Food Allergy Awareness Week, 9 May – 15 May 2010

FOOD ALLERGIES: What you need to know

If one has a food allergy, it is extremely important to consult his or her doctor to find out what food or foods cause allergic reaction 

Dangerous dishes: In children, most allergic reactions to food are to egg, milk, nuts from trees, soya, peanuts, soya and wheat. In adults, most allergic reactions are to peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish, citrus fruit and wheat. Here is the list of most common foods one can be allergic from:

• Milk allergy: Allergy to cows' milk is the most common food allergy in childhood. Experts suggest that reaction can be triggered by small amounts of milk, either passed to the baby through the mother's breast milk from dairy products she has eaten, or from feeding cows' milk to the baby. Children usually grow out of milk allergy by the age of three.
  Cows' milk allergy is caused by a reaction to a number of allergens in cows' milk, such as casein and whey.
  Medical reports say that people with cows' milk allergy might react to other types of milk as well, so goats and sheep milk aren't suitable alternatives for people who are sensitive to cows' milk.
• Meat allergy: This includes reaction to beef, pork, mutton or chicken. However, cooking destroys some of the allergens in meat, but some people will still react to cooked meat.
• Coconut allergy: Coconut can cause allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis in people who are sensitive.
• Cereal allergy: It includes wheat, rye, barley, oats, maize (corn) and rice. In some cases one can react to more than one type of cereal.
• Egg allergy: Eggs are one of the most common allergy-causing foods. Medical researches show that although egg allergy can affect adults, it's more common in children. Most children outgrow their egg allergy by the time they're 5 years old. In a few cases, egg allergy can cause anaphylaxis.
  Egg allergy is mainly caused by three proteins in the egg white called ovomucoid, ovalbumin and conalbumin. Experts conclude that some people might react to cooked eggs, as well as raw eggs.
• Gluten intolerance: Gluten is the mixture of proteins found in some cereals, including rye, wheat and barley. It is a generally, a lifelong disease that can damage the lining of the small intestine, which stops the body from absorbing nutrients.
• Shellfish allergy: If one has a shellfish allergy he or she can have allergic reaction to only certain kinds of shellfish, or can have an allergy to all kinds of shellfish. Shellfish include marine animals with shells, such as clams, lobster and shrimp, as well as octopus and squid.