Image is from Kids With Food Allergies
Making You Aware of Food Allergies
May 14th – 20th is Food Allergy Action Month. May is the time of the year to make you aware of food allergies and the dangers of how anaphylaxis can impact your life.
Food allergies usually start in childhood, but you can eat a food item all your life and all of a sudden become allergic to this food.
Food Allergy Action Month is here to contribute to making you aware of the many different forms of allergens contained in your food sources. Food allergies are a serious matter, new information is available.
It is not only a particular food that may cause you allergic reactions when you eat it, but maybe one of the many ingredients that producers use in the growing and production of the food before it reaches your grocery store and your table that makes you allergic.
Food and Ingredients in Foods
While you may indeed be allergic to a particular food, in actuality the allergy may be an ingredient within that food source.
Your allergy to foods and any ingredient put into the food is a challenge for you and your doctor to discover. Food Allergy Action Month is here to make you more aware.
Knowledge and education give you an element of power to stay healthy and away from troublesome allergens and helps you manage your food allergies more effectively.
Who is at Risk for Food Allergies?
Food allergies affect all age levels, male or female, from newborn babies to the oldest senior, and cross the bounds of all races.
Whether you are newly diagnosed with food allergies or have been fighting food allergies all of your life, there is always new information on the horizon and things you may not know.
Allergy Action Month is here to educate and inform all people about food allergies, such as,
- Parents
- Children
- Teenagers
- Students on all levels
- Adults
- The medical community
- Schools
- Colleges
- Employers
- Restaurants
- Food manufacturers
One True Story
Did you know that one in 13 children has a food allergy, or is it an ingredient in the food, such as an additive or preservative? Determining this allergy takes time and patience and is well worth the research.
One day parents took to their six year old son to the emergency room due to serious itching and hives. Due to the misery, this child was experiencing the doctor admitted him to the pediatric unit.
The doctor met with the parents who said that the only thing their child was allergic to was aspirin and they did not keep this in their home.
It was a day after the Easter holiday when the child became ill. After much talking and research, the doctor found that the child received his Easter basket with a well known favorite yellow brand of candy, common at Easter time.
The doctor told the parents that this yellow candy had yellow food dye and yellow food dye had the same components as aspirin! Who would have thought about this or known?
According to the food allergy organization, more than 200,000 people end up in the emergency room every year due to severe food allergies.
Common Food Allergies
Some common foods do cause severe allergic reactions to people, this is not an ingredient, but the food itself and they are,
- Eggs
- Milk
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Shellfish
- Fish
- Wheat
- Sesame
Many people are allergic to an additive or preservative put into the food such as MSG.
You can take action and become involved with educational initiatives such as upcoming seminars, training programs, conferences, summits, support groups, and Internet webinars.