6 Fast Facts About Food Allergies | Covenant Allergy & Asthma

With another school year in full swing, now is a good time to review your knowledge about food allergies. Covenant Allergy and Asthma has the facts you need to know–plus a few that might even surprise you! Looking for more? Consider these lesser known food allergy facts.

A food allergy can be life-threatening.
There’s a common misconception among many people that food allergies are not particularly serious when they can actually be life-threatening. Severe food allergy reactions can require a hospital stay and even be fatal in the event of an untreated anaphylactic reaction.

Individuals with food allergies can’t consume a little of their allergen.
Food allergies are not the same as food intolerances. A person with lactose intolerance might be able to eat small portions of dairy, but someone with a dairy allergy should avoid all contact with their allergen to avoid a dangerous reaction.

Nearly any food can cause a food allergy.
Children in particular can be allergic to practically any food, even certain fruits and vegetables. The foods most likely to cause allergies, are known as the top eight offenders: eggs, milk, peanuts, nuts, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish.

Sometimes children outgrow their food allergies.
Outgrowing allergic food reactions is no myth. In fact, most kids with a milk allergy will outgrow it by adulthood. Other allergies, like reactions to peanuts are less likely to be outgrown, but it can still happen.

Food allergies may develop in adults.
Believe it or not, but food allergies can show up at any time after the first exposure to a specific allergen. When we think of food allergies, we often think of kids with food allergies likely because one out of every 13 children has a food allergy, but many adults with food allergies had no problems with food allergies prior to adulthood.

Milk is the most common food allergy among kids.
People often think that peanuts are the most common food allergy in children. Peanut allergies tend to cause life-threatening reactions in kids, but milk remains the top offender.

How many of those food allergy facts did you already know? Please visit our website to learn more about our clinic and services, or give us a call at 423-468-3267 to schedule your appointment.