It is quite likely you’ve known someone with a severe allergy. From peanuts to gluten, such food allergies have grown to be much more common in recent decades. Fortunately, severe food allergy awareness has improved too. Food allergies are no laughing matter; many people need to be rushed to the emergency room or risk their very lives over these foods.
A few individuals go through food intolerance rather than a food allergic reaction which may cause confusion; they are distinct conditions which may trigger different responses.
A food intolerance, occasionally defined as a food sensitivity, ensues in a delayed response to a food or food additive.
A food allergy on the other hand may trigger a response inside minutes of eating the actuating food. An intolerance happens because the food is not being digested decently, because of problems such as a lack of enzymes, but an allergy is an immune response.
A food allergy is defined as an immune response because the allergy reaction is induced by a reaction from the immune system. The immune system is perpetually working to take care of the body and shield it from damage. It views this allergen as a potentially damaging substance so it starts working to defend the body. To help the body defend itself the system releases specific protective chemicals, one of these being histamine which triggers the allergy symptoms.
Symptoms of an allergic response may include prickling in the mouth, puffiness of the lips, tongue, throat or eyelids, strained breathing, regurgitation, abdominal spasms, looseness of the bowels or hives. Within more severe events it may include a dip in blood pressure, losing consciousness, and in intense cases occasionally dying — these symptoms are signals of anaphylactic shock.
Food allergies seem to be more prevalent every day but the majority of allergies are caused by just eight foods — eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, shellfish, wheat and soy. In the United States these eight are responsible for over ninety percent of food allergies. While allergens may vary to some degree from country to country these eight are generally the most common.
Of course the most effective way to treat allergies is to avoid the allergen. With airborne allergies this is difficult, but you might think it would be easy with a food allergy — that’s not always the case. Processed foods can often contain hidden allergens. To help with this problem the United States has required that companies label foods containing any of the eight common allergens.
The tagging has been a great assistance, yet regrettably it does not ensure the food is entirely free of allergens. They may also slip into the food system by cross-contamination. This may be a problem when a plant produces several different foods, some of which incorporate common allergens. The machines are cleansed before processing a new food, but hints of the allergen may persist and be passed to the next food that’s processed.
Luckily most labels now have an allergy section where they list what other types of foods are processed in the same facility, but there are other things food allergy sufferers will need to look for as well. Ingredients that contain allergens can be listed under different names, for example casein and whey are forms of milk protein. Those with a dairy allergy will need to avoid these ingredients.
If you suffer from a severe food allergy, you absolutely must be able to identify the indications of an allergy triggered. And you must have some practice and knowledge on how to treat yourself in those precarious moments. I urge you to carry around both an EpiPen and a medical alert bracelet identifying your allergy.
