Food Allergy
Defining the Differences between Food Allergies and Food Intolerances
There are thousands to millions of people who believe that they have food allergies when in fact, they actually just have body intolerance to certain types of food. One prime example is milk consumption. Many people drink milk and end up with upset stomachs, gas and even diarrhea. This reaction to cow’s milk is food intolerance rather than an allergic reaction. The same thing could occur with other food products such as those that contain gluten, a protein found in barley, wheat and rye.
Causes, Prevention and Treatment of Food Allergies
Food allergies are a reaction by the immune system’s eosinophils, which are proteins that are activated in a histamine reaction. They are reacting to any foreign proteins, in other words they recognize particular food as foreign bodies to combat against. Certain vaccines are still egg-based such as the Influenza vaccines and the Yellow Fever vaccine. One theory is that these egg based vaccines and the fact that they work based on soliciting a response from the body is just a theory and not based in evidence. Another theory is that a young infant’s immune system is not ready to handle food proteins and so starts to attack them.
Air Travel Precautions when Traveling with Meds for your Food Allergies
Air travel was once rather easy to do and you could bring food, drink and even medications on board with you with the least resistance. In light of the tragedies on September 11th, security is a lot tighter and now you can no longer carry some of the things on board with you that you once could. However, the U.S. government still will allow you to bring your medications on board with you, which is good news for food allergy sufferers.
Common Food Allergies
A food allergy is basically an immune system response to a particular food, or foods, that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. An individual may be allergic to any food, such as vegetables, fruits, and meats there are eight particular foods which account for the majority of all food allergic reactions. These particular foods are milk, peanut, fish, egg, tree nut, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Allergic reactions to certain foods typically begin within minutes to a few hours after eating the food. The frequency and severity of symptoms may vary widely from one person to another. When symptoms first appear, it is important to differentiate between a real food allergy and another potential cause. Often the cause may be something other than a food allergy, most commonly simple food intolerance.
Living With a Peanut Allergy
There are approximately 6 million children in North America alone who have a peanut allergy. Knowing all you can about how to protect a child or adult with a peanut allergy gives you a sense of empowerment and freedom to live life without fear of a life-threatening food allergy attack.
There are many things people with nut allergies can do to stay safe. The most important thing is to always read food product labels before purchasing or eating. Not all labels are 100% accurate, but if you read them you can at least do all you can in that regard. Don’t assume that just because the product was safe the last time you purchased it, you need to check the label each time you but it, as food manufacturers do change ingredients.
Safety Tips for Eating Out when You Have a Shellfish Allergy
Some people say that if you are going to have a food allergy, then have a shellfish allergy. Of all the major food allergies, shellfish is the easiest to avoid as widespread in foods and non-food products, unlike other ingredients such as nuts or soy. The drawback to shellfish is that it tends to linger on from childhood into adulthood, so there is less chance of outgrowing it. Plus, shellfish allergies can produce severe reactions if exposed with the worst being anaphylaxis.