Food allergies affect approximately 4 million Americans with symptoms that can include difficulty breathing, an outbreak of hives, asthma, vomiting, and even death. Oftentimes food allergies are confused with an inability to tolerate certain foods. Food intolerance usually brings about an entirely different set of symptoms including a bloated feeling, gas, or other similar type of discomfort.
Food Allergies or Food Intolerance
An easy way to distinguish food allergies from food intolerances is to understand that an allergic reaction actually originates in a person's immune system. A severe allergic reaction can result in suffocation when the throat or the tongue swells so much that a person cannot breathe. Given the fact that approximately 150 people in the United States die each year from food allergies, this condition is no laughing matter.
Individuals with known food allergies usually inherit this condition from another member of the family. When food allergy patients are studied, it is common to see that conditions such as eczema, hay fever, and asthma affect other family members. http://www.withallergies.com/helpwithallergies/
Foods That Cause Allergies
A few different kinds of foods seem to trigger the most allergic reactions. And it seems that adults and children each have a different set of foods that cause problems. The majority of food allergy cases in children involve peanuts, milk, eggs, soy and wheat. In adults, the foods most involved with allergies include shellfish (such as shrimp, crab and lobster), peanuts, walnuts, eggs, other fish and nuts that grow in trees.
Food allergies are so serious in some people that even smelling the food can trigger an allergic reaction. However, food allergies mostly become an issue after a person has eaten a food to which he or she is allergic. Symptoms can begin right at the point of entry with lips that begin to tingle or a tongue that begins to itch. Gastrointestinal trouble follows with cramping, or the need to vomit, or the development of diarrhea. As the troublesome food breaks down and enters the bloodstream, it travels towards the lungs and at that point conditions such as asthma, eczema, shortness of breath, or low blood pressure can all develop.
Dealing with Food Allergies
To protect themselves, people with known allergies to food simply have to avoid coming into contact with these foods. That sounds easy enough, however the reality is that it is not always possible to avoid the foods that cause problems. Processed foods can contain so many ingredients that sometimes the food culprit is buried deep in the fine print. Legislation aimed at improving food labeling as it pertains to food allergies has recently been enacted and hopefully these new labeling requirements will better protect those with food allergies.
Keeping children away from food allergens is difficult unless a parent is vigilant about what goes into the child's mouth. Parents of children with food allergies must inform everyone from school officials to neighbors about the child's food allergies and even then, accidents happen. Fortunately for children with food allergies, most will outgrow this condition.
About the Author
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for WithAllergies.com. To learn more about food allergies and treating allergies, visit our site.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Baby Food Allergies – All You Need To Know
In recent year we have seen an increase in the susceptibility of allergies. Baby food allergies are of particular concern as the source may be difficult to detect. Baby food allergies are as common as adult food allergies.
If your baby appears distressed for no apparent reason or has unexplained areas of itchiness to the skin, then perhaps he or she has a baby food allergy.
What is an Allergy?
An allergy can be defined as an intolerance to a particular substance when touched, inhaled, injected or ingested.
When our body is exposed to a substance that causes an allergic reaction the response may be nasal or respiratory congestion, itchy or runny nose, watery eyes, diarrhea, or itchy rashes anywhere on the body.
Baby Food Allergies – Can My Allergies be Passed on to my Baby?
If you tend to have an allergic reaction then your baby may have a tendency to be allergic also.
However you and your baby may not share the same food allergies or be allergic to the same substances.
You may have asthma, while your child may develop hay fever.
Baby Food Allergies – How to detect them
It can sometimes be difficult detecting the cause of baby food allergies. If you think your infant has a baby food allergy, eliminating the following products from their diet may help.
• Milk and dairy products
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Shellfish
• Citrus Fruits
Once you have eliminated each of these food groups from your baby’s diet, you can begin to reintroduce them gradually one by one.
Wait a few days before the introduction of an additional food group and do not mix food groups.If your baby has a baby food allergy you be able to detect it by monitoring his or her reaction to the introduction of these individual food groups.
Baby Food Allergies – Can they be prevented?
Breastfeeding your baby for the first six months of his or her life helps to reduce the incidence of allergies earlier on in life.
Try to avoid giving your baby pre-prepared foods that contain additives, or tinned or packaged foods.
Baby Food Allergies – When are they Most Likely to Occur?
Baby food allergies can occur at any time. Many babies are allergic to, or have an intolerance to cows milk and your baby may develop an allergy to other milk or wheat products, shellfish, nuts or citrus fruits.
If your baby has an allergic reaction after eating a particular food, you should see the signs within an hour.
Baby Food Allergy – Signs to Look For
The symptoms of a baby food allergy could include swelling or itchiness of the lips or tongue, wheezing or a skin rash.
Some babies may develop an intolerance to particular food groups.
If your baby has a food intolerance, symptoms might include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, colic or wind.
Treating Baby Food Allergies
As long as you can find the cause, then the best way to treat a baby food allergy is to refrain from giving your baby that particular food.
If your baby is experiencing related symptoms then the allergy could be pollen related rather than a baby food allergy. Non food substances that could also cause an allergic reaction include pet hairs, tobacco smoke, feather pillows, perfume or dust mites.
Baby Food Allergies – Healthy Alternatives
If your results indicated that your infant is experiencing baby food allergies, here are some non allergic foods that you can try introducing into their diet.
• Mangoes, apples, grapes
• Barley, oats, rye
• Cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes
• Chicken, salmon
If in any doubt you should seek professional help to determine whether it is a baby food allergy or something more serious.
Baby food allergies are quote common and with a little work are fairly easy to detect. Once you have detected the source of your baby’s food allergy, the simplest way to eliminate the symptoms is to remove the cause.
By: Sacha Tarkovsky
MORE FREE INFO On all aspects of health and more on babies visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads and at www.net-planet.org/index.html
If your baby appears distressed for no apparent reason or has unexplained areas of itchiness to the skin, then perhaps he or she has a baby food allergy.
What is an Allergy?
An allergy can be defined as an intolerance to a particular substance when touched, inhaled, injected or ingested.
When our body is exposed to a substance that causes an allergic reaction the response may be nasal or respiratory congestion, itchy or runny nose, watery eyes, diarrhea, or itchy rashes anywhere on the body.
Baby Food Allergies – Can My Allergies be Passed on to my Baby?
If you tend to have an allergic reaction then your baby may have a tendency to be allergic also.
However you and your baby may not share the same food allergies or be allergic to the same substances.
You may have asthma, while your child may develop hay fever.
Baby Food Allergies – How to detect them
It can sometimes be difficult detecting the cause of baby food allergies. If you think your infant has a baby food allergy, eliminating the following products from their diet may help.
• Milk and dairy products
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Shellfish
• Citrus Fruits
Once you have eliminated each of these food groups from your baby’s diet, you can begin to reintroduce them gradually one by one.
Wait a few days before the introduction of an additional food group and do not mix food groups.If your baby has a baby food allergy you be able to detect it by monitoring his or her reaction to the introduction of these individual food groups.
Baby Food Allergies – Can they be prevented?
Breastfeeding your baby for the first six months of his or her life helps to reduce the incidence of allergies earlier on in life.
Try to avoid giving your baby pre-prepared foods that contain additives, or tinned or packaged foods.
Baby Food Allergies – When are they Most Likely to Occur?
Baby food allergies can occur at any time. Many babies are allergic to, or have an intolerance to cows milk and your baby may develop an allergy to other milk or wheat products, shellfish, nuts or citrus fruits.
If your baby has an allergic reaction after eating a particular food, you should see the signs within an hour.
Baby Food Allergy – Signs to Look For
The symptoms of a baby food allergy could include swelling or itchiness of the lips or tongue, wheezing or a skin rash.
Some babies may develop an intolerance to particular food groups.
If your baby has a food intolerance, symptoms might include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, colic or wind.
Treating Baby Food Allergies
As long as you can find the cause, then the best way to treat a baby food allergy is to refrain from giving your baby that particular food.
If your baby is experiencing related symptoms then the allergy could be pollen related rather than a baby food allergy. Non food substances that could also cause an allergic reaction include pet hairs, tobacco smoke, feather pillows, perfume or dust mites.
Baby Food Allergies – Healthy Alternatives
If your results indicated that your infant is experiencing baby food allergies, here are some non allergic foods that you can try introducing into their diet.
• Mangoes, apples, grapes
• Barley, oats, rye
• Cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes
• Chicken, salmon
If in any doubt you should seek professional help to determine whether it is a baby food allergy or something more serious.
Baby food allergies are quote common and with a little work are fairly easy to detect. Once you have detected the source of your baby’s food allergy, the simplest way to eliminate the symptoms is to remove the cause.
By: Sacha Tarkovsky
MORE FREE INFO On all aspects of health and more on babies visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads and at www.net-planet.org/index.html
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Food Allergies And The Ways They Affect Our Skin
Our diet plays a big part in the condition of our skin. If we do not eat properly we risk having dull, tired looking skin, and in some cases more serious problems can arise.
Food allergies can cause dramatic changes in the skin and the scary thing is, sometimes we do not even know that we have an allergy to a certain food before we try it, so an allergy could occur at any time.
How Food Allergies Affect the Skin When we have food allergies the body is basically thinking that the food which we are allergic to is harming our body. So, the immune system kicks in and creates antibodies to fight off the food allergen. After the body has identified a food as a cause of allergies, it will from then on release chemicals to protect itself.
The chemicals are what trigger allergic reactions and as well as affecting the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract, it also affects the skin. Usually food allergies are more common in children but they do affect adults too.
Some of the most common signs of food allergies include itching and the body could come out in a rash. Some common skin conditions which could appear due to food allergies include:
Hives
Hives is one of the most common allergic skin reactions, and it is also known as Urticaria. Usually hives form on any part of the body but they rarely affect the palms and the soles of the feet. The problem can either be mild or severe, depending upon the circumstances. You will know if you have hives if they are extremely itchy, if you have red, circular lesions which change throughout time. They can basically be any size, though they do tend to only be a few millimeters in length. Usually to control hives, antihistamines are taken but failing that, oral steroids can also be used. Again, it depends upon the severity of the break out and they should calm down naturally after the cause of the allergy has gone.
Eczema
Eczema is an extremely annoying condition and it constantly itches and makes the skin red, dry and flaky. It can be caused by a number of things and food allergies are one of them. There are various different types of Eczema and the type that is caused by allergies is allergic contact dermatitis. The reaction usually occurs a couple of hours after contact with whatever it were that the person is allergic to. If you do not come into contact with the substance again, the reaction usually tends to calm down after a few days.
Both conditions can be really irritating and can leave the skin looking really dull and unhealthy. Also, another symptom of a food allergy could be sneezing and a runny nose. If you have a runny nose you are constantly blowing it and if your nose is also itchy you will be rubbing it to make the itching stop. This will also damage the sensitive skin around the nose and it could potentially become extremely sore and flaky. The only thing that will really cure this is by keeping the area moisturized as much as possible.
Overall, nothing can cure food allergies but it is important to stay away from some foods if you know you are allergic to them. Food allergies usually occur with foods such as nuts, milk, eggs and fish. It is possible to be allergic to any foods however so just be careful and know that as well as affecting the rest of your body, allergies also affect the skin.
By: Louise Forrest
Keep YOURSELF looking and feeling great with these great FREE Beauty Tips from www.NaturalElements.co.uk In just seconds you can access over 36 beauty topics that will keep you looking younger and more radiant. You can now get the very latest information on Natural Beauty Products by subscribing with RSS
Food allergies can cause dramatic changes in the skin and the scary thing is, sometimes we do not even know that we have an allergy to a certain food before we try it, so an allergy could occur at any time.
How Food Allergies Affect the Skin When we have food allergies the body is basically thinking that the food which we are allergic to is harming our body. So, the immune system kicks in and creates antibodies to fight off the food allergen. After the body has identified a food as a cause of allergies, it will from then on release chemicals to protect itself.
The chemicals are what trigger allergic reactions and as well as affecting the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract, it also affects the skin. Usually food allergies are more common in children but they do affect adults too.
Some of the most common signs of food allergies include itching and the body could come out in a rash. Some common skin conditions which could appear due to food allergies include:
Hives
Hives is one of the most common allergic skin reactions, and it is also known as Urticaria. Usually hives form on any part of the body but they rarely affect the palms and the soles of the feet. The problem can either be mild or severe, depending upon the circumstances. You will know if you have hives if they are extremely itchy, if you have red, circular lesions which change throughout time. They can basically be any size, though they do tend to only be a few millimeters in length. Usually to control hives, antihistamines are taken but failing that, oral steroids can also be used. Again, it depends upon the severity of the break out and they should calm down naturally after the cause of the allergy has gone.
Eczema
Eczema is an extremely annoying condition and it constantly itches and makes the skin red, dry and flaky. It can be caused by a number of things and food allergies are one of them. There are various different types of Eczema and the type that is caused by allergies is allergic contact dermatitis. The reaction usually occurs a couple of hours after contact with whatever it were that the person is allergic to. If you do not come into contact with the substance again, the reaction usually tends to calm down after a few days.
Both conditions can be really irritating and can leave the skin looking really dull and unhealthy. Also, another symptom of a food allergy could be sneezing and a runny nose. If you have a runny nose you are constantly blowing it and if your nose is also itchy you will be rubbing it to make the itching stop. This will also damage the sensitive skin around the nose and it could potentially become extremely sore and flaky. The only thing that will really cure this is by keeping the area moisturized as much as possible.
Overall, nothing can cure food allergies but it is important to stay away from some foods if you know you are allergic to them. Food allergies usually occur with foods such as nuts, milk, eggs and fish. It is possible to be allergic to any foods however so just be careful and know that as well as affecting the rest of your body, allergies also affect the skin.
By: Louise Forrest
Keep YOURSELF looking and feeling great with these great FREE Beauty Tips from www.NaturalElements.co.uk In just seconds you can access over 36 beauty topics that will keep you looking younger and more radiant. You can now get the very latest information on Natural Beauty Products by subscribing with RSS
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