If you or someone in your life suffers from food allergies, carefully reading ingredient labels and avoiding foods which contain these allergens is key in avoiding severe reactions that could be life-threatening, including airway constriction or shock due to reduced blood pressure (anaphylactic shock).
Food allergies occur when an overreacting immune system reacts negatively to foods or food substances consumed, typically resulting in reactions on your skin, respiratory tract or digestive tract.
What is a food allergy?
Food allergies are a serious, sometimes life-threatening medical condition in which your immune system’s reaction to specific foods causes symptoms such as hives, swelling of the face or throat and difficulty breathing. Left untreated, they can result in anaphylaxis which could prove deadly.
Food allergies occur when your immune system mistakenly believes a certain food to be harmful, and responds by producing antibodies that attack its proteins, leading to an allergic reaction. While they can occur with any variety of food products such as milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish, most cases of food allergies occur from milk products like eggs and peanut butter as well as peanuts tree nuts fish shellfish and shellfish.
Food allergy symptoms usually develop shortly after eating an offending food, although they can sometimes take hours to appear. They include tingling or itching in lips, tongue or throat; swelling of lips, eyes, face or throat; belly pain; diarrhea; wheezing; sinus congestion; difficulty breathing and even sudden drops in blood pressure that leads to shock.
Skin prick tests are commonly used to help identify food allergies. They involve applying diluted extract of the suspect food onto your skin and then puncturing it with a needle; if red and swollen areas appear as a result of pricking, that indicates potential reactions. Unfortunately, however, these tests are less reliable when applied to fruits and vegetables with proteins that break down quickly; in such cases an allergist may advise administering oral food challenges where small amounts of suspected foods are administered under close medical supervision.
What are the symptoms of a food allergy?
Food allergies occur when your body misidentifies certain substances as harmful, leading to symptoms like hives and swelling, mouth or throat itching, difficulty breathing and difficulty eating. Some people can have anaphylaxis – an emergency that requires immediate hospital treatment via an injection of epinephrine if symptoms arise within minutes after eating certain food items and can become life-threatening within seconds; an allergic response that comes on within minutes after indulging can even become life-threatening; to stop its progress you must administer an injection of epinephrine immediately upon eating the item(s).
Doctors can diagnose food allergies by asking you questions, reviewing your medical history, and conducting various tests – skin prick tests with various foods or blood tests for allergen specific IgE can be effective ways of diagnosing food allergies. They may also suggest an elimination diet whereby suspected allergens are removed from your diet for two to six weeks at a time before being reintroduced again; children diagnosed with lactose intolerance or celiac disease will often undergo further testing after 3 or 6 months of avoidance; otherwise symptoms could return.
Reach out to your child’s healthcare provider regarding an emergency kit including an auto-injector like EpiPen. Also discuss with him/her the importance of notifying key individuals such as childcare providers, school staff and parents of friends about any allergies your child has so that they know what steps should be taken should an incident arise.
How can I manage a food allergy?
Newly diagnosed food allergy patients need to learn many new skills — from creating an allergen-friendly home environment, reading labels and understanding symptoms to knowing when a reaction has taken place. FARE offers several resources for new food allergy sufferers and their families looking for answers.
As part of your initial strategy, it may be necessary to conduct a pantry clean-out and replace all foods containing allergen(s). At home, prepare only food that you know is safe; clean surfaces and utensils before and after each food preparation; avoid cross-contact by not sharing food preparation areas with someone who also has your allergy (e.g. a sibling); read ingredient labels carefully: even substitute foods which claim to have reduced allergen content such as low-fat peanut butter may still contain peanut oil while egg substitutes often do contain eggs despite claims of reduced allergen content; always read ingredient lists carefully: even substitute foods claiming reduced allergen content such as low fat peanut butter still contain peanut oil while egg substitutes usually do contain eggs.
Your allergist may suggest conducting blood tests to measure IgE antibody levels or initiating an oral or sublingual immunotherapy program to gradually build tolerance to food allergies over time. Meanwhile, you will need to carefully avoid foods which trigger your allergy as well as carry emergency medication like epinephrine for emergencies.
For school-age children, request an allergy management plan from their teachers and administrators and ensure he or she always carries their epinephrine auto-injector with them at all times. Also encourage him or her to voice any concerns they may have regarding bullying due to having food allergies.
How can I prevent a food allergy?
Food allergies are best prevented by avoiding those foods which trigger them. Read ingredient labels carefully, use your allergy test results to help identify allergens, and ask restaurants and manufacturers for additional information about allergens that may cross-contaminate. If you know you are allergic to peanuts, tell your server about this fact, so they can avoid dishes prepared with common cooking oils (like soybean or sunflower) which could cross-contaminate their dishes with your allergen.
Inform yourself and your family of food allergies. Teach children to recognize early symptoms and seek medical care immediately if they suspect any adverse reaction; additionally make sure they understand that even small amounts of certain foods can trigger serious reactions that could potentially prove fatal.
Food allergies can be especially hazardous to infants and toddlers who have yet to fully develop their digestive systems. Most children outgrow their allergies to eggs, milk, wheat and soy by age 5, but peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish tend to remain lifelong triggers.
Dietitians and nutritionists can provide invaluable advice about how to safely navigate eating with food allergies, from cookbook recommendations and recommendations for emergency epinephrine auto-injectors such as Adrenaclick or EpiPen to emergency plans if prescribed by your physician.
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