What can be worse if someone is diagnosed with food allergies, especially from their favourite food item? There can be nothing.
Certain food ingredients and items, such as milk products, eggplant, peanuts, wheat or shellfish can trigger our immune system which casues food allergies. Some of the common symptoms of allergic reactions are indigestion, swollen airways, skin rashes or palpitations. The actual cause behind food allergy is questionable. However, in some cases, it might cause severe life-threatening reactions.
Antihistamine medicines treat mild reactions; however, it is safe to follow these tips to reduce the risk of food allergies.
Make a habit of reading the food labels. If you are diagnosed with allergies from certain ingredients; therefore, reading the food label is one of the best practices to avoid reactions. However, as per the study reports, consumers often misunderstand the labels about food allergen exposure as it reads "may contain" or "manufactured on shared equipment" and falls sick. Therefore, stay away from food items sharing similar labels.
Make sure your allergen-free diet is non-cross-contaminated. One must take care while cooking to avoid cross-contact of allergenic with non-allergenic foods. Few tips to follow to ignore these situations- try to use separate utensils and cutleries for allergen-free foods, wash them thoroughly with hot, soapy water between the uses, and never share food. If you are dining out at a restaurant, carry a chef card (a printed note with the list of ingredients you are allergic to), and place a request to follow the safety measures against cross-contamination. You can also question before ordering yourself food or drink.
Carry an emergency kit to treat the symptoms. Prepare a list of steps to follow if you accidentally consume any ingredients which trigger allergic reactions. Put the list in an accessible area in your purse so that people can help you during emergencies. You can also take the help of mobile applications designed to inform your emergency contacts in case of critical situations. It includes a page with your basic details, a list of items that cause allergies, the name of the anti-allergen drug prescribed for you, the list of symptoms and other information.
Carry your medicines or injections prescribed by the doctors. Ideally, carry two doses of emergency medication, such as EpiPen, antihistamines or TwinLet, to avoid any severe consequences. In case you are prescribed to take epinephrine, then you must learn to use an auto-injector. Since epinephrine works best if injected within few minutes after an allergic reaction is triggered.
Follow these steps to stay healthy and happy.
