A food allergy is a response of the immune system of the body to a particular food which it takes to be harmful for the body. Food allergies are dangerous and can cause more harm than food intolerance. Though people confuse food intolerance with food allergy, these are not the same. Food intolerance is merely a response of the body towards certain food it cannot digest. Food intolerance causes gas, bloating etc. due to the consumption of particular food. However, it is not as harmful as food allergies caused not only by a particular food but by related food also.
Allergic reactions to food allergies include itching, hives and redness of skin. Allergy symptoms also include swelling of tongue, throat, lips, vomiting sensation and abdominal pain. Sometimes food allergies can cause life threatening anaphylactic reaction, which includes sudden drop in blood pressure, difficulty swallowing and breathing, and loss of consciousness.
Food allergies are generally determined in childhood itself. But this is not true in all cases. An adult might be attacked by a particular food that he has never tasted before. People also inherit food allergy. In most cases a person is allergic to a particular food because either his father or mother or both are allergic to the particular food.
According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), in the USA 2% of the adults and 2-8% of the children are true food allergic. Although an individual may be allergic to any food, there are eight food items that can be blamed for triggering 90% of the food allergies.
Following are the eight most common food allergies:
Peanuts:
Peanuts are the most common food allergy. There are places where peanuts are not allowed at all, for example, elementary schools. Many food joints follow the strict rule of cautioning its customers if peanut is used in preparing the foods. People having peanut allergy should be careful before taking a bite at ice creams. Even a spoon, which has just touched peanuts and used for different toppings, is enough to drive a peanut allergic person gasp for breath.
Tree nuts:
Tree nuts such as walnuts, cashews, hazel nuts, and almonds etc can also trigger allergic reactions. These are not as common allergic as peanut, but still may prove to be dangerous.
Egg:
Egg is a very common food to trigger an allergic reaction. However, it can be detected in early childhood due to the exposure of children to eggs. Allergy from egg is caused due to the white of the egg, though in case of egg allergy the yolk should also be avoided.
Milk:
Milk is also a very common food to trigger allergy. Like egg allergic to milk are also found at a very early age. Children subsist on milk for quite some time before they depend on any other food.
Shellfish:
Shellfishes like crab, lobster and shrimp are very common among seafood that trigger allergy.
Fish:
Not only shellfishes cause allergy. Allergy might occur due to any kind of fish as well.
Soy:
Soy or any kind of soy product is also allergy triggering food.
Wheat:
Many people are allergic to wheat. Wheat allergy is very problematic because a large number of food products contain wheat. A wheat allergic person is likely to be affected by related grains as well.
It is important to have a healthy diet and nutrition, and food allergies may deprive you of several healthy foods as you may need to avoid them. For this, consulting a dietician is important, as a dietician would recommend you alternative foods other than allergy causing foods to ensure you have a healthy diet and nutrition.
Elimination diet for food allergies can be proposed by your doctor to diagnose food allergies. Your doctor would ask you to avoid allergy-causing foods for a certain number of days. Then these foods would be reintroduced and your symptoms are observed.
An allergic person should be conscious about the particular food items that cause his allergy. If you have allergy after eating something, mention it to your doctor. You might also have an allergy after trying something new. Therefore an allergic should be careful about his eating habits and should avoid the particular food items that trigger his allergy.
