Food Allergies
November 29, 2008
Enjoying your favorite food is a heavenly feeling, but if for any reason the particular food does not suit you, then you are in for a bad time. Almost any food can trigger an allergenic reaction in a person who is susceptible. A Food Allergy is defined as an individual’s adverse reaction to food and sometimes you may not even be aware to be allergenic to any food.
Generally, for adults, the common foods that cause allergic reactions include shellfish such as shrimp, crayfish, and lobster, crabs, and peanuts, tree nuts such as walnuts, fish and eggs. The common food allergens that cause problems in children are eggs, milk, and peanuts. Children can sometimes outgrow them. Children are more likely to outgrow allergies to milk or soy than allergies to peanuts, fish, or shrimp. Sometime the attack is mild and at times bad ranging from rashes, pain, to anaphylactic shock.
When trying to figure out if and what food you have a problem with, it is very important to keep an accurate diary of your daily food and drink intake. You also need to write down in detail the symptoms that you are felling. Without doing this, there is no hope in finding what is ailing you. You can even have allergenic reactions to the drugs that are used on penned animals such as chicken, turkey, pork, etc. These animals that are kept in tight quarters climb over each other constantly and scratch each other causing skin infections. These animals cannot be sold with these infections. Their keepers are known to give these animals penicillin to clear up these infections so that they can be sold.
The first thing that you have to do is have a suspicion that you have a problem. There is a difference between an overt allergy and sensitivity. The allergy will cause overt symptoms such as hives, rashes to in some cases anaphylaxis. Food sensitivity will cause subtle discomforts such as a generalized uneasy feeling such as an increase in your heart rate, excessive belching or flatulence or stomach distension. You may also feel fatigued. Not all allergies are caused by food consumption. You may even react to food preservatives and food colorings, also that your problems may be caused by more than one food. That is why the journal is so important.
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