Food allergies are extremely common and easily affect around 6% of adults and 8% of children.
What is a food allergy?
A food allergy is a condition in which certain foods trigger an abnormal immune response. It’s caused by your immune system wrongly recognizing some of the proteins in food as harmful. Your body then launches a range of protective measures, including releasing chemicals like histamine, which causes inflammation.
Here are the five common food allergies:
1) Prawn allergy
Prawn allergy falls under the umbrella of shellfish/seafood allergy, where your immune system mistakes certain proteins in them as harmful. The most common trigger of a seafood allergy is proteins called tropomyosin, arginine kinase and parvalbumin. Seafood allergy has an immediate reaction, leading to rashes, itching, and respiratory troubles and can be fatal at times.
2) Egg allergy
An egg is considered one of the most common food allergens, especially in children. As the egg white and egg yolk have different protein content, it is possible that you might be allergic it one, not the other. Some of the most common reactions to it are digestive and respiratory troubles and hives.
3) Peanut allergy
Another common allergen is peanuts which cause severe and potentially fatal allergic reactions. According to experts, the real reason behind it is still unknown, but studies show that peanut allergy could be hereditary. Although peanut is considered a legume, it is said, people with peanut allergy tend to have tree nuts allergy as well.
4) Wheat allergy
People often mistake a wheat allergy for gluten sensitivity. The former occurs due to certain proteins in wheat, whereas, celiac disease occurs due to gluten found in any food. For wheat allergy, you need to eliminate wheat from your diet, but not other food items that include gluten.
5) Cow milk allergy
People also get confused between lactose intolerance and cow milk allergy. While people with lactose intolerance avoid milk completely, the later highlights cow milk, specifically. People with cow milk allergy experience symptoms like swelling, rashes, hives, and vomiting amongst others. If diagnosed with an allergy, the best practice is to avoid cow milk and products made with it. Instead, you can go for alternative milk options to add to your diet.
