The Big 9: Common Food Allergens and How to Avoid Them: Wheat, Soya, Eggs, Milk, Seafood, Fish, Tree Nuts, Peanuts, and Processed Sugar

Food allergies are becoming more common with every passing year. In America alone there are over 15 million people who suffer with a food allergy of one kind or another. The troubling thing about that statistic is that it is rising. Among children, 8% have a food allergy, with the youngest segment of children being affected the worst. So, what exactly is a food allergy? Put simply, it is what happens when the immune system interprets a certain food as a threat, similar to a virus or infection. The body reacts to this perceived threat with full force, often severely harming the body in the process. It is not technically the whole food that creates this response. In the food is usually a particular protein that is responsible. We refer to that specific particle or the food as the “allergen,” which is the name of anything that elicits an allergic response. This is often confused with a food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance, which is a disorder in the body’s digestive system that makes it impossible for the intestine to process a certain food. As we will discuss in a moment, some of the symptoms are very similar, but there are a few differences.

Food allergies are difficult to diagnose sometimes. The symptoms can often seem unrelated, and it can take quite some time to begin to notice the correlation between the one ingredient that was eaten and the symptoms that ensue shortly—or not so shortly—after. That is why it is important to know the main symptoms of the top 9 most common food allergies.

Luckily, most symptoms are common to all basic food allergies, so a person doesn’t need to memorize all kinds of unique symptoms for each and every type. However, information such as substitutes, warnings, recipes, and more are all important information not only for those who have the allergies, but also for those preparing their food.