Health Tip: If You Have a Food Allergy

(HealthDay News) -- A food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Once the immune system decides to treat a particular food this way, eating that food can prompt the massive release of chemicals known as histamines. These chemicals, in turn, trigger allergic reactions that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, and cardiovascular system.

Avoiding these foods altogether is the only sure way to prevent a reaction.

Although someone can be allergic to just about any food, the following edibles account for 90 percent of all reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (including walnuts and cashews), fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.

Planning for a Better, Allergen-Free Birthday

By Sean Kelley
It’s hard to believe our allergy-afflicted toddler is about to turn 2. In a week or so, we’ll celebrate his birthday, but I can’t help to think about last year’s party, which should have clued us in to his multiple Food allergies six months before we ever went to the allergist.
Graeme had endured major eczema and minor breathing issues since birth, but the cause was unclear. Once he dove into his first birthday cake, it should have been obvious. Read More

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Truth in Labeling: Can the FDA Improve Allergen Warnings?

By Sean Kelley

Pick up a bag of Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. Under the list of ingredients—sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, and soy lecithin—you’ll find this phrase: Made in a facility that also processes peanuts.

Seeing this warning for the first time after our son Graeme was diagnosed with multiple multiple food allergies scared the hell out of me. Is there wheat in his oatmeal? Could a peanut be lurking in his yogurt-covered raisins? Even a minuscule amount of the wrong allergen could send him into anaphylactic shock. Read More
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