Three Things That You Might Not Know About Food Allergies

Health & Medical Blog

Food allergies affect many people and can their symptoms can range in severity dramatically. Someone with a mild food allergy might feel tired or suffer from a sore stomach upon coming in contact with something that he or she shouldn't have eaten, while those with severe allergies may die as a result of consuming certain foods. Even if you know some people with food allergies, there's a strong probability that there are many things about food allergies that you don't currently know. Here are three facts that you might not know:

You Can Develop A Food Allergy Later In Life

When many people think about food allergies, they picture children who cannot come into contact with peanuts, for example. While it's true that food allergies are prevalent among children, what you might not know is that adults can develop food allergies at any point. Although adults who have food allergies commonly had them as children, there's a chance that you may develop a food allergy in adulthood. For this reason, it's important to always assess how certain foods make you feel. If your body reacts in an unexpected way to something you eat, avoid eating more of it and consult an allergist.

You Can Suffer A Reaction Even Without Specifically Eating Something

It's important for those who have food allergies — and those who are family members of these people — to know that an allergic reaction is possible even if the person hasn't specifically eaten a product to which he or she is allergic. Minimal contact can often lead to a reaction. For example, if you have a shellfish allergy, you don't need to "eat" shellfish to get sick. If any meal that you're eating came into contact with shellfish, perhaps in the kitchen or by someone using a serving utensil for both dishes, you could have a reaction.

You Can Outgrow An Allergy

Being allergic to something as a child doesn't necessarily mean that you'll need to abstain from eating it throughout your entire life. In many cases, children can grow out of their food allergies as they age. However, this doesn't mean that you should simply begin eating something to which you were allergic as a child — especially if your allergy was serious. This is an ideal time to visit an allergist, who can test you to see if you still possess the same food allergies that you did when you were younger.

Check out a website like http://www.nwasthma.com for more information and assistance. 

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5 November 2017