How To Avoid Food Allergies

Food allergy can be described as an allergic reaction to certain foods or group of foods. Sometimes allergies often run in the families and can be genetic. If one of the parents suffers from allergy there are chances of it being transferred to their progeny. It is mainly caused when the body misinterprets the proteins in the food as a toxic substance and produces antibodies to fight it. When you consume the allergic food, the immune system releases chemicals, which result in symptoms like asthma, runny nose, sneezing, wheezing, coughing, hay fever, stomach pain, rashes, swellings, and vomiting. A severe allergic reaction can be life threatening and sometimes can result in breathing difficulties, low blood pressure, and at times, you can collapse. Young kids who suffer from food allergies often outgrow their allergy. There are some foods that outgrow and some, which stays. For instance most children who are allergic to eggs, milk, wheat, soy, outgrow their allergies by the time they are five years old. The allergies that develop later in life like allergies to fish and shellfish are unlikely to outgrow and remain for life. It is not surprising that people with allergies are looking for remedies and answers to control them as well as enjoy their food. Read the article to know more about it.

How To Prevent Food Allergies

The best way to prevent food allergies is to avoid food allergens. You must read the labels before buying any packaged foods. People, who are allergic to certain common foods like milk, eggs, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, or soy, must look for the list of ingredients.
If you have food allergy, it becomes difficult to segregate the food available in restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, ice-cream parlors and many such eateries. You should let people know about your allergies before they serve you. Before ordering food ask for the ingredients it contains. To be on the safe side ask for help from the chef or cook or person who has cooked the dish.
Food allergy can be tough thing to live with. You can show some understanding and support with people who suffer from these allergies, as some people with allergies might feel uncomfortable and left out. If you are the sufferer then let your friends and near ones be aware of it. And this way you can garner support and understanding from your friends and near ones.
Food allergy can also be induced even from appliances that you use in the kitchen like the cutting boards or the common utensils used for cooking. For instance if you are allergic to mushrooms and you cook another vegetable in a utensil that was used for cooking mushrooms then chances of getting allergy attack increases.
To keep away from food allergies you need to find out which foods are problematic for you. You can get tested for food allergy, and probably go for a skin test. This will help you diagnose the kind of food that you are allergic to and can avoid consuming those foods. Remember that some people are allergic to more than one type of food.
Look out for alternate foods. There are foods that have the same nutrition and taste as the allergic foods, which can be consumed in place of them. For instance if you are allergic to milk you can choose to have soymilk. You can have almonds instead of peanuts in your diet.
Watch out for the symptoms that often hit instantly after eating allergic food. The signs can be difficulty in swallowing or swelling of the tongue and lips, reddening around the mouth area, and tingling and itching in the throat. People showing food allergic reactions can have breathing problems, such as shortness of breath and tightening of chest. Some people can experience vomiting, nausea and stomach pain too.
You should always be prepared for emergency. If you suffer from severe allergic reactions from certain foods, you should be aware of the shots that are administered during a severe attack. This will help you in getting back to normalcy and reversing the symptoms.

How to Cite

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Health & Fitness'