All about food allergies

Posted by Rendy Bell on December 7th, 2015

Food allergies can affect many. Some symptoms of food allergies could be difficulty in breathing, asthma, outbreak of hives, vomiting and sometimes death. Most of the time food allergies are confused with food intolerance. The symptoms of food intolerance are totally different. Some common symptoms are gas, bloated feeling or other similar kinds of discomfort.

How to find out if you are dealing with food allergy or food intolerance?

An easy way to differentiate food allergy from food intolerance is to understand that allergic reactions originate in the immune system of a person. When allergic reactions are severe they can cause suffocation when the tongue or throat swells to an extent that the person is unable to breathe. The rate of such allergies in people is increasing each year.

People who have food allergies usually inherit the condition from other family members. It is very common that allergic conditions such as hay fever, eczema and asthma usually affect other members of the family.

Foods that can cause allergies

Allergic reactions can be caused by different kinds of food. Adults and children may be allergic to different set of foods. Most common foods that cause allergies in children are milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts etc. And the most common foods that cause allergies in adults are peanuts, walnuts, fish, other nuts, crabs, lobsters, shrimps etc.

Food allergies are very serious and sometimes just the smell of allergic food in body can cause allergic reaction. However, most of the time, food allergies become an issue when a person eats food that he or she is allergic too. The symptoms can be seen as soon as the food enter through mouth such as tingly or itchy tongue. Then it is followed by cramping and gastrointestinal trouble and the urge to vomit or diarrhea. As the food break down and enters the bloodstream, it travels to the lungs and then it causes conditions such as eczema, short breath, low blood pressure, asthma etc.

How to deal with food allergies :

The best and the most common way that people protect themselves from allergies is by avoiding contact with the allergic foods. Though it sounds easy, it is not always possible to avoid foods that cause problems. Sometimes processed foods may have these allergenic food ingredients in the hidden form. Hence it is always recommended that you thoroughly read the food labels and stay away from allergenic foods. Avoid consuming something when in doubt.

It is difficult to keep the child away from food allergens unless parent take proper care about what the child is eating. Hence if your child is allergic to certain foods, it is recommended that the school officials and neighbours are informed about the food allergies. However, over a period of time children might outgrow the allergic conditions.

If you are not sure about what you actually react against, then you could try to avoid exposure from one factor to another and then identify the factor causing allergy and keep it out of your body. It is difficult to avoid allergens sometimes, hence one must use medical treatment from Asthma Specialist and Allergy Doctor that can treat the allergy.

For food allergy treatment one must consult doctors who specialize in this area such as asthma doctor, allergist etc. and stay safe.