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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffOne of the keys to preventing an allergic reaction is to completely avoid the food that causes your symptoms.
- Don't assume. Always read food labels to make sure they don't contain an ingredient you're allergic to. Even if you think you know what's in a food, check the label. Ingredients sometimes change. Food labels are required to clearly list whether they contain any common food allergens. Read food labels carefully to avoid these top eight sources of food allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.
- When in doubt, say no thanks. At restaurants and social gatherings, you're always taking a risk that you might eat a food you're allergic to. Many people don't understand the seriousness of an allergic food reaction and may not realize that a tiny amount of a food can cause a severe reaction in some people. If you have any suspicion at all that a food may contain something you're allergic to, steer clear.
- Involve caregivers. If your child has a food allergy, enlist the help of relatives, baby sitters, teachers and other caregivers. Make sure they understand how important it is for your child to avoid the allergy-causing food and that they know what to do in an emergency. It's also important to let caregivers know what steps they can take to prevent a reaction in the first place, such as careful hand-washing, and cleaning any surfaces that might have come in contact with the allergy-causing food.
References
- Burks W. Clinical manifestations of food allergy: An overview. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 11, 2010.
- Food allergy: An overview. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/Documents/foodallergy.pdf. Accessed Nov. 11, 2010.
- Lack G. Food allergy. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;359:1252.
- Atkins D. Food allergy: Diagnosis and management. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2008;35:119.
- Hoffman A, et al. Pollen food allergy syndrome: Update on the allergens. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports. 2008;8:413.
- Chapman JA, et al. Food allergy: A practice parameter. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2006;96:S1.
- Fleischer DM, et al. Oral food challenges in children with a diagnosis of food allergy. The Journal of Pediatrics. In press. Accessed Nov. 11, 2010.
- Fried AJ, et al. Anti-IgE in the treatment of allergic disorders in pediatrics. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2010;22:758.
- Scurlock AM, et al. An update on immunotherapy for food allergy. Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2010;10:587.
- Xiu-Min L. Complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric allergic disorders. Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2009;9:161.
- Li X. Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2007;120:25.
- Teuber SS, et al. Unproved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to food allergy and intolerance. Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2003;3:217.
- Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergy in the United States: Summary of the NIAID sponsored expert panel report. Bethesda, Md.: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodallergy/clinical/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed Dec. 13, 2010.
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