Help For Allergies To Food

 Food allergies and sensitivities are very common in the world today. Most of us don’t eat the kind of foods that our bodies were built to eat, if we stop and think about it, not to long ago there was no processed foods. Everyone ate what was available in its natural state. More than likely food allergies and sensitivities were not a major problem.

 Most of the food available today is processed, manipulated, and changed from its original natural state. With the advent of food processing there has been an increase in people who have developed some type  of food sensitivities and or full blown allergies to food all over the world. Some studies even suggest that the pasteurization process, done to make dairy and other products safer, may aid in our developing food allergies and sensitivities.

 The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the FDA, believe that around one to two percent of us will develop allergies as an adult, but think that as many as six percent of our children will develop allergies before they reach the age of five. Based on these findings most of us will develop food allergies as young children, but keep in mind it is still possible to develop an allergy even as an adult weather you had them as a child or not.

 The reason that children tend to be more sensitive to food allergens is because their digestive and immune systems are still immature. Many health care providers often recommend to new parents the need to avoid feeding their new born anything but breast milk or formula until the baby reaches four months, but many suggest at least six months.

 If you are suffering with food sensitivity or allergies here is what takes place, your immune system kicks into high gear to protect your body from what it see as an intruder. When your body response to certain foods this way it is called allergy, and the symptoms can range from a very mild nausea, discomfort, diarrhea, vomiting and in severe cases, even anaphylaxis

 People who are dealing with true food allergies have normally developed them as children, or were sensitive to certain foods when they were very young that have develop into a full-blown allergies as they got older because of the repeated exposure to the that food group. If you have young children many health care providers have suggested that you avoid giving  your small children these highly allergenic types foods until  they have reached two years of age, this may lessen the chance of them developing food allergies.

 As per the ACAAI and FDA the main foods you should try and avoid include:

• Eggs
• Fish, shellfish or other seafood
• Milk or dairy products; soy for some children, especially those with a family history of food allergies.
• Other nuts, including walnuts
• Peanuts, including peanut butters or products manufactured with peanuts.      
• Wheat and gluten,

 

 This list is by no means is all inclusive, you can develop a sensitivity to just about any thing that you eat. Here are a few foods that your are least likely to develop an allergic reaction: rice (which is one reason rice cereal is often the first food given to children)  some natural whole foods which include some vegetables that are non-acidic (like potatoes).

 There are many other factors that can increase your chances of developing allergies such as having an impaired immune system, caused by an auto-immune disorder or other illness. children born premature may have an increased chance of developing food sensitivities, main reason is because their digestive and immune systems are underdeveloped because of the early birth.

There is a pretty strong chance that if your parents have some form of food allergies, you will too.