Common food allergies to watch out for

Many people are not aware of it, but food allergies are extremely common. Plus, the percentages of people suffering from food allergies keep increasing. While allergies can be caused by literally anything, there are certain common food allergies that people suffer from. In most cases, these can only be treated by an allergist specialist.

We have listed a few common food allergies in this article. However, before we get to that, let us take a look at what is a food allergy.

What is a food allergy?

An allergy is caused by a reaction to an allergen. An allergen is a substance that triggers an allergic reaction. In cases of food allergy, it is a type of allergy that is triggered by a type of food.

The reaction caused by any allergy gives certain symptoms such as swelling of the tongue, itchy rash, nausea, vomiting etc. However, these symptoms differ for each type of allergy.

Let’s look at the common types of food allergies to understand more about them.

Peanuts

Peanut allergy is one of the most common type of food allergy. We do not exactly know why people end up developing an allergic reaction to peanuts. However, it is believed that peanut allergies could be running in a family. This means that if you have a family history of peanut allergies, you might be at a risk of developing it too.

There are no treatments for peanut allergies yet, but new researches are being done. For now, it is best that people with peanut allergies stay away from peanuts all together. However, to prevent peanut allergies in young kids, a few studies have shown that introducing them to peanuts at an early age is helpful. This is however still being researched upon.

Cow’s milk

Another one of the most common food allergies is an allergy to cow’s milk. This is especially common in young kids, specifically when they are introduced to the milk before 6 months of age. However, it is also said that many kids outgrow this allergy which is why it is common amongst kids but not that common amongst adults.

Common symptoms of this allergy include rashes, swelling, vomiting, diarrhea etc. In a swear case of this allergy, you could also experience anaphylaxis. This type of allergy also does not have any treatments so far. People suffering from it needs to avoid cow’s milk at all costs. This includes every item that is made up of cow’s milk such as cheese, butter, yogurt, cream, ice cream etc.

Eggs

A third most common type of food allergy is due to eggs. Just like with cow’s milk, a lot of kids who are allergic to kids are said to outgrow it as they grow older. Symptoms of an allergic reaction to eggs include rashes, stomachache and in extreme cases, anaphylaxis.

However, many people are only allergic to egg whites and not the yolks. Similarly, people many be allergic to egg yolks but not to egg whites. This is because both the egg whites and egg yolk have different proteins. Just like all the other allergies, there is no permanent treatment for it yet. People suffering from this allergy will need to avoid eating eggs or any food containing eggs. Many people can tolerate cooked eggs in cakes but not egg on its own. For this, you would need to consult your doctor to be guided properly regarding your allergy.

Conclusion

Cow’s milk, peanuts and eggs are some of the most common food allergens. In order to avoid any allergic reaction to that, you need to cut them out of your diet or else they can be really dangerous. We suggest you find allergy doctor Germantown as soon as you experience any symptoms.