Asthma and Allergy > Allergies > Conditions > Food Allergy

	Children frequently outgrow an allergy to eggs, milk and soy. However, allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish usually continue into adulthood.

Food allergy

Many people confuse “food intolerance” with food allergy. Food allergy occurs when your immune system produces the allergic antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE) against a food. Gluten sensitivity and lactose intolerance are not allergic reactions. Food allergies are not very common overall and usually are seen in children.

Foods that cause 95 percent of allergic reactions are:

eggs peanuts wheat soy

fish shellfish tree nuts cow’s milk

Symptoms

Food allergies usually occur shortly after eating the offending food. Symptoms can include: hives, itching or eczema swelling of the lips, face, tongue or throat wheezing or nasal congestion vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramping anaphylaxis

Diagnosing

Food allergies, especially severe ones, are often obvious. If not, keeping a food diary for one to two weeks of everything you eat, symptoms you experience and how long after eating they occur, will help your doctor determine what, if any, food is causing your symptoms. The history of your reaction to food is the most important factor in diagnosing food allergies.

Allergy tests work by detecting the presence of allergic antibodies (IgE) in the skin or blood and can help in diagnosing allergic food reactions. Many false positive reactions to food allergy skin or blood tests occur, so doing multiple tests for food allergies “just to check” is not recommended.

Treatment

The only way to treat a food allergy is to avoid the food and be prepared for emergencies by having a food allergy action plan (PDF) and injectable adrenaline available to treat emergencies. Avoiding the food requires carefully reading food labels and asking about ingredients. Most accidental ingestions happen when eating at restaurants or someone else’s home, so be particularly careful in these situations and carry an injectable adrenaline with you. Wear a permanent bracelet or necklace that identifies your food allergy.

Find out more about how to read labels so you can avoid foods to which you are allergic by visiting www.foodallergy.org.