If you are a parent, you know how serious food allergies are. What causes food allergies? Food allergies are caused by reactions, produced by your immune system, to certain types of foods. A food allergy can produce critical health problems in people and in some cases it can be fatal.
It has been reported that about 2% of adults have a food allergy, while about 6% of children have a food allergy. Don't confuse food allergies, with food intolerances. Food intolerances don't have anything to do with your immune system.
Your Immune System And Food Allergies
What causes food allergies? Your immune system makes a mistake and treats a certain type of food as a harmful item. In order to defend your body from this food substance your immune system stimulates specific body cells to create antibodies to attack the food substance.
If you consume that particular food item again your immune system releases histamine as well as other chemicals that flow into your blood stream. These chemicals create allergic symptoms. Symptoms of food allergies typically occur a few minutes or up to about an hour after consuming the food allergy item.
Doctors believe that histamine is part of the cause of many common allergic reactions, such as rashes and hives, runny nose, diarrhea, nausea issues, itchy eyes, dry throat, difficulty breathing, and anaphylactic shock.
Most food allergies are caused by certain types of proteins that are contained in:
* Eggs
* Peanuts
* Dairy Products
* Nuts from trees (walnuts and pecans)
* Shellfish (shrimp, crab and lobster)
* Fish
What Causes Food Allergies in Children?
Most doctors and medical experts point to milk from cows, wheat, and soybeans as the main causes of food allergies in children. If your child is allergic to soybeans you need to remember to read the ingredients of all the food you buy.
Soy is in a lot more food items than you might think. You can find soy in protein powders, cereal, candy bars bread oils, protein bars, fast food, and most meat, especially pork products.
If you think you might have a food allergy you should consult with your doctor. It can be confusing to figure out alone as sometimes a certain ingredient caused the allergy, not the particular food itself. You doctor will be able to assist you in pinpointing the cause of your food allergy and providing the necessary treatment method.
Author Resource:-
Brue M. Baker is an expert on natural health and fitness who has helped people from across the world sky-rocket their health and well-being. Rather than hitting your head against a wall trying to find unbiased health information let Brue take you by the hand and give you the best natural health resources on the web. Visit DietHealthAndFitness.com to learn more.
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