Common food allergens
A food allergen is always a protein. While approximately 160 foods have been reported as causing food allergies only eight foods are responsible for the majority of all food allergies in children:
- Cow’s milk and milk products
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Soy
- Fish
- Shell fish
- Wheat
Symptoms of food allergy
Typical symptoms include hives, swelling around the mouth and vomiting, usually occurring within 30 minutes of eating a food. Other symptoms include a runny or blocked nose, stomach pains or diarrhoea.
More serious symptoms (anaphylaxis) involve the breathing and circulatory systems (noisy/difficult breathing, hoarse voice and in young children being pale and floppy).
Anaphylaxis is potentially life threatening and should be treated as a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment. The most common foods causing anaphylaxis are peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish.
Less common signs of food allergy include infantile colic, gastro-eosephageal reflux, eczema, and faltering growth in infants.
What to do if you suspect food allergy
If you think your baby has a food allergy make an appointment with your doctor.
You doctor will take a detailed history, complete an examination and possibly arrange for allergy tests (skin prick tests or blood tests, cap RAST). A food allergy is managed by avoiding the food allergen and so diagnosis is essential to ensure diets are not unnecessarily restricted.
Food allergy management is a team approach involving an allergy specialist or paediatrician, a dietitian, your GP and of course the family.
Here’s a check list you may find useful to fill out and discuss with your doctor;
Download a checklist
We recommend these good web links for further information:
Milk allergy
If you are breastfeeding and suspect food allergy talk to your health care professional before making any changes to your diet. You can always call our expert team for some advice.
Cow’s milk is the most common food allergen for infants and toddlers. Around 3 percent of young children have cow’s milk allergy but the majority of infants will outgrow their allergy.
Management of cow’s milk allergy involves the elimination of all cow’s milk and dairy products from the diet and substitution with an appropriate alternative.
Some babies can react to cow’s milk proteins present in breast milk – breastfeeding should continue but on diagnosis your health care professional may advise you to restrict your diet (remember it is important to take medical and dietetic advice before making any major changes to your diet).
On diagnosis, if you are using formula your health care professional will recommend the most suitable one for your baby. Options may include a formula based on soy (if age appropriate and tolerated), a formula where the cow’s milk protein has been broken down into smaller pieces (extensively hydrolysed) or an amino acid based formula.