Food Allergies In Children And Adults - Symptoms, Treatment And Diet For Food Allergies

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Food allergies in children and adults

Content:

• Definition of disease
• Food allergy symptoms
• Causes of food allergies
• Diagnosing food allergies
• What can and cannot be eaten?
• How are food allergies treated in children?
• Diet for food allergies in adults
• Folk remedies for food allergies

Definition of disease

A food allergy is an allergic reaction of the body to certain foods or ingredients. It is often caused by proteins, in rare cases by fats or carbohydrates. One type of food may contain several allergenic components that are perceived by the body as dangerous and therefore lead to a specific protective reaction. In adults, food allergies are very rare, more often children suffer from this disease.

Food allergy symptoms

The earliest symptom of an allergic reaction is a noticeable swelling of the lips and mouth immediately after eating. However, as food progresses further, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, severe diarrhea may occur. Symptoms of food allergies also include the appearance of a bright rash on the skin, redness that itches very much. In rare cases, a specific runny nose and cough appears. If the form of the disease is severe, then an allergic reaction may appear already when the smell of allergenic food or when you touch it.

When an allergy manifests itself in several organs at once, it can lead to anaphylactic shock. In this case, the pharynx swells, the itching in it intensifies, the skin becomes covered with rashes, the patient is thrown into sweat, the pressure drops sharply, breathing is very difficult. With the progression of the condition, there can be a lethal outcome, for this reason, with such reactions of the body, it is very important to provide the necessary medical assistance on time.

Causes of food allergies

It has been proven that food allergies are hereditarily transmitted to children from parents. If at least one parent is allergic to food, then the child is likely to show it. And if both parents are allergic, then the risk of such reactions is several times higher. But at the same time, the products to which the child's body reacts pathologically can be completely different. In principle, an allergic reaction is possible to any food, but more often it occurs to those types of food that are known as allergens.

In some cases, there is a cross-type allergy, that is, if a person is allergic to peas, then a similar reaction can occur to other legumes. Often, the first use of the product does not give an allergic reaction, and even with repeated or prolonged use of it, the body can recognize the allergen and react to it with typical symptoms.

Diagnosing food allergies

To determine the presence of food allergies, the patient is questioned in detail, examined, and various laboratory tests are carried out. At the same time, they carefully examine all the symptoms of the disease, find out the time of occurrence of such a reaction for the first time, reveal the connection between the appearance of rashes and the intake of certain types of food. It is also very important to know whether parents or other close relatives have ever had an allergy.

The patient takes special tests for various allergens. Such allergy tests help to identify the product to which the person is allergic. For the same purpose, the patient is advised to write down all the foods consumed and the body's response to them in a notebook. It is also effective to prescribe an elimination diet, when the patient is included in the diet of possible allergens in turn and the response to them is assessed.

What can and cannot be eaten for food allergies?

If a person is allergic to food, then a hypoallergenic diet is very important. This plays an important role, both in diagnosis and in direct treatment. Allergists divide food into groups depending on the degree of their allergenicity.

Caviar, all seafood, bird eggs, fatty milk of a cow, any smoked meats, spicy foods, spices, canned and pickled foods, some vegetables, many types of berries and fruits, as well as compotes from them, citruses, dried fruits, nuts, honey are considered to be highly allergenic products., mushrooms, carbonated and alcoholic drinks, coffee.

Medium allergenic products are represented by wheat, corn, buckwheat, some types of meat, some vegetables, fruits, herbal decoctions. A low degree of allergenicity in fermented milk products, low-fat varieties of pork, chicken meat, some types of fish, offal, bread, greens, cereals, sunflower and butter oils, weak tea, mineral waters without gas.

How are food allergies treated in children?

The main method used to effectively treat food allergies, especially in babies, is the elimination diet. It implies a temporary exclusion from the diet of certain foods, an allergic reaction to which is well established. As a rule, with the elimination of hazardous products, the disease disappears after a certain period of time. To help you understand what to start from, look at the most common allergic foods in children.

The use of modern drugs is advisable only during an exacerbation. If ten days have passed, and there are no positive changes in the child's condition, then the diet needs to be revised. It is possible that the allergens have not been fully identified and the body continues to react to something else, or there are other unreported reasons for this condition.

Diet for food allergies in adults

The diet, first of all, means avoiding highly allergenic foods and limiting foods with moderate allergenic activity. This is the first step in tailoring your individual diet.

In the future, it is recommended to introduce products gradually in order to identify the individual reactions of the body to them. When buying ready-made products in stores, you should look at their composition, since they may contain components with high allergenicity. By the way, some people may be allergic to low-allergenic foods. Therefore, the diet must be compiled by a doctor.

Eating a hypoallergenic diet, you need to try to make the diet varied, but include only permitted foods. It is best to consume each product only once every few days. It may be that the allergy is manifested not due to the intake of a specific type of food, but due to the accumulation of certain substances contained in it in the body.

Folk remedies for food allergies

Food allergies can be treated with numerous folk remedies. If the allergy is accompanied by a bright red rash and severe itchy skin, you can use a healing bath with a mixture of nettle, wormwood, burdock, birch leaves, spruce needles and dandelion. By the way, dandelion infusion also helps when taken orally if you are allergic to food.

Recipe number 1. The eggshell treatment is very effective. To do this, the egg is boiled and peeled, the shell is dried. Then the shell is crushed, mixed with lemon juice and eaten. A daily intake of this remedy will allow you to achieve relief from the disease after a few doses, and when taken within a couple of months, a complete cure for allergies occurs.

Recipe number 2. A fairly simple and effective remedy is to take bran. The bran should be steeped in boiling water and eaten on an empty stomach in the morning. After a few minutes, the allergic rhinitis stops. This method is also useful in that it removes harmful substances from the body, contributes to the regulation of the intestines.

Recipe number 3. Also, an uncomplicated method that helps against allergic reactions of various types is taking nettle infusion. To prepare it, dry nettle is poured with boiling water, insisted for a couple of hours and drunk half a glass several times a day. Usually three weeks are enough to completely get rid of the manifestations of the disease. Treatment can be continued if necessary.

The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).