A Guide to Understanding and Managing Food Allergies
Let’s keep people with food allergies safe by learning more about them.
May is allergy awareness month. It can be very stressful to deal with food allergies. You probably know someone with food allergies. Did you know that 1-in- 2 Canadian homes are impacted by food allergies, or about 1 in every 30 people?
The immune system is an important part of the body that is like a superpower that fights germs to keep you healthy. A food allergy is when your immune system attacks a food, thinking it is a germ. Some of the most common foods that people are allergic to in Canada are peanuts, egg, wheat, mustard, sesame, milk, tree nuts (like almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and walnuts to name a few), soy, fish, and shellfish.
You can get food allergies at any age, even as an adult. Sometimes as your kids get older and their body changes, they may not be allergic to the same foods anymore. You can check to see what food you may be allergic to or if you are still allergic to a food by talking to your doctor and then an allergist.
Let’s keep people with food allergies safe by learning more about them.
Step 1: Learn a Little Bit About Food Allergies
There are different types of food allergies:
- The most serious type of allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis. These are life threatening. It can happen very quickly after eating or drinking the food item that you or your child are allergic to.
- Some symptoms that may happen are swelling and redness of the face, shortness of breath, tightness of the throat, or dizziness. It is important to know that no two reactions are the same and that symptoms may be very different.
- Other types of food allergies do not cause a serious reaction, but symptoms may be difficult to manage. These reactions take longer to show up, and usually strike the gut. These are not life threatening.
Step 2: Learn How to Avoid Food Allergens
There are many things that you can do to avoid the foods that people around you are allergic to. It is important to know what foods you are allergic to and how you can spot them. Some things you can do are:
- Read the ingredient label from start to finish and check if it “Contains” or “May Contains” the food you are allergic to.
- Use proper kitchen safety. Cross-contamination happens when a small amount of the food you are allergic to gets into another food by accident. Sometimes this can happen if kitchen tools, like wooden spoons or cutting boards, touch the food you are allergic to and then touch another food right after.
Step 3: Learn About Safe Food Substitutions
Be considerate when offering food to people around you. If they have allergies, you can offer foods that are safe and have the same nutrition as the food they are allergic to. Here are some examples:
- If someone has a fish allergy, they might be missing some good fats, like Omega 3. Other foods that have good fats that you could eat are nuts (such as peanuts, walnuts, or almonds) or eggs.
- If someone is allergic to peanuts, you might be missing some protein. Find out if the person with the food allergy can eat seed butter like a sunflower or pumpkin seed butter.
These are only a few of the things to think about when it comes to food allergies. Food Allergy Canada offers information on their website that can help you understand more about food allergies. Asking the person with a food allergy or the parent of the child with a food allergy is one of the best ways you can learn. The best question you can ask is, “What can I do to keep you safe.”
References
Food Allergy Canada (n.d.). A new reality: diagnosed with food allergy.
Food Allergy Canada. (n.d.). Priority Food Allergens.
Food Allergy Canada (n.d.). Ask the dietitian: Food allergy and protein sources.