I was diagnosed by an allergist. I know there's controversy among allergists over whether the kind of reaction I have is truly an allergy, or whether only the anaphylactoid type is, but I'll leave that to the scientists.

It's not lactose intolerance (dairy is by no means the only food I'm allergic to, I'm more allergic to goat's milk than cow's, and digestive symptoms are minimal, attributable only to an excess of mucus) and it's not celiac (gluten-containing grains are not the only ones I'm allergic to, and in fact I'm more allergic to rye and corn than I am to wheat).

Basically, I have the same type of reaction to foods as I do to pollens and molds. Fatigue, systemic edema, congestion and excess mucus production in all mucus membranes, and palpitations (SVT). As my allergic load increases, so do my symptoms - so I'm much more strict about my diet during weed season, for instance. No one disputes that inhalant allergies are truly allergies.