Allergy: Hypersensitive reaction to intrinsically harmless antigens, most of which are environmental. Allergies are divided into those that produce immediate or antibody-mediated reactions and those that produce delayed or cell-mediated reactions. Immediate reactions release certain substances into the circulation, such as histamine, bradykinin, acetylcholine, immunoglobulin IgG, and leukotaxine. Delayed reactions are caused by antigens, but do not seem to depend on antibodies. Some common symptoms of allergy are bronchial congestion, conjunctivitis, edema, fever, urticaria, and vomiting. Severe reactions include anaphylaxis and angioneurotic edema of the glottis. See also Food Allergy 

Autism: Developmental brain disorder that causes learning disabilities, personality disorders, difficulty in communicating with others, and in severe cases may cause aggressive or unusual behaviors. Autism is usually diagnosed in early childhood (before age 3) and is characterized by a marked unresponsiveness to others and the surrounding environment. 

Aspartame: White, almost odorless, crystalline powder with an intensely sweet taste that is used as an artificial sweetener. It is approximately 180 times as sweet as sucrose and is used to enhance the flavor of cold or uncooked foods. Aspartame tends to lose its sweetness in the presence of heat, moisture, and alkaline media. Excessive use of aspartame should be avoided by patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) because the substance hydrolyzes to form aspartylphenylalanine. 

Asthma: Respiratory disorder characterized by recurring episodes of wheezing on expiration/inspiration due to constriction of the bronchi, coughing, and viscous mucoid bronchial secretions. Episodes may be precipitated by inhalation of allergens or pollutants, infection, cold air, vigorous exercise, or emotional stress. 

Candidiasis: Any infection caused by a species of Candida, especially Candida albicans, characterized by pruritus, peeling, and easy bleeding. Diaper rash, intertrigo, vaginitis, and thrush are common topical manifestations of candidiasis. See also Yeast-Free Diet 

Carob: An eastern Mediterranean evergreen tree (Ceratonia siliqua) in the pea family, having pinnately compound leaves and large, dark, leathery pods. The pod of this plant, containing a sweet edible pulp and seeds that yield a gum used as a stabilizer in food products. Also called algarroba. An edible powder or flour made from the ground seeds and pods of this plant, often used as a substitute for chocolate. 

Casein: A white, tasteless, odorless protein precipitated from milk by rennin. It is the basis of cheese and is used to make plastics, adhesives, paints, and foods. See also Dairy 

Celiac Disease (Celiac Sprue): An inborn error of metabolism characterized by the inability to hydrolyze peptides contained in gluten. The disease affects adults and young children, who suffer from abdominal distention, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle wasting, and extreme lethargy. There may be secondary lactose intolerance. Most patients respond well to a high-protein, high-calorie, gluten-free diet. 

Colitis: An inflammatory condition of the large intestine. Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by severe diarrhea, bleeding, and ulceration of the mucosa of the intestine. Weight loss and pain are significant. Steroids, fluids, electrolytes, antibiotics, and careful attention to diet are usual modes of therapy. See also Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis 

Corn: Any of numerous cultivated forms of a widely grown, usually tall annual cereal grass (Zea mays) bearing grains or kernels on large ears. The grains or kernels of this plant, used as food for humans and livestock or for the extraction of an edible oil or starch. Also called Indian corn, maize. 

Crohn’s Disease: A chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown origin, usually affecting the ileum, the colon, or both structures. Diseased segments may be separated by normal bowel segments. See also Colitis, Ulcerative Colitis 

Dairy: Of, for, or relating to milk and milk products typically derived from cows, however, may also come from goats, sheep, or other milk bearing animals. Dairy products include milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, butter, margarine, cream, and may also be included in various baked goods and recipes. See also Casein, Lactose

Dedicated Line: Equipment or machinery that is used for the purpose of creating one type of product. 

Dedicated Facility: An entire area or building that is used to create one type of product.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis: A chronic, severely pruritic skin disease with symmetrically located groups of red, papulovesicular, vesicular, bullous, or urticarial lesions that leave hyperpigmented spots. It is occasionally associated with a malignancy of an internal organ or with celiac disease, patch, or IgA immunotherapy. Treatment may include a diet free of gluten and the administration of sulfone, dapsone, sulfapyridine, or antipruritic drugs. See also Celiac Disease, Gluten-Free Diet 

Diabetes: A clinical condition characterized by the excessive excretion of urine. The excess may be caused by a deficiency of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), as in diabetes insipidus, or it may be the polyuria resulting from the hyperglycemia occurring in diabetes mellitus. 

Diverticulosis: The presence of pouchlike herniations through the muscular layer of the colon, particularly the sigmoid colon. Most patients with this condition have few symptoms except for occasional bleeding from the rectum. An increase in the dietary fiber is recommended. 

Dysphasia: Difficulty swallowing, commonly associated with obstructive or motor disorders of the esophagus. 

Elimination Diet: A temporary diet used by individuals seeking to determine food allergies and intolerances where all suspected foods are eliminated for a period of time and then gradually reintroduced to note response or reactions.

Food Additives: Substances that are added to foods to prevent spoilage, improve appearance, enhance the flavor, or texture, or increase the nutritional value. Most food additives must be approved by the FDA after tests to determine if they could be a cause of cancer, birth defects, or other health problems. 

Food Allergy: A hypersensitive state resulting from the ingestion of a specific food antigen. Symptoms of a sensitivity can include allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, urticaria, angioneurotic edema, dermatitis, pruritus, headache, conjunctivitis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, colic, spastic constipation, mucous colitis, and perianal eczema. Food allergens are predominately protein in nature. The most common foods causing allergic reactions are wheat, milk, eggs, fish and other seafoods, chocolate, corn, nuts, strawberries, chicken, pork, legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, and citrus foods. Foods that are rarely allergenic are rice, lamb, gelatin, peaches, pears, carrots, lettuce, artichokes, sesame oil, and apples. Diagnosis of a specific food allergy is obtained by a detailed food history, food diary, elimination diet, and cutaneous tests. 

Food Intolerance: A person with a food intolerance is unable to digest and process that food correctly, usually due to a lack of a certain enzyme or enzymes. Intolerance can lead to allergy, however, if particles of undigested food manage to enter the bloodstream and cause a reaction. 

Gluten: The insoluble protein constituent of wheat and other grains. It is obtained from flour by washing out the starch and is used as an adhesive agent, giving dough its tough, elastic character. See also Celiac Disease 

Gluten-Induced Enteropathy: See also Celiac Disease

Gluten-Free Diet: The elimination of gluten-containing grains and products used in the treatment of various medical conditions such as Celiac Disease. Eliminated non-acceptable gluten-containing grains and foods include: Barley, Bulgur, Couscous, Durum, Einkorn, Emmer, Farina, Graham, Groats, Kamut, Mir, Oats, Triticale, Rye, Semolina, Spelt, and Wheat (bran, germ, flour, starch). Acceptable grains and starches may include: Amaranth, Arrowroot, Artichoke, Buckwheat (kasha), Cassava (Tapioca, Manioc), Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean), Corn, Fava or Faba Bean, Grits (corn), Hemp, Hominy (corn), Nut flours (almond, chestnut, hazelnut, etc.), Milo (Sorghum), Millet, Pea, Bean, Mung Bean, Lentils, Peanuts, Potato, Quinoa, Rice, Sago, Sesame, Soy, Sunflower, Sweet Potato, Sweet Rice flour, Tef, and Wild Rice.

Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet: A diet that is free from grains that contain gluten, as well as, dairy foods or products that contain the protein casein. 

Guar Gum: A water-soluble paste made from the seeds of the guar plant and used as a thickener and stabilizer in foods and pharmaceuticals. May be substituted for xanthan gum in most recipes. 

Hypoglycemia: A less than normal amount of glucose in the blood, usually caused by administration of too much insulin, excessive secretion of insulin by the islet cells of the pancreas, or dietary deficiency. The condition may result in weakness, headache, hunger, visual disturbance, ataxia, anxiety, personality changes, and if untreated, delirium, coma, and death. 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Abnormally increased motility of the small and large intestines generally associated with emotional stress. Most of those affected are young adults, who complain of diarrhea and, occasionally, pain in the lower abdomen. The pain is usually relieved by moving the bowels. In diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome other more serious conditions, such as dysentery, lactose intolerance, and the inflammatory bowel disease, must be ruled out. Because there is no organic disease present in IBS, no specific treatment is necessary. Many persons benefit from the use of bulk-producing agents in the diet, because bulk tends to stabilize the water content of the stool. Antidiarrheal drugs are helpful in decreasing the frequency of the stool. Also called functional bowel syndrome, mucous colitis, and spastic colon. 

Leaky Gut Syndrome: A term used to describe a condition in which the lining of the intestinal tract becomes perforated and irritated, and tiny particles of partially digested food enter the bloodstream, causing an allergic reaction. 

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: One whose diet consists primarily of foods that are vegetable origin and also includes some animal products, such as eggs (ovo), milk, and cheese (lacto), but no meat, fish, or poultry. 

Lactose: A disaccharide, C12H22O11, found in milk, which may be hydrolyzed to yield glucose and galactose. A white crystalline substance obtained from whey and used in infant foods, bakery products, confections, and pharmaceuticals as a diluent and excipient. Also called milk sugar. See also Dairy, Lactose Intolerance  

Lactose Intolerance: A sensitivity disorder resulting in the inability to digest lactose because of a deficiency of or defect in the enzyme lactase. Symptoms of the disorder are bloating, flatus, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. The diet is adjusted according to the tolerance level, restricting such milk-derived foods as milk, cheese, butter, margarine, and any products containing milk, such as cakes, ice cream, cream soups, and sauces. See also Dairy, Lactose  

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): A salt of glutamic acid used for the treatment of hepatic coma and the enhancement of the flavor of foods. 

Phenylketonuria (PKU): Abnormal presence of phenylketone and other metabolites of phenylalanine in the urine, characteristic of an inborn metabolic disorder caused by the absence or a deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for the conversion of the amino acid phenylalanine into tyrosine. Accumulation of phenylalanine is toxic to brain tissue. Untreated individuals have very fair hair, eczema, a mousy odor of the urine and skin, and progressive mental retardation. Treatment consists of a diet low in phenylalanine. 

Peanut: The fruit of a trailing leguminous plant; also, the plant itself, which is widely cultivated for its fruit. The fruit is a hard pod, usually containing two or three seeds, sometimes but one, which ripen beneath the soil. 

Quinoa: A goosefoot (Chenopodium quinoa) native to the Andes and cultivated for its edible seeds. The high-protein dried fruits and seeds of this plant, used as a food staple and ground into flour. 

Rotation Diet: A diet in which food ingredients are eaten only once every few days. This spread out approach allows for more variation in the diet and decreases potential allergy or intolerance reactions since the substance is not allowed to build up in the body.

Shared Line: Equipment that is used to make several types of products. Between batches of different products the machinery is usually sanitized. 

Shared Facility: A building or area in which several types of products are created. 

Sucrose: Sugar derived from sugar cane, sugar beets, and sorghum 

Sulfiting Agents: Food preservatives composed of potassium or sodium bisulfite or potassium metabisulfite. Sulfiting agents are used in processing of beer, wine, baked goods, soup mixes, and some imported seafoods and by restaurants to impart a ‘fresh’ appearance to salad fruits and vegetables. The chemicals can cause a severe allergic reaction in people who are hypersensitive to sulfites. The reactions are marked by flushing, faintness, hives, headache, GI distress, breathing difficulty, and in extreme cases, loss of consciousness and death. 

Vegan: A vegetarian whose diet excludes the use of all foods of animal origin. 

Vegetarian: Person whose diet is restricted to foods of vegetable origin, including fruits, nuts, and grains. Many vegetarians eat eggs and milk, but avoid all animal flesh. 

Xanthan Gum: A natural gum of high molecular weight produced by culture fermentation of glucose and used as a stabilizer in commercial food preparation. 

Yeast-Free Diet: A diet most commonly associated with Candida or Candidiasis, in which certain foods are eliminated to reduce the growth of yeast within the body. Yeast containing products, such as breads and other baked goods, fermented products, such as beer and alcohol, molds, and refined sugar are usually not acceptable for this kind of diet.