Allergies are hypersensitivities, caused by exposure to certain substances, that manifest in an immune system response in the body. Allergies are mainly due to pollen, pet dander and house dust mites.
The first step is to avoid the food that causes symptoms:
There are many things you can do to help reduce your reaction, including:
Avoiding the allergen anytime you eat it. This means avoiding foods with an allergy label when they're out in public or at home if there's any chance someone else might be eating them (if no one is around, then it doesn't count). You also need to avoid cross-contamination in restaurants and other places where food has been prepared for others who may have allergies or intolerances.
Eating smaller amounts of these foods at a time so that your body can process each bite before having another one hit its receptors on its way into storage for later digestion and absorption into blood stream.
A dietitian can advise about foods that should be avoided and alternatives that may be used.
Avoiding certain foods can help to reduce the risk of allergy. For example, if you're allergic to dairy products, then lactose-free milk products or soy milk are suitable alternatives for cooking and eating at home. You may also find it helpful to avoid certain food additives such as:
- sugar
- salt
- preservatives
- colourings
If a food allergen cannot be avoided, immunotherapy may be used.
Immunotherapy is not a cure for food allergies or asthma but it can be effective in reducing symptoms for some people. It involves exposing your body to small amounts of the allergen over time so that you don't react as much when exposed to it later on. Immunotherapy usually takes several months to years and has been found effective in up to 90% of cases where patients have had severe reactions caused by their allergic response at least once every year within the past 12 months (1).
However, immunotherapy isn't right for everyone: It's most effective if you've already tried oral antihistamines such as Claritin or Zyrtec; topical medications like Benadryl; or injected corticosteroids such as Prednisone.
Allergic reactions vary from a minor rash to severe breathing difficulties and can be life-threatening.
Allergic reactions can be caused by all types of foods, medication, latex or latex products such as condoms and gloves.
Food allergy is a hypersensitivity of the immune system to certain types of food. A person having an allergy to a certain food will have an adverse reaction if that food has been ingested.
Classification of allergy:
Allergies are classified as IgE mediated type I allergies, non-IgE mediated type II allergies and IgG mediated type III allergies.
Type I allergies have symptoms such as:
- coughing.
- sneezing.
- runny nose.
- itchy eyes and trouble breathing.
Type II allergy symptoms include:
- watery eyes.
- eczema or hives on the skin.
Type III allergy symptoms may be delayed and often include asthma attacks.
Common types of allergy:
The most common types of allergy are: hay fever, allergic asthma, allergic conjunctivitis (a type of eye allergy), atopic eczema (a form of skin allergy), food allergies and contact allergies.
Causes of allergy:
Allergies are often caused by food, and can be life-threatening if not properly managed.
It’s now possible to get your allergies diagnosed with a skin prick test or blood test. Once diagnosed, appropriate dietary management should be undertaken to manage the allergy and reduce the risk of symptoms occurring.
The first step in dietary management is an elimination diet whereby the person avoids eating foods that they are allergic to for a specified amount of time. This enables their body to heal and return back to normal.
After a period of avoidance, the person can reintroduce certain foods one at a time in order to identify which triggers their allergy and therefore what they need to avoid in future.
Allergies can be a result of an overreaction of the immune system to a particular substance. Common allergens are pollen, dust, pet dander and food.
The goal is to reduce exposure to the allergen, avoid cross contamination and make sure that you eat a healthy diet as much as possible.
Dietary Management
Dietary management of allergy can include avoiding certain foods or eating them in moderation. It can also involve substituting ingredients such as dairy products with non-dairy products such as almond milk or soybean milk.
One of the most common causes of allergy is food allergy. Food allergy can cause many symptoms that vary in severity. Symptoms can include:
- tingling in the mouth.
- skin irritation.
- asthma.
- difficulty breathing etc.
Foods that cause an allergic reaction are not just specific to a person but they can be different for different people.
So that's why one of the best ways to manage an allergy is by simply avoiding the triggering food(s). This can usually be done by maintaining a strict diet which is free from any trigger foods or it may require a restricted diet of only certain foods.
Some other ways to manage allergies are medications and giving your body time to recover from any allergic reactions (usually 10-14 days).