Food Allergies: Be Careful of What You Eat

To most people, an ice cream sundae topped with strawberries and caramel syrup sounds like the perfect dessert. However, for those who suffer from certain food allergies, they may have to avoid such a treat. Many people suffer from various food allergies. Although there is no known medical cause for food allergies, allergens can range from milk and other dairy products, fruits, meats, wheat, fish, soy, and nuts. When you have a food allergy, your immune system mistakenly believes that the food is harmful and as a result, it creates antibodies to attack it. Whenever you eat foods that you are allergic to, your immune system releases large amounts of chemicals in order to protect your body. The chemicals released in the body are what trigger the allergic symptoms experienced in response to coming in contact with allergens.

Food allergies can affect your cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or respiratory system. Symptoms of a food allergy reaction include, skin tingling, itching, rash, swelling, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, or even more serious, anaphylaxis. Symptoms usually appear within a couple minutes to a couple of hours of consuming the allergen. In severe cases, if the reaction isn't treated soon enough, it can be fatal.