The Most Common of the Food Allergies

Food allergies are not only growing in popularity, they are also growing in severity. There are many children and adults in the world that suffer from food allergies. There are some very common ones that you or your children may face.

One of the most common food allergies is milk. Considering that milk is in so many of the items that you eat you will constantly be exposed to it. Whether you eat bakery items, any type of dairy, or any number of other foods you may encounter milk. The good news regarding milk is that it is easily replaced in most food items so you can easily work around it. You can drink goat’s milk which does not contain the allergens that cow’s milk does for certain people. Soy milk is another alternative. Or you could simply avoid any foods that have milk in it. The problem that people usually face is going out to dinner. Since you never really know if something has milk in it you should be very clear that you are allergic and need to avoid it.

Eggs are another food allergy that many people are afflicted with. Although it doesn’t cause anaphylactic shock in most cases it can cause a lot of unwanted symptoms such as cramping, diarrhea, and vomiting. Eggs can be found in many items so you need to read all the labels of the foods you buy and find out if they contain eggs. You should also use only egg substitutes that you can find in your refrigerated section next to the traditional eggs. There are many cookbooks that are made specifically for people with egg allergies so you can still enjoy the foods that you love.

Peanut allergies are probably the most prevalent and the most dangerous. As you may already notice, all labels are instructed to say whether something has peanuts or is made in a factory where other peanut products are made. Considering that so many foods contain peanuts or are made nearby to peanuts it can be a tough road if you are allergic to peanuts. Make sure to check every single label of every food that you pick up, and always tell your server if you are allergic to peanuts before ordering so that they can make a special note to tell the chef. Peanuts or peanut derivatives can be found in everything from oil to bakery items so you need to be especially cautious.

Other food allergies to be considered are fish and wheat allergies. In most cases you can avoid the foods that you are allergic to, but in the case of wheat you have to go with gluten free products and avoid eating any bakery items that are not gluten free. Living with any food allergy is going to take some work, but getting sick is not a great alternative so check labels, tell people about your allergies and make it known what you can and cannot eat.