When diagnosed with a food allergy, you tend to become extremely cautious about what you’re eating and what goes into each dish with good reason. While not everyone is allergic to certain foods, nearly everyone would have friends and family who are and a basic awareness of the most common food allergens could go a long way in preparing a dinner which doesn’t end in a disaster. At the very least, it helps identify what could be the cause of an allergic reaction if one does happen. We meet so many people at Origym who suffer from same problem and they don’t even know about it.
Fortunately, remembering the common allergens may not be as difficult as most think it may be. About as much as 90% of food allergy cases can be traced back to 8 most common allergen categories:
Milk
Milk allergies are most commonly found in babies and infants under the age of one. While it goes away as they grow, a few may continue have allergic reactions to milk and milk protein.
Peanuts
Peanuts are often associated with very severe reactions including anaphylaxis or narrowing of the breathing air passage. Those highly allergic to peanuts can be effected with even small amounts ingested. Completely avoiding peanut and peanut oils in any form is critical when it comes to diets for people with a peanut allergy.
Eggs
Like milk allergy, egg allergies are most often seen in babies and infants too and over time, the symptoms diminish allowing them to have eggs and egg based foods without any problems. However, in a very small number of cases, this allergy could prolong. The effects of egg allergy are mostly seen on the skin surface but in extreme cases, breathing problems and anaphalaxis can occur.
Tree Nuts
Walnuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and other tree nuts (not ground nuts like peanuts) have very severe allergic effects on some. Tree nut allergies are notoriously dangerous in many cases and considered very serious. Like peanut allergies, even small traces or contact with these foods can set off a severe reaction.
Fish
Allergy caused by various types of fish can be comparatively more common among adults. While it’s possible for someone to be allergic to few varieties of fish and not have a reaction with others, it’s often difficult to narrow down exactly which ones can be allergic and those with fish triggered allergies will often need to avoid seafood altogether.
Wheat
Wheat allergy is caused by wheat protein or gluten found in wheat and tends to effect young ones usually going away with time. It’s a mild reaction for some while it can be severe for others and needs avoidance of wheat and gluten grains as well as a number of baked products which use wheat / wheat flour.
Soy
Soy and soy bean products are a common cause of allergy for many and although it may be easy to avoid direct soy intake, there are a large number of food products that use soy protein and soy based ingredients.
Shellfish
Lobsters, shrimps and other crustaceans are another common allergen that affects a fairly large number of people. Unlike some other allergens that effect people at a younger age and pass with time, shellfish allergy is often a lasting one and needs special precaution to be taken lifelong.
