What if you have a food allergy?

A food allergy is a condition that occurs when the body's immune system overreacts to a particular protein found in food and is introduced into the body. When you have a food allergy, even a small amount of food can cause the body to show symptoms of the disease, so you need to be very careful when choosing foods to use.

Food allergy is defined as an immune system response when the body mistakenly recognizes a food as harmful. The disease has two forms, acute and chronic, acute, the time of onset of the disease is very sudden, and chronic will last for a long time. The manifestations of an acute food allergy can lead to anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. Food allergies are common in children, especially infants and toddlers, but they can also affect older children and adults.

Regarding the mechanism of food allergy, the cause of food allergies in the human body is because it contains a lot of histamine or in the process of food metabolism, it produces histamine and other chemicals that mediate relaxation. capillaries, plasma and other cells. As a result, this escape results in accumulation of substances in the body, swelling locally or throughout the body. These chemical mediators have caused disease manifestations such as congestion, secretions, food allergies, rashes, food allergies, urticaria, smooth muscle spasms causing abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Difficulty breathing...
According to research, the substances in food that cause food allergies are proteins of animal and plant origin. The feature of this protein is that it is heat stable, so when the food is cooked thoroughly at high temperature, the protein retains its original structure and causes us to have food allergies. Another feature that causes food allergies of this protein is that it is not broken down by digestive enzymes and stomach acids.

Food allergies often have the following manifestations:
Hives, itching, possibly tingling and itching in the mouth Dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting Wheezing, difficulty breathing, stuffy nose Abdominal pain, diarrhea , nausea, vomiting Swelling of lips, face, tongue, throat and other parts of the body Anaphylaxis, this is a dangerous sign that threatens human life because it causes respiratory constriction, swelling of the neck throat, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, unconsciousness... should be treated as soon as possible. Some patients may have late symptoms of the disease a few days after ingesting an allergic food such as:
Dermatitis Bronchial asthma Allergic rhinitis Sinusitis Persistent cough, runny nose Constipation Sweating Anorexia Decreased concentration, poor sleep The severity of the manifestation of food allergy depends on how long the body reacts to food, the location of the disease and the amount of food taken into the body.

There are questions raised by parents as to what is the fastest way to cure food allergies or what medications are given to children with food allergies, but so far, there has been no research to provide a cure for allergies. There is no drug to prevent the body's reaction to food.
Even so, there are certain things that must be followed to manage a patient's food allergy, including:
Read the ingredients on food packaging carefully to make sure there are no foods Foods that can cause allergies to the body, usually the following foods: Cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, shellfish, tree nuts, noodles. When eating at a restaurant or elsewhere, it is necessary to ask for details about the processing ingredients to avoid contact with proteins that cause food allergies. Do not eat spoiled, expired food. Learn how to take allergy shots and carry them with you at all times to prevent food allergies, such as the auto-injectable epinephrine used for anaphylaxis. Sanitize kitchen utensils before cooking and preparing food for children. Inform teachers and babysitters about your child's food allergies. Prevention of food allergies in children in the infancy period is extremely important because according to the allergy process, if the child has a food allergy since childhood, there is a high chance of developing other allergic diseases during development. such as allergic rhinitis, eczema, bronchial asthma. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent food allergies in children from an early age with the following measures:
Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, eliminating food allergens in the mother's diet. Breastfeeding. When the mother does not have milk to breastfeed, it is recommended to use milk products that are less allergic to hydrolyzed proteins and avoid the use of cow's milk.

Weaning should not be given to babies before 6 months of age, but should only be introduced gradually with a new food each week to limit foods that cause allergies for children. Avoid allergenic foods like egg whites, seafood, and peanuts until your baby is 12 months old. When children have started weaning, they should eat foods that are less allergenic such as rice and tubers, and limit industrially processed foods such as bacon, bacon, etc. Foods containing artificial colors and spices. When there are abnormal symptoms suggestive of a food allergy, it is necessary to stop the child from eating that food and monitor the condition to take it to a medical facility in time. Foods with cross-sensitivity to allergenic foods for children should also be avoided such as goat's milk with cow's milk, beef with lamb, fish... The exclusion of certain foods from the diet So taking vitamin and mineral supplements as prescribed by the doctor is also extremely important in the treatment of the disease. Food allergy is one of the most common allergies, especially in children. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful in using food and when there are signs of a food allergy, it is necessary to take it to a medical facility as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment. Besides, no matter when food allergy symptoms appear, prevention is also very important to protect children's health.