Question: What are the most common food allergies?
Milk, eggs, peanuts, nuts, soy, wheat and fish account for the vast majority - 95 per cent - of food allergies. Sulphites, chemicals used to maintain colour, prolong shelf life, and prevent bacterial growth, can also cause severe reactions in sensitive people. Although sulphites don't trigger a true allergic reaction, sensitive people may react to them with allergy-like symptoms ranging from nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea to seizures, asthma and anaphylactic shock. Some people with asthma are extremely sensitive to sulphites.
Food allergies are reactions that involve the body's immune system. Signs and symptoms of a food allergy usually develop within a few minutes to one hour after eating the food.
The risk of food allergy increases if someone in your family has allergies such as hay fever, asthma, or eczema. For instance, a child who has one parent with an allergic disease has roughly a 50 per cent chance of developing an allergy. Kids typically outgrow allergies to milk, soy, wheat and eggs, whereas nut, fish and shellfish allergies are usually life long.
Question: How can people tell if a food contains an allergen?
If you have a food allergy, the only way to know if a food is safe is by reading the label. You have to read the ingredient list. But even that can be challenging because a food allergen may be missing if it's a component of a certain ingredient. Label reading is expected to become easier for Canadians with food allergies. New regulations, announced in July 2008, will require food manufacturers and importers to declare food allergens on ingredient lists. Tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, wheat, eggs, milk, soy, shellfish, fish and sulphites will be disclosed as an ingredient or in a statement immediately following the ingredient list. Manufacturers have until July 2009 to comply with these new labeling rules.
Question: Can you prevent food allergies in children?
If food allergies run in your family, you may be able to prevent or delay their development in your children by taking the following precautions:
- Breastfeed infants for at least one year. If you can't, use a milk-free formula.
- Highly allergenic foods such as eggs, milk and peanuts should be avoided during breastfeeding.
- Delay introducing solid foods until your baby is at least 6 months old. Introduce solid foods one at a time to see if an allergic reaction occurs.
- Delay introduction of potentially allergenic foods such as milk and eggs until your baby is 1 year old. Peanuts should be avoided until the age of 3, and longer if there is a history of peanut allergy in other family members.
Question: What are some other tips to help people manage food allergies?
Read ingredient lists every time. Become familiar with terms on ingredient lists that indicate allergenic foods. For example, if you're allergic to milk protein, foods made with casein, whey and lactalbumin must be avoided. Since manufacturers often change ingredients, always read labels even for products you've purchased before.
Ask about ingredients. When dining out, don't rely on the menu description. Ask whether the dish contains the specific food you are allergic to and how the food is prepared. If the server is unsure about ingredients, ask the chef.
Avoid cross contamination. If you must keep food allergens in your home, keep them far from food preparation and serving areas. Use separate cooking equipment and utensils; clean work surfaces thoroughly that have touched allergenic foods.
Cook allergy-free. Use an allergy-free cookbook that gives recipes that omit common allergens. For example, if you are allergic to eggs, you can substitute 1 egg with 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. To avoid eggs in mayonnaise, try buying a vegan mayonnaise alternative. If you're allergic to dairy, instead of butter buy a dairy free margarine. You can also use rice, almond or soy milk instead of cow's milk.
