HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED whether you or a family member has a food allergy?

Maybe you always feel tired, nauseated or nervous after eating a certain food. Maybe your toddler has constant skin problems and you suspect the food she’s eating could be the cause.

Maybe it’s time to stop wondering and schedule a visit with a knowledgeable health expert so you can find out what’s really going on.

“Not every adverse reaction to a food is a food allergy,” says Hugh Windom, M.D., associate clinical professor at the University of South Florida and an allergist in private practice in Sarasota, Fla. “There is an umbrella of adverse reactions to food, with many different causes.”

For example, some reactions may be caused by food poisoning, chemical response or enzyme deficiency.

True food allergies actually are less common than people think. Only 2 percent of adults and 8 percent of children in the United States are estimated to have food allergies.

“Of patients I see who think they’re allergic, maybe one in 10 really is,” says Windom.

Causes and Symptoms
These eight foods are known to cause as many as 90 percent of all food allergies: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (such as pecans or walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.

Symptoms of a food allergy may include:

• Hives and swelling
• Eczema (itchy, scaly, red skin)
• Coughing, wheezing or trouble breathing
• Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting
• Rash
• Swelling of the tongue or throat

Tongue or throat swelling can be life-threatening because it may block the airways. Some people also may be subject to a sudden systemic reaction called anaphylaxis, which is rare but potentially fatal.

Allergy vs. Intolerance
Many people who think they’re allergic actually have a food intolerance, a metabolic disorder that, unlike allergies, does not involve the immune system. For example, with lactose intolerance, a person’s body doesn’t produce enough of an enzyme that’s needed to digest milk sugar, so eating milk products may lead to bloating, diarrhea or cramping.

With a milk allergy, you need only a tiny sip of milk to bring on a reaction. With lactose intolerance, symptoms worsen the more milk you drink.

Dealing With an Allergy
Take these steps to keep adverse reactions to food from ruling your life:

• VISIT YOUR DOCTOR. “People who suspect a food allergy can continue to lead a difficult life, or they can come in and we can establish if it’s truly something they need to avoid,” Windom says.
• KEEP A FOOD DIARY. Keep a record of each time you have an adverse reaction, including the date and time, type and severity of symptoms, and what you remember doing and eating in the previous six hours. Review the diary with your doctor.
• AVOID FOODS THAT TRIGGER YOUR ALLERGY. No medications exist to cure a food allergy. Once an allergist/immunologist has helped you confirm which food you’re sensitive to, carefully read food labels and notify restaurant waiters of your allergy. In some cases, if you avoid an offending food for long enough — perhaps for several years — your body will lose its sensitivity to it.
• BE PREPARED FOR EMERGENCIES. If you or your child is at risk for a life-threatening allergic reaction, ask your physician how to respond in case of emergency. Explain to family members or school staff how to recognize and deal with severe reactions.

“Until you are diagnosed, keep an open mind about what it is your body might be reacting to,” Windom suggests. “Get it checked out — and be a good detective.”

Polly Turner spoke with Hugh Windom, M.D., associate clinical professor at the University of South Florida and an allergist in private practice in Sarasota, Fla. For more information about food allergies, contact the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network at 800-929-4040 or visit www.foodallergy.org.

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