Do You Have an Undiagnosed Food Allergy?

Many people are surprised to find that an allergic reaction to food is behind many of their niggling health-issues.  If you think that you or a loved one may be experiencing an allergic reaction to certain foods, it can be helpful to know for certain.  Allergies can get worse at any time, and knowing which foods to avoid can help eliminate the risk of a medical emergency.  Today, we will take a look at the symptoms of mild food allergies so that you can diagnose the condition much more easily.

Food allergies can present themselves with a number of different symptoms.  Among the most common are mild swelling or itching of the mouth, tongue, or throat and hives and itchy, red skin on the hands, fingers or limbs.  Shortness of breath and coughing can also occur, as well as a runny nose and sore, itchy, and red eyes.  Digestive symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea, bloating, and vomiting.  If you experience any of these symptoms of food allergies, it is important to figure out what food or ingredient is causing them so that it can be eliminated from your diet.

Simple skin issues such as hives are one of the most frequently seen ‘bad’ reactions to eating certain foods.  Hives can cause an itch so intense and long-lasting that a sufferer may literally scratch the itch raw and still find that it itches. It usually always appears in the same place, and over time, frequent scratching can create a permanent patch of thickened skin.  If you have a small patch of incredibly itchy or bumpy red skin which seems to appear and disappear at random, start keeping a diary of when the itch starts, then look to see what you were eating beforehand.  Any number of food items can cause hives, but one of the most frequent culprits are fresh fruit items containing seeds such as strawberries or citrus fruits such as oranges.  Eliminating the item from your diet will prevent the itch from coming back.  If you accidentally consume the food, then using a small amount of a Hydro-cortisone-based creme can usually provide short-term relief.

Most allergies are caused by the body’s own natural defense system gone wrong.  In most cases, the body mis-identifies molecules or spores in a common food as a harmful germ or virus, and goes into overdrive revving up the immune system to get rid of what it thinks is a sudden attack.  This is why allergic symptoms come on so quickly and can be so severe – your body wants to do everything it can to get rid of the ‘attacker’ before it gains a stronghold in the body.  Allergies are most commonly seen in people who have not been exposed to a wide variety of fruits, nuts and foods at a young age, so by ensuring your child has a balanced and varied diet can actually protect them against developing late-onset allergies.

With severe food allergies, simply abstaining from eating the problem may not be enough.  Many people with allergies to nuts cannot even eat foods that were made in the same plant as foods with nuts, and must even avoid peanut dust and exposure to someone who has recently eaten nuts.  Their system has become hyper-sensitized against the food, and even a minute quantity can cause allergic reactions so severe that they can constrict the airways enough to cause death.  Therefore, it is always a good idea to call 911 if you see a person or friend having a bad allergic attack and they are having trouble breathing.

While most food allergies are not this severe, they should still be taken seriously.  Even mild food allergies can become incredibly dangerous if swelling of the throat is involved, and avoiding foods that give even the slightest allergic symptoms is certainly your best bet in order to ensure your health and safety.

To diagnose a food allergy, see your doctor, who will set up a simple test to determine exactly what you’re allergic to, and recommend a course of action you can take to avoid the allergen in future.