Symptoms of Food Allergies
The most common symptoms for food allergies include vomiting, diarrhea, blood in stools, eczema, hives, skin rashes, wheezing and a runny nose. Symptoms can vary depending upon a number of variables including age, the type of allergen (antigen), and the amount of food consumed. It may be difficult to associate the symptoms of an allergic reaction to a particular food because the response time can be highly variable. For example, an allergic response to eating fish will usually occur within minutes after consumption in the form of a rash, hives or asthma or a combination of these symptoms. However, the symptoms of an allergic reaction to cow's milk may be delayed for 24 to 48 hours after consuming the milk; these symptoms may also be low-grade and last for several days. If this does not make diagnosis difficult enough, reactions to foods made from cow's milk may also vary depending on how it was produced and the portion of the milk to which you are allergic. Delayed allergic reactions to foods are difficult to identify without eliminating the food from your diet for at least several weeks and slowly reintroducing it while taking note of any physical, emotional or mental changes as it is being reintroduced.
Foods That Cause Allergic Reactions
Over 140 different foods have been identified as causes of allergic reactions. According to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 90% of food allergies are associated with 8 food types:
- Cow's milk
- Hen's eggs
- Peanuts
- Soy foods
- Wheat
- Fish
- Crustacean shellfish (such shrimp, prawns, lobster, and crab)
- Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and chestnuts)
Cow's milk is one of the first foods to consider eliminating from your diet when attempting to determine the foods to which you may be allergic. It contains over 25 different molecules which have been identified by scientists as having the potential to elicit an allergic food response. One of the most common allergens in cow's milk is a protein called casein which is used in many products and is even found in soy based foods to boost their protein content. If you suspect an allergy to cow's milk you should also avoid other products made from or containing milk including cream, creamy sauces, ice cream and milk chocolate.
How a food has been prepared, processed, handled and stored can also have an effect on whether a food will cause an allergic reaction. For example, some molecules responsible for allergic reactions can be destroyed by heat. Individuals with allergies to cow's milk have reported that drinking heated milk does not cause the symptoms associated with their milk allergies suggesting that the molecules that are toxic to these individuals have been destroyed by the heating process. However, the molecules in peanuts that can cause highly toxic responses in people allergic to peanuts are known to be very stable and unaffected by even long periods of heating.
What Foods Can You Eat If You Have Food Allergies?
Among the foods which are least often associated with any type of food allergy are:
- Apples
- Lamb
- Pears
- Winter Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- Cherries
- Carrots
- Rice
Winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes are not only uncommon as allergens but also provide exceptionally rich sources of health promoting phytonutrients. Electing to eat organically grown foods also helps avoid the intake of pesticides and other allergy producing toxins.
Food allergies involve a unique interaction between an individual and particular foods. Listen to your body. There are no hard and fast rules as to what foods cause allergic reactions. You may be able to tolerate the more commonly allergenic foods while unable to tolerate a food which is rarely associated with allergies. Your personal health status and history of eating habits are also consideration when evaluating potential food allergies.
The best approach for managing food allergies is to follow an allergy avoidance diet to help determine the foods that may be problematic, and then avoid eating those foods. The World's Healthiest Foods website can help you design a menu for your own specific needs that will enable you to avoid the foods that are toxic for your body, while maintaining variety in your diet and enjoying good tasting, easy to prepare meals.
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