The top 8 most common food allergies are: 

• Peanut

• Tree nut

• Milk (Dairy)

• Egg

• Soy

• Wheat

• Fish

• Shellfish

These 8 foods make up 90% of all food allergies. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be allergic to different foods also! Some children are ‘lucky’ enough to have an allergy to only one food, while others can be allergic to so many foods; it’s difficult to find anything safe to eat. 

Dr. Hugh Sampson, Professor of pediatrics and immunobiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, estimates that 3.5% to 4% of the US population has food allergies. This is a marked increase over the last 20 years, and the occurrence continues to rise.

The reasons for the rise in food allergies have no direct answers yet. Researchers suspect that our too clean houses could be the cause. Women eating peanuts during pregnancy and lactation could create allergies for their infants…the list goes on and on with no definitive answer.


PEANUT ALLERGY

Experts have estimated that 1% of the population, or close to 3 million Americans, is allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. The prevalence of peanut allergies has doubled in the last 10 years, and researchers don’t really know why. These allergies are generally considered life long, although some children do outgrow them. 

The peanut allergy has become a national newsmaker with airlines being required to provide peanut-free seats. Schools have been made aware of the allergy and its life-threatening potential since more children than ever have been diagnosed with peanut allergies. The experts have plenty of guesses as to why allergies (and asthma) are becoming more prevalent, but no hard facts. A vaccine for peanut allergies is being worked on, but no shot is currently available.

Peanut is in the legume family, along with peas, lima beans, lentils and soybeans to name just a few. Just because your child is allergic to peanuts does not mean an allergy to any of these other legumes will also be present. An allergy testing can be completed on each of these foods separately. My son is severely allergic to peanuts, and mildly allergic to soy, peas and green beans! He doesn’t tolerate anything in the legume botanical family. Other children may be able to tolerate one item and not another. An allergy testing is the only way to determine exactly what your child is allergic to.

The only “cure” for the peanut allergy is to stay away from all peanuts and peanut products. Read labels of EVERY food that your child eats, and all foods in your house. Re-read the labels each time you purchase a product, because manufacturing processes change continuously. Peanuts and peanut products show up in the most unsuspecting foods. 

Reading labels will become a way of life for you and your peanut allergic child! 

The Food Allergy Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004, requiring: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.’ This act goes into effect January 1, 2006.

For more information on this important law, please see:

http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html

Here are some ingredients that you will want to stay away from to ensure safety from peanuts:

Anything that says NUTS 
Peanut oil – there are some people who can tolerate peanut oil, and others 
who can’t. Cold pressed peanut oil is usually not tolerated.
Peanut flour

Peanuts can show up in unsuspecting places, but they are especially prevalent in Chinese dishes, egg rolls, chocolates, candy bars, and pastries. If you can’t read the ingredients – don’t eat it!

I have heard that some people use peanut butter in chili, or in thickening frosting for a cake or cupcakes.

Hydrolyzed plant or vegetable protein will probably be marked if it is from peanuts. In Europe, the use of peanut protein is more prevalent so be careful if traveling! Lupine flour (used mainly in Europe) cross reacts with peanuts.

Some surprising foods that have a label indicating “may include peanuts” or “processed in a plant containing peanuts”:

Plain M&M’s®
Jelly Bellys (jelly beans)

Also, the Reduced Fat Cheese Nips do contain peanut oil, while the regular Cheese Nips do not! Chick-fil-A fries all of their chicken in peanut oil. The signs are very small, and may be missed.

Your allergist should be able to provide you with a complete listing of ingredients that may indicate peanut protein. There are always new products being created with newly processed ingredient names. If you don’t know the exact nature of the ingredient, don’t eat it!

Check out “Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children’s Story of Peanut Allergies” for a heartwarming story of an elephant learning to live with peanut allergies. “Allie” teaches children (and adults) about allergic reactions, how peanuts hide in the most unsuspecting foods and helps everyone understand the severity of food allergies.

TREE NUT ALLERGY

The tree nut includes nuts such as cashews, almonds, pecans and walnuts among others. The peanut is actually a legume. However, some children do have an allergy to both peanuts and tree nuts. Your child will need to be tested in order to determine the exact nature of their allergy. 

When my son, Morgan, was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy, our allergist suggested that we keep him away from all tree nuts and shellfish. She said that many children do have reactions to all of these foods. We waited for another two years after the initial peanut allergy diagnoses before redoing an allergy skin prick test. The second allergy test included a retest for the peanut allergy, along with a test of each tree nut separately. Morgan tested a 4+ on cashews, and had no allergy to pecans. We decided that with the possibility of cross-contamination, we would opt for no nuts in Morgan’s diet. 

The only “cure” currently for the tree nut allergy is to stay away from all nuts and nut products. Read labels of all the foods that your child eats, and all foods in your house. 

Read all labels to ensure no consumption of Tree nuts!

The Food Allergy Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004, requiring: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.’ This act goes into effect January 1, 2006.

For more information on this important law, please see:

http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html

It is safest to avoid all kinds of nuts even if your child is allergic to just one. The processing of nuts in foods lends itself to cross-contamination easily and isn’t worth the risk.

Stay away from all your ‘standard’ tree nuts, which include almonds, cashews, pecans, and walnuts. 

Any product that says ‘nuts’ must be avoided. These would include macadamia nuts to name just one. There are many kinds of nuts, so read labels carefully. Remember pistachios are a nut!

Sometimes cashews are used to make butter (cashew butter), oils or pastes. Stay away from all of these.

Your allergist should be able to provide you with a complete listing of ingredients that may indicate nut protein. There are always new products being created with newly processed ingredient names. If you don’t know the exact nature of the ingredient, don’t eat it!

Tree nuts can show up in products that aren’t ingested, but used in lotions and shampoos. Read the labels on these products also. Contact allergies can cause severe reactions also.


MILK ALLERGY

The milk allergy is one of the most common in young infants. In fact, it is standard procedure for a doctor to suggest not giving an infant cow’s milk until they are at least 12 months old. Be careful of giving your child formulas with milk products in them, however, if milk allergy runs in your family. Many infant formulas that claim to be milk free do in fact have derivatives of milk in them.

Chronic gastrointestinal distress, projectile vomiting and severe diarrhea are all symptoms of milk allergy. Hives, swelling and other allergic reactions may accompany the reaction. Breastfeeding is generally the best alternative if allergies run in your family. If you have already started on formula, try a soy based formula instead. Some of the soy formulas do have a significant amount of iron in them which may also be upsetting to your child. It may be necessary to try out several formulas before finding a good match.

Because of my son’s other allergies, and because my husband was allergic to milk as an infant, when my son was weaned from breastfeeding, we tried a soy formula. It turned out that he was allergic to soy just slightly, so we ended up switching him to rice milk. (Please note that rice milk is not high enough in protein to be considered an acceptable infant formula). Upon his first allergy testing at 18 months old, we tested for milk allergies and he turned out to be negative! All that work and no allergy to milk was ever there!

A mother of a child with severe milk allergies suggested these comments on eating out: Avoid Mexican restaurants (too much chance a drop of grated cheese can cross-contaminate), Italian restaurants (same for parmesan cheese), Chinese (lactose seems to be in a lot of sauces), and breakfast places (too much milk and butter are used on griddles).

If your child is allergic to milk, don’t despair as some children do in fact grow out of their milk allergy. The best program is to stay away from milk and milk products entirely. 

Hugh A. Sampson, M. D. wrote an article for “Food Allergy News” published by The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) in June-July 2004 regarding Milk and Egg Allergies. In this article, he stated: 

“Virtually all infants who develop cow’s milk allergy do so in the first year of life, with about 80% ‘outgrowing’ their milk allergy by their fifth birthday. About 60% of cow’s milk-allergic infants experience IgE-mediated reactions, or the more classical ‘immediate’ reactions affecting the skin (hives and eczema), gastrointestinal tract (crampy abdominal pain and vomiting), and the respiratory tract (nasal congestion, sneezing and wheezing). Nearly 25% of these milk-allergic infants retain their sensitivity into the second decade of life, and 35% go on to develop other food allergies.

Non IgE-mediated milk allergy affects primarily the gastrointestinal tract resulting in a number of different allergic disorders: milk-induced enterocolitis syndrome, proctocolitis syndrome, allergic eosinophilic esophagitis, etc., that can lead to poor growth and failure to thrive.”

There is also the chance that your child will test negative to dairy on an allergy test, yet still show symptoms of an allergy. In this case, the non-IgE milk-allergy may be at play, or lactose intolerance may be the culprit.

Lactose intolerance is not milk allergy. Instead, it is a problem in the digestive system caused from not producing enough of the lactase enzyme to break down the lactose sugar into simpler sugars. People who experience lactose intolerance have the crampy, abdominal pain that can turn into nausea and diarrhea.

Reading labels is a must for a milk-allergic child! Milk is in so many processed foods that cooking from scratch may be a much safer alternative.

The Food Allergy Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004, requiring: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.’ This act goes into effect January 1, 2006.

For more information on this important law, please see:

http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html

Of course, milk is in all cheeses, butter, creams and yogurt. The lactose free milks do still have milk protein, so avoid them. They are made such that the lactose-intolerant individual can digest them, but are not made for the milk-allergic.

Casein and whey are other names that milk can be called on a label. There are other names that also indicate the presence of milk, and your allergist can provide for you a complete list of milk products and ingredients to avoid.

Check out “Cody the Allergic Cow: A Children’s Story of Milk Allergies.” “Cody” helps children learn about milk allergies and how to recognize an allergic reaction. Beautiful illustrations and a simple text make this book a must-have for your child, friends, grandparents and classrooms.


EGG ALLERGY

Egg allergy is another common early childhood allergy along with milk. Doctors suggest not giving children eggs until they are at least one year old. We didn’t realize that my son had an egg allergy until he received his MMR shot at 15 months old, which at that time was an egg-based shot. After he swelled with hives for 3 days, we had a good indication he had an egg allergy!

At his first allergy testing at 18 months old, he scored high on the skin prick test for an egg allergy. Two years later, when the test was repeated, he scored a zero. However, today when he eats products with eggs he does get flare ups of his eczema. So I’m not sure the egg allergy has completely disappeared yet, even with the -0- skin prick score.

Upon his 5th birthday, when he would have received an MMR booster, we decided to take the precautionary route. We went to the allergist’s office and had him allergy tested with skin pricks with the MMR shot. Slowly the amount of the MMR shot was increased from a skin scratch to a skin prick to a shot. It took most of the day for him to receive the shot, but it was worth it to ensure his safety. And he had no reaction this time.

A visitor to Allergicchild.com wrote about her experience with an egg allergic son. When her son had to have a surgery, the anesthesiologist recommended a gas anesthetic rather than a liquid IV because the liquid contained albumin – an egg derivative. 

Reading food labels will be a necessity for a child with egg allergy!

The Food Allergy Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004, requiring: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.’ This act goes into effect January 1, 2006.

For more information on this important law, please see:

http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html

Eggs show up in many products – cakes, pastries, cookies, mayonnaise and egg substitutes that frequently contain just egg whites.

There are other names that eggs can be called on food labels. Avoid any product with the “Ov” prefix listed as an ingredient, for example, Ovalbumin.

Some egg allergic children can consume eggs in baked goods, where the protein changes in the baking process. I wouldn’t suggest trying this…this food challenge has happened for some children purely by chance, and parents have determined their tolerance to baked goods. If your child has never had eggs, and is testing severely allergic to eggs, complete avoidance is the only cure!


SOY ALLERGY

Allergy to soy is a major allergy and one of the more common food allergies. Reading labels is a must! Almost 60% of processed foods have soy in their ingredient list. Many people allergic to soy are also allergic to other legumes such as peas, peanuts, lentils and garbanzo beans. In countries such as Japan where soy is a staple in the national diet, soy allergies are much more prevalent than in the USA. 

The allergy to soy can be mild to life-threatening anaphylaxis. My son’s allergy to soy is mild. We put him on a soy formula after I stopped nursing him at 8 months old knowing that milk allergies run in the family’s children. The allergy to soy was later tested at a 1 on the skin prick scale. Our allergist felt that this allergy was enough to be upsetting his system warranting taking him off the soy milk. We gave him rice milk at 18 months old, and he continues to drink it today. We didn’t take Morgan off the soy milk until he was 18 months old however. He had 10 months of soy milk to which he was allergic! This was probably pushing his immune system over the edge, especially since as a baby, his main nutrition was from the soy milk.


Reading food labels will be a necessity for a child with soy allergy!

The Food Allergy Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004, requiring: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.’ This act goes into effect January 1, 2006.

For more information on this important law, please see:

http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html

Avoid anything that has ‘soy’ or ‘lecithin’ listed in the ingredients. This could include soybeans, soy protein, soy sauce, and soybeans. There is now soy nut butter available in my local grocery store – not a good choice for a soy allergic child!

And as with peanut oil, some children can tolerate soy oil and others can’t. I’d err on the side of caution and not use soy oil.

Soy protein may be present in an ingredient such as vegetable protein or natural flavoring.

Benedryl ® Fastmelts contain soy protein, and many other medications can also include soy. Check with your pharmacist before giving any medication to your soy allergic child.

Your allergist should be able to provide you with a complete listing of ingredients that may indicate soy protein. There are always new products being created with newly processed ingredient names. If you don’t know the exact nature of the ingredient, don’t eat it!


WHEAT ALLERGY


Either blood tests or skin prick tests can confirm the wheat allergy in your child.

If your child is truly allergic to wheat, and not intolerant to wheat (more on this below), the allergy skin test will develop a red rash or hive at the scratch site. Remember that wheat and wheat products are used in many products: breads, flours, cereals, stuffing, canned creamed vegetables, beers, and some vitamins. It might be necessary to keep a food diary to determine exactly what is causing your child’s allergies so that your allergist can test for the correct allergen. 

If you believe your child is intolerant to wheat, in other words, has severe gastrointestinal distress shortly after eating any kind of wheat or wheat product, then the allergy skin testing may come back negative. This doesn’t mean, however, that your child should begin eating wheat. Instead, it might mean he/she has gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

The allergy to wheat and the gluten intolerance both require that all wheat products be removed from your child’s diet. 

If your child is diagnosed with celiac disease, continued consumption of wheat products can permanently damage your child’s intestinal system. These children’s intestinal tracts produce an enzyme that attacks the villi in the intestines, and ultimately there is no way for them to absorb nutrients from their food. A strict diet of no wheat and no gluten must be adhered to. 

The mother of a wheat intolerant child suggested that you buy a bread machine. Use many different kinds of flour to make your bread for best results: almond flour, white rice flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot, tapioca and soy flour. Add some xanthum gum as a binding agent. Make sure that your child doesn’t have allergies to these products also!


Reading labels is a must for the parents of a child allergic or intolerant to wheat. 

The Food Allergy Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004, requiring: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.’ This act goes into effect January 1, 2006.

For more information on this important law, please see:

http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html

To maintain a wheat-free diet, strict avoidance of the following is necessary:

• Wheat, spelt, rye, barley in flours or other combinations

• Gluten

• Distilled vinegar

• Beer

• Whiskey

• Malt

• Modified food starch

• Dextrin

Some celiacs can tolerate oats, and others cannot. Usually rice and corn are okay for the wheat allergic or intolerant child.

Your allergist should be able to provide you with a complete listing of ingredients that may indicate wheat. There are always new products being created with newly processed ingredient names. If you don’t know the exact nature of the ingredient, don’t eat it!

SHELLFISH & FISH ALLERGY

If your child has been diagnosed with a severe allergy to shellfish, it is likely he/she will have the allergy for life. I know an adult woman with a shellfish allergy who no longer gets hives if she eats shellfish; instead she becomes disoriented almost as if she were intoxicated.

In skin prick tests, my son is highly allergic to shellfish, yet shows no allergy to fish. (Most experts will agree that there is no cross-reactivity between fish and shellfish. But there are children allergic to both.) The shellfish test was a combination of all shellfish that you can think of. Some people allergic to shellfish aren’t allergic to mollusks – clams, scallops, oysters and mussels. At this point, we’re being very careful to stay away from all shellfish, including mollusks. 

Should your child have shellfish allergy, be careful eating fried foods in a restaurant. The oil used to cook shrimp could also be used to cook fried chicken or French fries. A young woman allergic to shellfish had anaphylactic shock from this very exposure. Also, at a Japanese restaurant, the chef will prepare a fish or shrimp dish followed by another dish on the same surface. If your child is allergic to fish or shellfish, make sure the surface is completely cleaned before your child’s meal is prepared to decrease the chance of cross-contamination, or don’t eat there at all.

The fish allergy was studied by researchers at John Hopkins University. It was originally thought that a fish allergic person should stay away from all different kinds of fish. The researchers found that allergic individuals might be allergic to one kind of fish, and yet have no allergic reaction to another. The process of canning tuna or salmon sometimes changes the fish protein enough that fish-allergic individuals can tolerate these canned products.

Spoiled fish can contain histamine in the tissue of the fish. The reaction most individuals have to this spoiled fish mimics that of an allergic reaction: swelling, hives, wheezing, etc... Should you have a reaction such as this, and this is not your first exposure to fish, consider the possibility of spoiled fish. If this is yours or your child’s first exposure to fish, an allergy test for fish would be appropriate.

Surimi, a processed Alaskan pollack used for imitation crab or shrimp, doesn’t always contain shellfish. It usually contains fish, and is used in these imitation products. Read labels and be careful!

The fish and shellfish allergy necessitates not eating in seafood restaurants at a minimum. And may include not eating where fried foods are prepared if fish and shellfish are on the menu. 

Reading labels is a necessity for parents of a child with shellfish or fish allergies. 

The Food Allergy Labeling Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004, requiring: labels to be marked such that a 7 year old could read and understand the ingredients, all allergens are declared even if they are in the spices or flavorings, and curtail the current widespread use of the ‘may contain statements.’ This act goes into effect January 1, 2006.

For more information on this important law, please see:

http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/labeling.html


Stay away from all shelled fish: crab, lobster, shrimp and snails.
Also mollusks (clams and oysters) should be avoided.

Your allergist should be able to provide you with a complete listing of ingredients that may indicate shellfish and/or fish protein. There are always new products being created with newly processed ingredient names. If you don’t know the exact nature of the ingredient, don’t eat it!

Other food items that contain fish:

• Worcestershire sauce

• Marinara sauce can contain anchovies

• Dressings can contain anchovies

• Hot dogs, pizza toppings, bologna and ham can all contain Surimi
  Menhaden is a type of fish caught along the Atlantic coast. It is used in products such as vitamins, soap, lipstick, paint, insect spray, and waterproofing.