Most Common Food Allergies

Many people suffer from food allergies today. While there are numerous types of foods that can cause an allergic reaction, eight of them are by far the most common. In actuality somewhere between 50 and 90 percent of the most severe reactions come from milk or dairy, peanuts, other tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish (source: About.com). Some of these like dairy may develop at a very young age and can be outgrown as the child ages. However, certain food allergies like nuts can remain for a lifetime. These will require constant monitoring of the diet to make sure they don't enter the body at all.

As you can imagine this can be tricky as there are many hidden ingredients in just about any meal you consume. If you are eating out at a restaurant you have to be extra careful and even ask for a list of ingredients for any questionable dish. And in some cases a list of ingredients won't tell the whole story as the ingredient can be derived from such things as soy or wheat without stating as such. For those individuals with a severe allergy, in-home food preparation becomes a very important part of life. That is really the only way to know exactly what foods you are consuming.

Cow's Milk Is A Very Common Food Allergy

The bad news is that cow's milk is the most common of food allergies in children growing up in America. This is likely true because of the abundance of people who drink this type of milk in the United States. While it is very common, most children do outgrow this allergy by the time they are no longer toddlers. Many parents will mistake these allergies with lactose intolerance which can produce similar symptoms. There are more and more people who are shunning cow's milk for such alternatives as almond and coconut milks but these also need to be monitored for allergies as well.

Nuts Are Another Major Allergen

Allergies to peanuts and certain types of tree nuts are on the rise among the population in America. These types of foods tend to produce severe reactions so those individuals need to be extra careful in what they consume. The obvious culprits are things like peanut butter and bags of nuts themselves but other items like skin care products, shampoos, and even toys can have some level of contamination. Any reaction should be monitored closely because things can go from bad to worse very quickly. After a doctor diagnoses this type of allergy they can provide tips on how to eliminate exposure, or at the very least drastically minimize it.

The other five foods (shellfish, fish, eggs, soy, and wheat) are not quite as common but they still do show up in many kids as well as adults. Fortunately there are many allergy tests that your doctor or allergist can perform to help pinpoint what is causing the symptoms. Modern medicine has become good at diagnosing the causes of your allergic reactions. And once you know what types of foods to avoid it is just a matter of following a strict diet. This obviously becomes more important if the reactions are severe, as they can even cause death in certain cases.