By: Christopher Ruane
In the western world, more than one-fourth of all adult Americans are convinced that some of the foods they bite into start to cause recurrent symptoms such as hives, skin rashes, diarrhea, and vomiting. In fact, this is common telltale signs of allergies.
People who have food allergies make drastic changes in their diets. Apart from the inconvenience of avoiding foods that everyone else seems enjoys without problems, keeping away from a wholesome nourishing food, such as milk or wheat, can deprive you of key vitamins or minerals.
There are instances that what people think are some kinds of allergies are in fact not allergies but food intolerance.
According to most health experts, true food allergies are quite rare, probably affecting less than 2% of the adult population. There are some individuals who think that they have a food allergy wherein fact it is a food intolerance.
The problem with food intolerances is that they also produce some of the same uncomfortable symptoms that food allergies create, including bloating, cramping, gas, and diarrhea.
Therefore, it is important that the person knows if what he is experiencing are true food allergies. In addition, if a person has a bona fide food allergy, he must learn how to avoid the culprit. Here is a list of the common culprits that cause food allergies in humans. These foods account for almost 90% of all food allergies.
1. People should shell out for peanuts
As a legume, the peanut can be a healthy addition to most diets. But it is among the most allergenic of all foods. In people with severe allergies, just a fraction of a peanut kernel can be enough to set off a reaction. This also means avoid peanut butter!
2. Leave tree nuts alone
Walnuts and other tree nuts, like Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, filberts, pecans etc., are among the most allergenic foods. If a person is allergic to one true nut variety, there is chance that he is also allergic to others, but not necessarily to peanuts, which are legumes.
2. Be a crab about shellfish
Although shrimp gets much attention as an allergen, a broad class of shellfish can cause an allergic reaction. This class includes other crustacean like lobsters, crabs, and prawns, and mollusks such as snails, mussels, oysters, scallops, clams, squid, and octopus.
3. Throw back the finfish
Compared with other major food allergens, the proteins in fish are more vulnerable to heat and other forms of preparation. Therefore, some people allergic to fresh cooked fish can eat the canned version without difficulty.
There are instances that a person might be able to eat canned tuna, but have a problem with fresh grilled tuna, but he does not count on it. Hence, in people with extreme severe fish allergies, even inhaling the vapors from cooking fish can set off a reaction.
Alternatively, reactions to toxins in fish are sometimes mistaken for fish allergies. Scromboid poisoning from fish occurs when fish are contaminated with high levels of histamine, the primary irritant in classic allergic reactions.
4. Bypass milk
Most adverse reactions to milk are not allergies but rather lactose intolerance. That is, insufficient amounts of the digestive enzyme lactase lead to cramping, bloating, and other abdominal symptoms.
Most individuals with lactose intolerance can generally manage small amounts of milk. However, in people with true milk allergy, any consumption of milk or milk-related proteins can be dangerous.
5. Review tofu
Tofu is made from soy, a major allergen in children. Some adults react, too.
6. Beat the wheat
If people notice that wheat products cause symptoms of an allergy, it is quite possible that the person is allergic to the grain. However, it is still better for a person to be sure and see a doctor. Some people have celiac disease, a rare condition resulting from intolerance to gluten, which is present not only in wheat but also in rye, barley, and oats.
Therefore, it is important to take note of these common food allergies because one might never know that he or she is already allergic to one of these foods.
The bottom line is that people allergic to certain foods should avoid that food for life. In adults, it is simply not reliable for a person to stop eating a food and hope that his allergy will not come back. Once a person is allergic to a food, it is safest to assume that you are allergic to that food for the rest of your life.
