Contrary to popular belief that food allergy is a very common everyday occurrence, food allergy and its symptoms are really quite uncommon. As hard as it is to believe but only 1 out of 70 adults suffer from true food allergies as children are the ones mostly affected by this illness. The similarities in the symptoms of food allergy to that of food poisoning or food intolerance often than not gets people to mistake the one for the other. It is best to know what classic food allergy is for you to make sure if you really are allergic to that particular food.

When the body’s immune system defends itself from a substance that it deems harmful, that is when food allergy happens. The body’s trying to overcome the allergy-causing substance comes out as the allergic reaction. To make sure, doctors usually run tests in the determination and confirmation of food allergies. As food allergy is also believed to be hereditary, questions on your family’s general health might also be asked by the doctor. If a history of eczema, hay fever or asthma is found, then the doctor will place you as having a higher risk of having food allergy.

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Swelling and itching in the throat, tongue and mouth usually signals a true allergic reaction. Other food allergy symptoms include skin reactions, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, wheezing, runny nose and sore, red and itchy eyes. An allergic reaction could begin once a particular food that you are allergic to is ingested. However, the symptoms could develop a bit longer, sometimes taking several hours after the ingestion of food culprit. An anaphylactic shock is the worst possible kind of allergic reaction and this could cause a decrease in the blood pressure, labored breathing, unconsciousness and severe swelling. It could even lead to death if proper medical attention is not given making food allergy as an illness that someone should not just take for-granted.

Peanuts, shellfish, tree nuts and fish are just among the common foods that cause allergies. Some children though develop allergies to cow’s milk, soya, eggs, wheat and seafood. In most cases, if you have an allergy to a particular food, you could also experience an allergic reaction to other foods that cause allergies and this is called cross-reactivity. You could actually identify which foods to avoid to prevent from getting food allergies but you need a dietician and a physician’s help to do this.

A doctor specializing on allergies should be consulted to make sure if one has food allergies. Questions on the symptoms experienced after eating a certain food, the amount of the food intake, its preparation and storage as well the medication taken to relieve the symptoms and its effectivity will be asked. Your answers to these questions could help in the diagnosis of your food allergy.

Never try to determine on your own what food you are allergic to. It is imperative that you seek a food allergy specialist as allergic reactions can go from mild to severe and you might just be putting yourself at risk. If you are allergic to something, your body could react badly if you try to treat it on your own.

To diagnose a food allergy, skin prick tests are performed sometimes. This is done through the injection of a small amount of food extract on the surface of your skin. If swelling and redness of the injection site occurs, then you have an allergic reaction to that food extract. As a false positive reaction is sometimes observed from a skin prick test, it is wise for other tests, like a blood test to be performed, to confirm food allergy and complete the diagnosis.