Most Common Foods People Are Allergic To

A food allergy manifests when your immune system falsely detects the components of a certain food as an intruder to the body. When this occurs, the body responds by mistakenly pulling out the usual defenses of the immune system in a vain effort to combat the perceived threat. There is a surprisingly small majority of food culprits that breed so-called 'food allergies'. The biggest offenders?

Milk happens to be the most common food allergen among both children and adults. Often the intolerance can be linked to the mammal source of the milk. For some suffers of this condition, goat or sheep milk cause no reactions, while cow milk induces a wide-scale affront to the body's perception of personal safety.

For those that suffer from allergic reactions toward milk as children, you are quite likely to outgrow this condition as an adult. It is estimated that somewhere between 3% to 7% of infants suffer from cow milk allergies up to their third birthday. The components to blame? Casein and whey generally are to blame.

Various nuts make up a huge percentage of all food allergies- usually with peanuts taking the lead. It is usually the natural oils of the particular nut that causes the undesired reaction- though if the oil is refined enough, this may not be an issue. Rarely do people that suffer from a nut allergy grow out of it- unlike those allergic to milk.

For those that have reactions to nuts, be certain to read ingredient labels for signs of peanut oils being used. Allergic reactions to nuts can be severe and fatal in some cases. Nut allergies often cross to other nuts- cutting them out entirely may by wise if you wish to avoid potential anaphylaxis. The other most common ones include: walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, filberts, almonds, and macadamia nuts.

Another of the most common food allergies as well as potential sources of anaphylaxis- fish. Seafood in general can cause an allergic reaction to both adults and children- though more likely to take place in adults. Another issue that arises with a seafood allergy is the fact that some will find themselves allergic to raw fish and unaffected by thoroughly cooked fish- while others can stomach raw fish, but not cooked.

Mackerel, hake, shellfish, and haddock are the most common sources of the allergens. Thankfully seafood allergies aren't as widespread as milk, nor are they quite as potentially fatal as nut allergies. If you determine that you are allergic to one sort of seafood- be cautious when ingesting others. As for other common food allergies: wheat, legumes, soya, maize, and eggs.

Source(s)
Food Allergy Field Guide - By Theresa Willingham