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Best Foods to eat when suffering with a Food Allergy

Food allergy or food intolerance affects nearly everyone at some point. When someone has an unpleasant reaction to something they ate, they often think that they have an allergy to the food. Food allergy is an abnormal response to food that is triggered by a specific reaction in the immune system and expressed by certain symptoms. Food intolerance is also an abnormal response to food. Its symptoms can resemble those of food allergies however food intolerance is fare more prevalent and is triggered by several different mechanisms that are distinct from the immunological reaction responsible for food allergy. Anyone with a food allergy must attempt to identify and prevent them because these reactions may cause devastating illness and potentially be fatal.

Diagnosing a food allergy can be a challenge for most doctors. First the doctor must determine if the patient is having an adverse reaction to specific foods. The doctor makes this assessment with the help of a detailed history from the patient, the patient's dietary diary, or an elimination diet. The doctor then confirms the diagnosis by the more objective skin tests, blood tests, or food challenges. The dietary history is the most important diagnostic tool. The physician interviews the patient to determine if the facts are consistent with a food allergy. If the patient's history, dietary diary, or elimination diet suggests that a specific food allergy is likely, the doctor will then use tests, such as skin tests, blood tests, and a food challenge, which can more objectively confirm an allergic response to food.

The most common question people with food allergies have is what they are able to eat. It may seem that all foods have to be eliminated; however, there are many foods available which may not be commonly used. By changing the diet to include these particular foods, a person suffering from food allergies is able to eat well and nutritiously. If food allergies are so severe that even the most uncommon foods must be eliminated and the diet is inadequate nutritionally, the root causes of the allergies must be discovered. It may be an option to seek treatment such as low dose immunotherapy rather than a nutritionally inadequate diet.

The category of foods which often poses the greatest challenge to those with severe food allergies is protein foods. High quality protein is essential for the repair of the body when suffering with food allergies. If someone is allergic to beef, chicken, or turkey, game meats are a good alternative. Dairy products are often missed by people with food allergies. Some people can tolerate goat, sheep, soy, or rice milk. Wheat and grains are more of a challenge to eliminate from baking recipes than milk and eggs are, but there are no rules for substituting alternative flours for wheat. There is a wide variety of grains and grain alternatives available which can be used in place for wheat flour in allergy cooking. Non gluten grains may be easier to tolerate and they are also very hypoallergenic non grain alternative flour for those allergic to all grains.