Common food allergies: what to know

Food Allergy is an immune reaction to a particular food protein. Common triggers include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, soya, fish, and shellfish. Symptoms may include hives, facial swelling, vomiting, diarrhoea, wheezing, or an Itchy Throat. A food intolerance can cause discomfort without the same immune process.

A reaction can affect more than one body system and may progress quickly. The same food may be tolerated in one form but not another, so a careful history matters. Avoid broad food restriction until a clinician has helped identify the suspected trigger.

Write down the food, ingredients, amount, timing, and symptoms after a suspected reaction. Arrange medical assessment before deliberately eating the food again. Allergy Testing may be considered alongside the history; a test result alone does not prove that a food causes symptoms.

Read ingredient labels every time, ask about preparation when eating away from home, and prevent cross-contact with the suspected food. A clinician can provide an individual action plan and discuss emergency medicine when appropriate.

Call emergency services for breathing difficulty, throat or tongue swelling, repeated vomiting with other allergic symptoms, faintness, or rapidly worsening symptoms. These may indicate Anaphylaxis. Use prescribed emergency treatment promptly according to your action plan and seek emergency care even if symptoms begin to improve.

Ask whether the pattern fits allergy, which foods or ingredients need avoidance, whether testing is useful, how to manage accidental exposure, and which symptoms require emergency treatment. Ask how to maintain a balanced diet if several foods are being excluded.