Why you have food allergies and what you need to know

According to Medical News Today, worldwide, food allergies affect 250 million to 550 million people in developed and developing countries. Before you get confused, food allergies involve a reaction of causing the body to produce histamine which makes the body skin to swell, your nose to produce mucus and also the nerves get affected such that you begin itching.

Your body will be reacting against a protein in the food that causes the allergy. Greatly confused to be allergic reactions, food intolerance can occur due to proteins, chemicals, carbohydrates in foods, or from a lack of enzymes.

You can test for allergies using a variety of ways. Using the skin prick test – diluted foods are placed on the patient’s arm, and then the skin is pierced, to get the food into the system. An allergy is present when you experience itching, swelling, or redness.

You can also do a blood test. Doctors also advise you to begin an eliminating diet where you stop eating suspected foods for a period of time. It helps you observe whether what you've eliminated works or doesn't. Keeping a good diary is also helpful in recording what you eat such that if you get a reaction, it can be traced from what product. Using a food diary, patients write down everything they eat and describe symptoms if they occur.

Food allergies can be common from things like eggs, fish, milk, nuts from trees (including hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, and Brazil nuts), peanuts (groundnuts), shellfish (including shrimps, mussels, and crab), soya, and wheat. When you consume these, you are at a high risk of getting allergic especially if you have a background or history of allergies.

You should know that allergies are caused from a variety of reasons. It could be a highly genetic occurrence. If your family line has someone allergic to something, you are more likely to get the allergy to the specific food by 50%.

Other causes could be certain medications which have sulphates and the penicillium family. As a result, you'll have to know whether you are allergic, unfortunately, you can only know if you find out after consuming the drug. Children are also more susceptible to getting the allergic to something. As one grows, an allergic reaction can either fade off completely or hit harder.

You can treat the symptoms that come about from your allergic reactions with over the counter drugs. However, know that the best way forward is understanding that you can be able to relieve everything only by avoiding the food item that gives you the allergic reaction. All in all, it is not a death sentence. You should only know how best to manage them.