Everything that you should know about food allergies

Food allergy is a reaction of your body’s immune system against some harmful proteins in the food. They can appear at any time and cause a variety of symptoms. So, if you experience any weird symptoms, then you should find allergy doctor as soon as possible.

Different types of food allergies

Symptoms of food hypersensitivity and allergies are:

  1. Skin rashes
  2. Inflammation of body
  3. Low blood pressure
  4. Vomiting
  5. Eczema or hives
  6. Diarrhoea
  7. Runny nose
  8. Abdominal pain
  9. Food poisoning
  10. Shortness of breath

Overall, common allergens include eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, sesame seeds, soybeans, tree nuts, and wheat.

Eggs

An egg allergy mostly develops in children. Symptoms of this allergy include skin rashes or redness of the skin, stomach pain, or breathing difficulty. With that, the egg white contains more food allergens. Furthermore, an egg-free diet is a permanent treatment of food allergies for some people.

Fish

Fish allergy is found in 2% of adults and can cause some fatal allergic reactions. Vomiting and diarrhoea are often the symptoms of fish allergy that a doctor will observe. Lastly, you can diagnose them with blood tests and skin prick tests.

Cow’s milk

The allergy to cow’s milk is mainly found in childhood. Due to this, infants can suffer from inflammation, itchiness, hives, vomiting, and anaphylaxis. Overall, the products that can cause food allergies include milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream, and other dairy products.

Peanuts

A peanut allergy can lead to serious and fatal allergic reactions. Furthermore, peanut allergies affect 4%–8% of kids and 12%–20% of adults. Patient history, blood tests, and skin prick testing are all methods to detect a peanut allergy.

Shellfish

The families of shellfish mollusc and crustaceans contain proteins that cause shellfish food allergies. Lobsters, shrimp, octopus, snail, crayfish, scallops, oysters, and prawns are known as shellfish.

The seafood allergy is caused by tropomyosin (protein) that triggers the immune system of the body. Furthermore, the symptoms include stomach aches, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhoea.

Sesame seeds

Adults and children both suffer from sesame food allergies. Also, sesame seeds are commonly present in bread, hummus, tahini, or sesame oil. Along with that, it can cause hives, flushed face, and itchiness of the skin.

Soybeans

Soybean allergies are predominantly developed in infants and toddlers. The symptoms are skin rashes, runny nose, tingly mouth, asthma, and anaphylaxis. Soybeans are a member of the legume (grain) family. Avoid soybean products to get rid of food allergies.

Tree nuts

The seeds and nuts are commonly a part of our daily life and obtained directly from trees. These nuts are walnuts, cashews, pistachios, almonds, hazelnut, or pine nuts. Furthermore, tree nuts allergy is the most frequently occurring allergy among the population.

Wheat

Different proteins present in wheat can also cause food allergies. For instance, it can cause digestive problems, rashes, inflammation, hives, and anaphylaxis. Generally, doctors test it using the skin pricking test.

Also, note that wheat allergy is not related to celiac disease. Instead, celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, that happens due to gluten in food. In comparison, wheat allergy is totally different.

Conclusion

One can suffer from countless different food allergies. Most of the time, this is due to genetic reasons. So, if there is a history of allergies in your family, then be mindful. Chances are that you can also suffer from one at any point in life.

If you experience any symptoms of allergies, we suggest you visit an allergist right away. The sooner you see a doctor, the better. Lastly, a good allergist will check your medical history and conduct some tests. This way, the allergist will figure out what is triggering your allergy symptoms.

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