Food Allergy Diet

Posted on June 5, 2008 by

A food allergy diet can have two objectives: Either to help you avoiding the food that triggers the allergy, or to help you determine the food that is causing the allergy in the first place.

Low Allergen Food Allergy Diet

This is an exclusion diet. This means that it is an attempt to exclude most foods that are known to cause allergic reactions. It does so without restricting your diet in an excessive way, it also restricts processed foods which may contain trigger foods in their composition.

The diet’s food restrictions include: yeast, eggs, milk and diary products, artificial sweeteners, margarine, coffee, tea, alcohol, chocolate, vinegar, sugar, syrup, jelly, salty snacks, wheat, oats, rye, corn, barley, food additives, coffee substitutes, smokes foods, salted foods, carbonated drinks, fizzy drinks, fermented products and citrus fruits.

For the majority of people this means getting rid of food that they have been accustomed to eating all their lives. Entering a food allergy diet is a major lifestyle change.¬† As with any other type of diets, it is great if you follow some tips, like staying full by eating various meals a day and keeping a diet diary.

After a few days of following the diet, you may find that the reactions are starting to disappear, once they are gone, you can reintroduce food and observe if it produces any reaction.¬† If nothing is observed you can again eat that specific food, but if any reaction appears, it will be strictly banned from your diet.

This may sound like a slow process but it is the best way to determine any allergy and avoid the risks of severe food allergy symptoms.

Food Allergy Rash

Posted on June 5, 2008 by

Among the symptoms of food allergy, one of the most common is food allergy rash. It can range from a mild rash to a severe one that can lead to life-threatening complications.

The severity of the rash is because it could also be a sign of a severe allergic reaction. If the reaction is soft, then the rash should be mild.

What Does a Food Allergy Rash Look Like?

The distinctive sign of rash is the sprout of red bumps on the skin. They don’t always have to do with allergies, so when you feel a rash after eating food, it is a good idea to talk to a doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Food allergens, when they travel to the blood in the skin produce what is called eczema or dermatitis. This refers to an inflammation of the skin that produce itchiness and discomfort. Its signs are:

redness of skin
dry skin, thickened in scratched areas
superficial infection

Treating Food Allergy Rash

A food allergy rash is just another of many food allergy symptoms, this must be treated as a whole by a proper doctor, specialized in allergies. You will need to go through testing to determine the trigger (the food that causes the allergy) of your allergic reaction.

Once the trigger is determined, you should avoid eating the food. Specially because even when you had a mild reaction before, the next time you eat it you can have severe reactions that are life-threatening.

Food Allergy Recipe

Posted on June 5, 2008 by

Food allergy recipes exist to give allergic people an alternative to food they can’t eat because of the condition and its risks. One of the worst things about having food allergy is that you have to restrict yourself from food you love; sometimes you need to restrict a lot of foods, making alternatives even more desirable.

The recipe you choose has to be based on the type of food allergy you have, you will usually find different recipes for different restrictions.

Why a Food Allergy Recipes?

Although food allergy symptoms can sometimes be mild and¬†only annoying, there are cases when the symptoms can be severe, one of them called anaphylaxis (a sudden drop of blood pressure) can be fatal. It is important then that an allergic person restricts the problem foods and try to replace them with alternatives that are not harmful.

Where to Find Food Allergy Recipes?

The best way to find multiple food allergy recipes is the internet. A simple search can return many sites dedicated to collecting a variety on recipes with different restrictions. You can also find and discuss recipes in food allergy related forums. These places are great to exchange information. Maybe you could create your own recipes!

Finally, you can find books both physical and electronic filled with recipes for allergic people. These are great resources that save you the time of digging in the Internet for a suitable recipe.

Food Allergy Test

Posted on June 5, 2008 by

A food allergy test can help you determine if you suffer from an allergic reaction to a certain type of food. There are millions of people allergic to food, so these tests can give you pretty accurate results that can save your life. Remember that severe symptoms can lead to death if not treated quickly.

Types of Food Allergy Tests

Testing can be done by blood tests, or skin tests. A common type of test for food allergies is the RAST test. This will help you find the presence of IgE antibodies. The skin test is done by injecting an extract of the possible foods that trigger the allergy and then observing the reactions. It is also injected an extract of the most common types of food that produce allergic reactions: milk, wheat, corn, soy, chocolate, tomato, pork, citrus, eggs and tree nuts.

Delayed Food Allergy Tests

There are many food allergy symptoms that don’t show up immediately after ingesting the “trigger” food. This is when delayed food allergy tests are useful. They measure the amount of IgG4 levels in serum that reacts to dozens of foods.

These tests show you the foods that cause the reaction even hours after eating them.

Where to Find Food Allergy Tests

Food allergy tests are found in hospitals, and in specialized clinics that have special tests for an increased amount of food types. You can find these clinics and services available in your area through the Internet. Their sites have more information about their testing methods.

Food Allergy Treatment

Posted on June 5, 2008 by

Once you find out you have an allergy to food, you can begin considering food allergy treatment. Of course the best way to avoid allergic reaction is “trigger” avoidance. In this case it means avoidance of food.

Avoidance is the primary food allergy treatment, and the only way to control symptoms. First the doctor helps you identify the food that is triggering the allergic reaction, then this food must be removed from your diet. For the patient, it means having to read the ingredient list on all the products they want to eat. You’ll be surprised how many products contain common allergic food such as peanuts, milk or eggs.

In restaurants the situation can be a little more complicated as not all ingredients are listed in a menu. It is advisable that you only eat food that you know doesn’t contain any allergic food.

Treatment of an Anaphylactic Reaction

As you may know, anaphylaxis (a sudden drop of blood pressure) can appear as a severe allergic reaction. People who suffer from allergies have to know how to deal with and treat an anaphylactic reaction, in case they someday ingest food with trigger ingredients.

If you have had an anaphylactic reaction or have a high risk, you should wear a bracelet stating it, doctors will also recommend carrying a prescribed syringe of adrenaline and will teach you how to administer it yourself. When severe food allergy symptoms appears after eating some food, you should always call emergency, anaphylaxis can be a fatal condition if it is not treated quickly.

Can Food Allergy Be Completely Cured?

Other than the information in this article, there are no treatments made to completely cure the allergy. This is something that might have to live with the rest of your life, and demands changes in your lifestyle.