Managing Food Allergies: What You Need to Know?

Food allergies are serious, but you can manage them with help from your allergist and others. This packet will help you learn more about the disease so that you can be prepared, stay safe and live well with food allergies.

What Is a Food Allergy?

A food allergy is when your body’s immune system reacts to a food protein because it has mistaken that food protein as a threat.

The food you are allergic to is called a “food allergen.” The response your body has to the food is called an “allergic reaction.”

People can be allergic to any food, but eight foods cause most food allergy reactions in the U.S. They are: milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts or pecans), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish (such as lobster, shrimp or crab).

What Is the Difference Between a Food Allergy and a Food Intolerance?

Unlike a food intolerance, food allergies involve the immune system and can be life-threatening. With a food allergy, your immune system makes too much of an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE antibodies fight the “threatening” food allergens by releasing histamine and other chemicals. This chemical release causes the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

A food intolerance is when your body has trouble digesting a food. It can make you feel badly, usually with an upset stomach or gassiness, but it is not life-threatening. The most common intolerance is to lactose, which is a natural sugar found in milk.

Are Allergic Reactions Serious?

Yes. Allergic reactions can range from mild to very serious. The most dangerous reaction is called anaphylaxis (pronounced an-uh-fil-LAX-is). Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that happens quickly and may cause death.

Anaphylaxis can affect several areas of the body. It can make it hard to breathe and make it hard for your body to circulate blood. The first-line treatment for anaphylaxis is a medicine called epinephrine.

Carefully avoiding problem foods is the only way to prevent allergic reactions.

Avoid Problem Foods

Even a trace amount of a problem food can cause a serious reaction. Learn how to find your problem foods in both obvious and unexpected places.

• Read every label, every time. Ingredients in packaged foods may change without warning. Check ingredient statements every time you shop. Even the same product from the same company can have different warning labels. If you have questions, call the manufacturer.
• Federal law requires packaged food labels to list when one of the top eight food allergens is an intended ingredient. The top eight food allergens are: milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.
• Be mindful of cross-contact. Cross-contact happens when a food that is an allergen comes into contact with a safe food and their proteins mix. As a result, each food contains small amounts of the other food. These amounts are so small that they usually can’t be seen. One example of cross-contact is when the same utensil is used to serve a food that contains an allergen and a safe food.
• Cross-contact can happen in restaurants, school cafeterias, home kitchens, or anywhere that an allergen may be present.

Plan Ahead

No matter how hard you try to avoid food allergens, accidents will happen. These simple steps go a long way in being prepared for an allergic reaction.

• Always carry your epinephrine auto-injector. Epinephrine is the only medicine that can stop life-threatening reactions. Carry your epinephrine auto-injector with you at all times and check to make sure it has not expired, is kept at a safe temperature, and that it has not been damaged.
• Fill out a Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan with your allergist. These plans tell you and/or hose who care for your child how to recognize and respond to an allergic reaction.
• Know your plan and share it with others. Make sure everyone who knows you understands what to do in case of an emergency. Keep your Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan in a place where others can find it. For parents, give your child’s plan and medicines to their school or preschool as soon as possible.
• Wear medical identification. Medical IDs will help protect you or your loved one—at home or wherever you may be during an emergency.

Recognise & Treat a Reaction

Seconds matter! It is important to be able to quickly recognize and treat an allergic reaction. Work with your allergist to know what to look for and how to respond. Have them fill out a Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan for you.

What will a reaction look like? 

• Food allergy reactions are hard to predict. The last reaction a person had could look nothing like the next one.
• The first symptoms usually appear between a few minutes and two hours after exposure to a food allergen, but they can also begin later.
• Symptoms can affect many different parts of the body. The symptoms can be mild (itchy nose or a few hives), but they can also be severe (trouble breathing, repetitive vomiting, weak pulse, etc.).
• In some food allergy reactions, after the first symptoms go away, a second wave of symptoms can start one to four hours later. This is called a biphasic reaction.

How do I treat an allergic reaction to food? 

Anaphylaxis should always be treated with an injection of epinephrine. Antihistamines can be used to relieve mild allergy symptoms, but they cannot control anaphylaxis, and they should never be given as a substitute for epinephrine. Mild symptoms can quickly turn into a life-threatening reaction. Anyone having a reaction to a food allergen should be monitored closely.

Give Epinephrine for a Serious Reaction 

Epinephrine is a type of adrenaline. It helps reverse the symptoms of a severe reaction. It is considered a very safe medicine. There are currently three types of epinephrine auto-injectors available in the U.S. Have your doctor train you to use the device you want and practice with a trainer (a device that does not have a needle or medicine in it).

Download, Read & Share:

• Food Allergies: Frequently Asked Questions, Allergen guidance for food businesses, Allergen Management House Rules

For more details please refer Allergen Management.