Foods Your Allergy Doctor May Warn You About (And Alternatives To Try)

Eating is a pleasure that most people want to enjoy without worrying about any restrictions. However, it's not just vegans and diabetics who have to be careful with their food choices. People with allergies should also be careful. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the following food types are the culprits behind 90 percent of all adverse reactions. The odds are not in your favor if you eat these foods. 

Eggs

Yes, the food that had the catch phrase of being "incredible and edible" is among the top food allergens. It can be easier to give up eggs for breakfast than it is the many products that use eggs as an ingredient. Alternatives to baking with eggs include flaxseed and apple sauce. As veganism grows in popularity, some predict the consumption of eggs will lessen over the next few years.

Milk

Dairy milk can be bad news for more than lactose-intolerant people. It is a common cause of allergies. Happily, few people need to rely on milk from baby cows any more when so many alternatives exist. You can instead enjoy "regular" or flavored soy milk, rice milk, hemp milk, almost milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, flax milk, or any number of other plant-based milks. They are often fortified with extra nutrition, too.

Soy

Okay, so soy milk may be out for many people, too, but dozens of other alternatives to dairy milk exist. Soy also finds itself on the list of top allergy-causing foods. If you have a soy allergy, tofu is out, and so are several vegetarian meat alternatives. Luckily, soy is pretty much always labelled, and many products are labelled soy-free since even people without allergies sometimes want to avoid it.

Fish and Shellfish

If you are worried about food allergies, you may simply choose to avoid seafood. Both fish and shellfish are separately among the top foods that cause allergies. Fish are generally considered to be healthy in part because of their high content of omega-3 fatty acids. Some plant-based alternatives include walnuts, mixed greens, soybeans, and tofu.

Wheat

In the age of "gluten-free" everything, it's common to see people who try to avoid wheat in their diet altogether. Since it is one of the foods that also often cause food allergies, you may want to try to avoid wheat when possible. There's no better time to do it. You can even find wheat-free bread, pasta, and oatmeal in grocery stores these days.

Peanuts and Tree Nuts

You've probably heard a lot about nut allergies. Honey-roasted peanuts used to be a staple that was served during airplane travel, but not anymore. That's just one sign of how things have changed in the growing awareness of widespread nut allergies. Luckily, you can find alternatives to peanut butter nowadays, and you needn't miss out on any of the great tastes you formerly enjoyed.

Finally, keep in mind that you may not have a problem with eating any of the above foods, but you may still have a food allergy. Your allergy doctor will likely talk to you directly about testing and determining which foods you should and should not eat. Talk to your allergy doctor about your unique situation. You may find that you can easily give up a food that's making you miserable, and both you and your doctor can rest easy.

For more information, you will want to contact a professional, such as the ones you will find at North Texas Allergy.