speaking with your physician if you notice signs of children having a reaction to a newly introduced food, and her department can also help find substitutes for these foods.