If you’re a parent with an allergic child, or if you’re exploring an elimination diet to help single out the foods that may be causing allergic reactions, you may be wondering which foods to look at first. For most people, there are specific foods that trigger an allergic response. Once these foods are identified, they can be cut from the diet and avoided so that they can live an allergy-free life without all the hassle, medications, and stress. Here’s a list of come of the most common foods that cause allergic reactions, and information about how to live without them.
Dairy
Many people, including children, have dairy sensitivities. Milk is usually the dairy product that causes the most problems, but other dairy items like cheese and yogurt can do the same. These days you can choose from a whole variety of dairy-free products like rice milk, soy milk, hemp milk, almond milk, vegan cheese alternatives, and soy yogurt.
Nuts
Nut allergies are extremely common and often cause serious issues when they are present. If you suspect a nut allergy, it’s a good idea to cut out all tree nuts as well as peanuts right from the start. Common nuts that cause allergic reactions include almonds, walnuts, cashews, and peanuts. Nuts don’t have a direct replacement, but many people find that most food preparations taste just as good with out them.
Wheat
Wheat is a real trouble maker for many people. Gluten allergies and direct wheat allergies are hard to deal with in the modern world because so many foods contain them. The good news for people with wheat or gluten allergies is that most products are clearly labeling whether their items contain these ingredients or not. Alternatives like amaranth make it easy for people with wheat allergies to enjoy their favorite foods without the allergies.
Seafood
Fish and shellfish are another common allergen. Although it may be hard to define these allergies in kids since many children don’t eat much seafood, it’s a good idea to verify that you aren’t getting these in your foods if you’re on an elimination diet because they are such a common allergen.
Soy
Many children have allergic sensitivities to soy. This includes soy milk, tofu, soy beans, and isolated soy additives like soy lecithin. A soy allergy can be hard to deal with because there are so many products that use it, but most label their products clearly so that you don’t have to spend as much time label reading to know if a food is safe for your family.