Introduction
No matter if you are American, Canadian, from Europe or Asia; you definitely can’t say that you don’t like eating delicious food. Since nature has inculcated sense of taste in us; we all enjoy eating delicious food. Similarly, not only do we like the food items of our own country but we are always willing to try different cuisines of other countries and cultures as well. Despite our willingness to try and experiment different varieties of food, why do most of us often avoid specific food items? Why don’t we eat things which are perceived by others as tasty? Why are we not able to eat things we like the most? This is because we fear lest we should develop some form of allergy or some odd reaction. According to statistics, around 6-8 % of children under the age of three suffer from food allergies and an estimated about 4 % of adults have food allergies. If we look into the statistics of United States and Canada, we find out that the percentage of individuals affected by food allergies is almost the same.
How do We Define Food Allergy?
Food allergy, like other allergies, is our body’s response to some specific food items. Food items contain proteins that may be deemed by our immune system as harmful and thus an allergic reaction is triggered. It is only after an occurrence of allergic reaction that symptoms are expressed.
What kind of food products cause allergy?
While any food product can cause food allergy, but still there are many food products that are believed to be the most common cause of food allergy. These food items are listed as under:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish
- Soy
- Wheat
- Spices
- Nuts including tree nuts and walnuts
Are there different types?
The type of food that causes an allergy determines the associated type of allergy. Allergens are different for different people. For example, most of the children develop food allergies from milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. This is the reason why some children have adverse effects on skin when they eat peanut-chocolates. Adults, on the other hand, may develop food allergies due to eggs and fish. Different kinds of food allergies are listed below:
- Egg allergy
- Milk allergy
- Shellfish allergy
- Soy allergy
- Proteins allergy
- Peanuts allergy
How is food allergy identified?
People often confuse food poisoning or food intolerance with food allergy. However, symptoms for food allergy are different from those of the other problems associated with food. Symptoms of food allergy can be observed throughout the body. The most common symptom of food allergies is skin rash or itchy skin. Other possible symptoms include:
- Swelling of the face especially around ears, eyes and lips
- Itchy sensation inside throat
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Eczema (in severe cases)
Furthermore, food allergy is confirmed or diagnosed by different tests such as blood tests and skin prick testing.
How is food allergy treated?
Several medications are available to treat food allergies. Similarly, there are several ointments that can be used treat eczema and other related skin problems that occur due to food allergies.
Medical Professional Conclusion
Although, medicines can play an active role in alleviating the disease, they don’t guarantee a complete or permanent solution. The best strategy to treat food allergies is to identify a particular food allergen and then avoid that food in future.
What to do?
From the standpoint of a medical profession , it sounds like you can’t eat anything. Other than processed foods, of course, which earn billions of dollars from this type of research.
Let’s start separating truth from the false assumptions.
- Milk Allergy. Typically , it is a reaction of your body to a homogenized, pasteurized, non-fat milk look-alike product that is not actually milk. Cows do not produce fat-free milk. In fact, for centuries it was well known that once you take fat from the milk (naturally to produce butter and creams), the resulting product is not healthy. Avoid fat free, homogenized milk. We strongly suggest trying organic milk from farm-razed , grass fed , raised without bowine hormone (rBGH).
- Peanuts allergy. The absolute majority of the “peanuts allergies” are not to the actual peanuts but to the mold that lives on them. It is due to improper peanuts processing.
- Wheat and white flour products – should be avoided.
- Any reaction to a specific fruit or vegetable is personal. If you can’t eat one, don’t. Try to get local or organically grown as much as possible.
- Avoid Sugar and High fructose corn syrup , including sugary carbonated drinks. Drink water instead. If it isn’t available or isn’t tasty enough , buy a simple water filter and purify it.
We will expand on this in the next article.