If you suffer from food allergies, the key to avoiding reactions is avoiding foods that trigger symptoms. Unfortunately, that can be difficult when dining out or receiving food prepared by others.
Allergies to milk, eggs, wheat and soy typically dissipate over time for children; however, those to peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish tend to remain lifelong conditions.
What Are Food Allergies?
Food allergies are serious, potentially life-threatening diseases caused by our immune systems misidentifying certain proteins as harmful. When food allergens enter our systems, antibodies called immunoglobulin E or IgE antibodies form to combat them; when consumed they release chemicals which produce symptoms in any part of our bodies. Milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish (crab), peanuts tree nuts and wheat are among the most frequently encountered allergens.
People with food allergies may experience symptoms after ingesting even small quantities of an allergenic food, from mild (like bloating and stomach discomfort) to more serious (hives, swelling or difficulty breathing). Some symptoms, like headache or diarrhea, can appear soon after ingestion while others can appear several hours later.
Food allergies do not seem to come on suddenly for most people; rather, they appear in families. Allergies can manifest at any age but most often affect children under age two. Allergies often start early on in life; those already afflicted by other allergies like hay fever or asthma increase the chances of food allergy development further.
Food allergies are potentially life-threatening and it is always wise to take them seriously. People with food allergies must avoid offending foods entirely while always carrying an emergency epinephrine auto-injector such as an Adrenaclick, Auvi-Q or EpiPen for use as soon as a symptom emerges.
What Are the Symptoms of Food Allergies?
Food allergies are a serious medical condition, affecting 8 percent of children under five and 4 percent of adults. Therefore, it’s vitally important that this issue be taken seriously and evaluated by an allergist as soon as possible.
Food allergies occur when our immune systems mistakenly recognize certain food proteins as harmful and produce antibodies to attack them. When consumed, these antibodies attach themselves to proteins present in food, and trigger chemical responses which cause symptoms like hives and swelling.
These reactions may range from mild to severe and affect multiple parts of the body simultaneously, from the digestive tract and joints, to muscles. They may appear immediately or days after eating the food in question; unlike food intolerances which typically cause only bloating and abdominal problems and do not involve the immune system.
Symptoms of severe reactions can be life-threatening; call 911 or head directly to an emergency room immediately if facial or throat swelling, difficulty breathing or drops in blood pressure occur.
Food allergies may seem random; they often arise more commonly among babies and children and in families where other allergies such as asthma or eczema exist. While many outgrow their food allergies as they age, others continue to have them even into adulthood.
How Do I Know if I Have a Food Allergy?
Once a food allergy reactions occurs, they can be alarming and bewildering; but as time goes on and you become familiar with managing it, managing it becomes part of daily routine – possibly even becoming your go-to restaurants or meals that know are safe to eat!
Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to food that it perceives as harmful, producing chemicals in response that cause symptoms like hives, swelling and hoarseness in response to allergens such as pollen. More serious reactions include blocked airways, low blood pressure and difficulty breathing which is known as anaphylaxis and should be immediately treated using injectable epinephrine injection.
Food allergies can occur to almost any kind of food. Your risk increases if you or your child have other allergic conditions like asthma or eczema; or have a family history of food allergies and/or hay fever.
Your care team will conduct an in-depth exam to identify what foods or substances your child or you is allergic to and the severity of any reactions, while gathering history on past reactions that occurred and when. They may ask about when past reactions happened as well as performing skin and blood tests to measure your immune response to certain foods; skin tests involve placing liquid extracts of potential allergens on either your forearm or back and pricking the area, with reddish raised bumps (called wheals) appearing indicating possible food allergy; while blood tests measure levels of immunoglobulin E, which are produced when someone suffers an allergic reaction from certain foods.
How Can I Manage My Food Allergy?
Food allergies affect millions of people worldwide and range in symptoms from mild — such as mouth tingling or skin rashes — to life-threatening anaphylactic shock. Although no permanent solution exists for food allergies, there are ways to manage and mitigate reactions more safely.
First step to managing food allergies is avoiding foods that set off an allergic response. Carefully read ingredient lists and be aware that some products contain allergens under different names or multiple forms. Food manufacturers must list eight common allergens on products containing milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish (such as shrimp), peanuts tree nuts wheat soy and soy.
In some instances, your doctor will suggest an elimination diet; this involves stopping eating any potential trigger foods for an extended period before eating them again in an effort to see whether symptoms return and confirm your diagnosis. An oral food challenge involves eating small quantities of suspected allergens under supervision within a clinic with emergency medications close at hand in an effort to confirm or rule out possible allergies.
Make sure your family, friends and co-workers understand your allergy, how it should be addressed should an allergic reaction occur, and to always carry two doses of emergency medication with you at all times – also wear an identification bracelet which includes this information as well as your allergy status.
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