Types Of Food Allergies You Should Know About

Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for food allergy symptoms. While one may take Benadryl to reduce the activity of the histamines, there is no way to tell the immune system to stop recognizing certain harmless proteins as antagonists. The only hope people with food allergies really have is that they’ll be successful at avoiding their allergic reaction triggers and that they may one day outgrow this immune system malfunction. In this article, you will learn about some of the most common food-related allergies reported by Americans.

Experiencing an allergic reaction to peanuts is one of the most common types of food related allergies. Shortly after being exposed to peanuts, the allergic individual may experience a skin reaction like hives, redness or swelling. Their mouth and throat may itch, tingle or swell. They may have digestive problems such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea or vomiting. In the worst cases, the airways may become constricted, the pulse may increase and there could be a severe drop in blood pressure resulting in shock. Peanut allergies are the most common cause of anaphylaxis, a medical emergency that requires an adrenaline injection.

People with this type of allergy must be careful to avoid all exposure to peanuts, including direct skin contact, inhaling, consuming or eating cross-contaminated products. Peanuts can be found in cookies, pastries, mixed nuts, energy bars, ice cream, cereals, granola, grain breads, marzipan and even products like nougat, salad dressings, chocolates, sunflower seeds and Arachis oil.

A wheat allergy is another one of the common food allergies. This type of allergy is most commonly diagnosed during infancy or early childhood years, but many children outgrow this problem by age 5. Symptoms may include a weak pulse, blue skin, difficulty breathing, dizziness, chest pain and throat swelling. People with wheat allergies should avoid breads, cakes, muffins, cereals, pasta, couscous, crackers, beer, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy sauce, condiments like ketchup, meat substitutes, dairy products, hotdogs, natural flavorings, modified food starch, vegetable gum and coffee substitutes. Commonly, people with wheat allergies are allergic to grains like barley, oat and rye as well.

While most food allergies are not life-threatening, it’s important to be prepared for emergencies. Even people who have had only mild reactions in the past are at a higher risk of developing more serious reactions later. A severe anaphylactic reaction can be treated with an emergency injection of adrenaline/epinephrine. People who are at risk of having severe reactions due to milk, wheat, egg or peanuts may need to carry self-injectable epinephrine, like the EpiPen with them at all times. For milder symptoms, patients may take medications like antihistamines to reduce itching and swelling.

About the Author:
Pat writes for various websites and publications on a wide range of health issues. If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in her posts on home remedies for cold sores, such as using salt for cold sores.