Special Health and Nutritional Requirements for Individuals with Food Allergens

image of peaches, strawberries, milk, peanuts A food allergy is an abnormal response to food, triggered by the body's immune system. An allergy occurs when the body's natural defenses overreact to exposure to a particular substance, treating it as an invader and sending out chemicals to defend against it. The signs and symptoms may range from mild to severe. It may include itchiness, vomiting, diarrhea, swelling of the tongue, hives, trouble breathing or low blood pressure. Common foods include cow's milk, peanuts, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, rice and fruit. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid the foods you are allergic to. It is important to know how to identify those foods, as well as to understand how foods are labeled in the U.S. Although nearly any food is capable of causing an allergic reaction, only eight foods account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions in the United States. Allergic reaction is also known as anaphylaxis. It is important that children are watched carefully when eating the eight most common allergens as to be sure they do not go into anaphylactic shock.

The 8 Allergens

Symptoms of an Allergic Reaction

Mild	Severe
Hives	Obstructive or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
Eczema	Trouble swallowing
Itchy mouth or ear canal	Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting	Turning blue
Diarrhea	Drop in blood pressure (feeling faint, confused, weak)
Stomach pain	Loss of consciousness
Nasal congestion or runny nose	Chest pain
Sneezing	A weak pulse
Odd taste in the mouth
Uterine contractions

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION