Reactions to food allergies can be from very moderate to a very severe type reaction. There is a difference between the food intolerance and the true food allergy. With a food intolerance the person may be able to ingest a small amount of the suspect food with no reaction what so ever. But a true food allergy will not allow for any of the food to be ingested at all, no matter how small the amount. One the trigger food is determined it is very important to avoid this food completely.

The use of a registered dietitian is a great way to learn how and what to avoid. The registered dietitian can help with meal planning suggestions to help avoid the trigger foods, but can also help to maintain a healthy diet by offering different suggestions to keep the new diet not only nutritionally sound but also ways to keep it tasting great too. If you are allergic to the more common fruits or vegetables, the registered dietitian may help to point out some of the more exotic types of the fruits and vegetables for you to try.

Make sure your family and loved ones are aware of the food that will cause a allergic reaction with you, what the reactions are and what they need to do if this should occur. If your food allergy is not to severe, your physician may prescribe some type of antihistamines which will help to ease some of the reactions and easy some of the discomforts. Certain skin creams may help relieve some of the irritation of the skin eczema. If severe enough reactions occur, the physician may have to prescribe the injectable epinephrine such as the Twinject or the EpiPen.

Do not be embarrassed or ashamed to wear a medical alert bracelet. It is also recommended by the Food Allergy Initiative to have a card with your food allergies. This can be given out to the chef, manager or server before you place your order in the restaurants. Cookbooks that are very specific to certain food allergies can be very helpful to plan great tasting foods but also offer substitutes. Read all food labels. Learn about the alternate names for the foods you are allergic to. If you have a allergy to milk, you will need to avoid foods with the ingredients nougat, sodium caseinate, lactoglobulin and casein. People with egg allergies should avoid foods with the ingredients of egg whites and albumin.

Make sure every one in your life, family and friends included know about your allergic reactions and which foods will trigger these reactions. If your physician has placed you on the medicine, be sure everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency. Do not be embarrassed to wear the medical bracelet. It is also advised by the Food Allergy Initiative to carry a card that lists what your food allergies are. This can be given to the manger, chef or server prior to ordering at the restaurants.

Working with your health provider to develop a written plan you can read, study, become familiar with and live with will help this knowledge to become second nature to you. This plan can help to diversify your diet and food choices. For example, if you are allergic to the more common fruits and vegetables, you may be able to try some of the more exotic types of the fruit and vegetables.

A cookbook that is specific to your allergies can be very helpful as well. These will not only have recipes but will often have suggestions for different foods to substitute. Be aware of any changes you may experience during and after eating. Take the symptoms seriously. The treatment of an reaction can be attended to only if you are recognizing the onset of the reaction.

Reading all food labels is one of the first ways you can begin to eliminate the food allergy triggers from your diet. Learning the alternate names for your food triggers is very important. For example, for some one who is allergic to milk, you will need to avoid foods with the ingredients: casein, lactoglobulin, sodium caseinate, and nougat. If you have an allergic reaction to eggs you will need to avoid the ingredients for egg whites and albumin. Do not put yourself at risk. If you are not certain after reading the label, either leave it along or call the manufacturer. It is not worth the risk.

It is recommended to keep a food diary. This will help to determine what foods bother you with what reactions and symptoms. This will also help if the problem is severe enough to consult a physician. Being prepared to give the doctor a detailed description of the symptoms and reactions to food can also help the doctor. A family history may prove to be helpful also.

The food diary could also help to try the elimination diet. The suspect foods would be eliminated for a time period of a week or two, then to be re-entered into your diet one at the time. This is not a fool proof method as many of the physical and psychological factors could influence you or even trigger a non true allergic reaction.

Another method is the skin prick method. This is usually done on the fore arm or the back. The skin will be pricked to allow a tiny amount of the substance to be placed under the skin. A reaction or a bump under the skin will develop if you are allergic.

Another test method is the blood test. The blood sample can be drawn from you at the doctors office and sent off to a medical laboratory to check the blood for the amount of allergy antibodies known as the immunoglobulin E or (IgE). This test is to measure to immune system’s response to a particular type of food. This test is not 100% accurate.

Most children with food allergies will out grow some of them such as the milk allergy by the time they are three years old. But it is not unheard of to continue through adult hood and still have allergic reactions to milk, soy, eggs, especially the egg whites, and wheat. The nuts, including peanuts, pecans and walnuts along with other tree nuts may cause reactions. Fish and shell fish is another group to be careful of for allergic reactions.

Your physician may suggest a food diary to be kept. This could be a good idea to help get an idea of what symptoms occur with what foods. Be prepared to give a good description of the symptoms to the physician. A family history may also be helpful. A careful examination by the physician can exclude or include if other medical problems are present. Children will often out grow some food allergies. Milk and soy is the most common to out grow. While the peanuts, fish and shrimp may never be outgrown.

One of the simplest treatments would be the elimination diet. After elimination of suspected foods for a week or two,then add that food back into your diet one at the time. This is not a foolproof methods many psychological and physical factors can trigger a response that is not a true allergic reaction.

A skin test will prick the skin with small amounts of suspected foods placed on the forearm or back. The skin pricked with a needle will allow a tiny amount of the substance to get under the skins surface. A bump or a reaction will develop if your are allergic to that substance.

A blood test can be preformed to measure the immune system’s response to a particular food. This test will assess the amount of allergy type antibodies in the bloodstream. These antibodies are known as the immunoglobulin E, or (IgE). The blood sample can be taken in the doctors office. Then it is sent to a medical laboratory where different foods will be tested. These test are not 100% accurate.

For the less sever reactions, the doctor may prescribe antihistamines which can be taken after the exposure to the allergen. This will help to control the reactions and help to relieve some of the discomfort. Creams may help to relieve some of the skin irritations and reactions. If you have a reaction and need treatment, the emergency room will give a injection of adrenaline (epinephrine).

Depending on how severely the reactions of the food allergies are, it may be necessary for the doctor to prescribe an injectable epinephrine such as EpiPen or Twinject. If your allergic reactions are this severe, you or someone with you will need to carry this at all times and know how to use this emergancy injection if it is needed.

Symptoms will be very sever to very mild. Some of the determining factors of the reaction will of course be how much of the food was ingested and just how allergic the child is to the food. The more sever reaction can include anaphylaxis, a hypersensitivity as to foreign proteins or drugs, resulting from sensitization following prior contact with the causative agent. This can be accompanied with swelling of the mouth and throat to the point of being constricted, or a lump in the throat that causes difficulty breathing, decreased blood pressure, rapid pulse, shock, dizziness, light-headed-ness or even a loss of consciousness and even death. The emergency treatment of anaphylaxis is critical. Thousands of people are treated in the emergancy rooms every year for food anaphylaxis. There is around 200 deaths each year as well.

There is an exercise induced food allergy in some people. The body is stimulated by the exercise and the person will feel itchy and light headed. Severe reactions of the exercise induced allergy will cause hives and anaphylaxis. Refraining from eating for a couple of hours before exercise will prevent this reaction.

A mild allergic reaction called oral allergy syndrome can occur from some of the fresh fruits and vegetables. This will cause the mouth to tingle or itch. This is a example of what is called cross reactivity– the proteins in the fruits and vegetables will cause this reaction because they are very similar to the allergy causing proteins found in certain pollens. An example of this would be: if you are a person who is allergic to ragweed, you may also be allergic to the watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, bananas and tomatoes. If you are known to be allergies to birch pollen, you may also have a reaction to apples, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, carrots, celery, hazelnuts, almonds, and raw potatoes.

If your child develops any type symptoms after ingesting certain foods, it is important to avoid these foods in the future. Some of the common foods to cause an allergic reaction is the nuts, including the peanut, walnut, tree nuts, and pecans. Fish and shellfish are another food groups to cause allergic reactions in some children. The milk, soy, eggs, especially the egg whites, and wheat can cause reactions also.

It is recommended, if you think the child might be having some of the reactions, but are having a hard time trying to pin it down, try keeping a food diary. Record the foods and any symptoms if they occur. Trying this for a few weeks will help to see a pattern as symptoms develop. Do not just suspect foods that have never been eaten. Older foods could be the cause and it has just been overlooked and sometimes it takes a while for the immune system to build up a reaction that the body is allergic to. Hard to believe but it may take more then days,weeks and months for a allergic reaction to happen. It has been know to take years for the system to develop symptoms.

It is important to avoid foods the child may be allergic to. Learning how to read the food labels can help to prevent exposing the child to the items that cause the reactions. It is possible for that food to be an ingredient in another food. Also avoid using the equipment that has been used to prepare any food the child is allergic to. Children with the more severe reactions may need to be tested and evaluated by their Pediatrician or an allergist. A skin test or a RAST, radioallergosorbent test, which is a blood test that checks for antibodies against certain items the child may be allergic to. Also the child may be issued or prescribed a epinephrine autoinjection device, such as the EpiPen, or EpiPen JR. It is also a good idea to have the child wear a medical alert bracelet that will notify others to the allergies.