Lower Your Allergic Reactions To Food

It has been stated in more than one allergy study that a majority of people in the world today, perhaps as high as 60%, have had some kind of an adverse reaction when eating. While the majority of the symptoms are mild there is a growing number of allergy sufferers who have severe reactions when contacting certain types of food. Those who have mild symptoms generally are not even aware that they have a food allergy but testing would reveal otherwise.

Many times the actual problem is caused by one of three things. The most common is a protein in the food. An example of this is casein in milk and we all know just how common it is for people, especially children, to be sensitive to drinking milk. Another cause could be a starch in the food, like gluten being present in wheat. Certain people cannot consume wheat because gluten triggers an immediate response from the body's defenses. Finally, the last common cause of a food allergic reaction is artificial ingredients like sweeteners and preservatives.

The only way to be certain as to the underlying cause is to get an allergy test done by an allergist or qualified doctor. It's best to seek out doctors who are familiar with food allergies since they will have more experience dealing with the sometimes difficult task of pinpointing the exact cause. Any combination of skin or blood tests, or possibly the RAST clinical test can help identify the root cause.

An Elimination Diet Is A Necessary Step

The first thing you will likely be advised to do is to eliminate certain foods, one at a time, in a sort of trial and error process. The key is to not cut out more than one food at a time because you need to know definitively when you have found the culprit. You also have to keep the rest of your diet essentially unchanged, and then observe if you still get an allergic reaction to anything. This can be a difficult thing to do and might take a couple weeks or more before you have an idea. A lot of times your doctor will have you start with the usual suspects like milk, peanuts (or other tree nuts if you eat them), and wheat but make sure you only do one at a time.

A good way to determine when a reaction is occuring is to check your heart rate. Take your pulse right before eating any food that could be causing your allergies, then again a few minutes after you are done eating. If your pulse has increased more than a few beats per minute and you haven't had any stimulant like caffeine then this food could be the culprit. Then you can look for some of the symptoms listed below.

Possible Symptoms To Check For

Some of the common food allergy symptoms to look for include such digestive problems as diarrhea, upset stomach, irritable bowel, and excess gas. You can also get headaches, sleeping problems, irritability, joint or muscle aches, scratchy throat, swelling, difficulty breathing, sinus congestion, or skin rashes/hives. Really, anything that makes you feel ill immediately after eating a certain type of food is suspect at this point.

Once you have identified the food that is causing your allergic reactions you have a couple ways to proceed. Obviously you will want to avoid it as much as possible but this can be difficult for such things as dairy, corn, or wheat as they are hidden ingredients in many meals. Plus, if you eat out at restaurants it is not easy to figure out what exactly is in any meal you order. You have to do the best you can with avoidance, and then you can use what is called a rotational diet where you rotate what you are eating every few days. Try to maintain better health as well by keeping your weight at the optimal level, getting exercise, and eating organic fruits and vegetables. Ultimately it will be a lifelong change for you but once you know what foods to avoid, you will become aware of what recipes to be on the lookout for. This will give you the greatest chance at lowering or possibly eliminating all your food allergies.

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