February 8, 2011

Egg Allergy Diet and Substitute Foods

Posted in Category : General Health

Food allergies are a very common occurrence and have a significant effect on the way a number of people are able to lead their lives. Also known as food intolerances, these conditions are likely to affect almost everybody at some point of time in their lives. However, it is important to understand the difference between a simple acute reaction and someone who is medically proven to be suffering from a food allergy. The misconception is more often than not a result of common public perception that any adverse reaction to ingested food is a result of an allergy. Reactions to food can be the result of many factors such as in the case of food poisoning or some contamination to the food consumed or even the presence of some underlying medical condition that is causing your body to reject the food. On the other hand, a clinical food allergy is considered to be so in the event that that an abnormal reaction to consumed food is triggered by a certain or specific reaction to the immune system within the human body.

Speaking specifically about egg allergy in children as well as adults, this variant of a food allergy is less common than most of the other variants such as being allergic to seafood. Before getting into the various egg allergy diets for children, we will take a look at the factors that play a role in the development of the condition in the first place. The primary substances causing a reaction in any kind of food are known as allergens. These are usually proteins in the food that are able to resist the heat of cooking as well as any acids within the stomach that are primarily concerned with destroying these substances. The egg allergy, just as with any other allergy, is also likely to be caused by a problem with the immune system while it is also possible that the condition is inherited from either one or both of the parents.

Egg allergies in children are more common that egg allergies in adults and understanding the various egg allergy symptoms will make it much easier to diagnose the condition early. The egg allergy symptoms will usually manifest within a few minutes to a few hours after the consumption of the eggs. Some of the more common symptoms of the same include mild to severe skin rashes, hives, vomiting or even an inflammation of the nasal passages. The reaction that occurs with egg allergies in children as well as adults is that the body’s immune system will unleash an army of chemicals to protect the body and these chemicals are known to cause havoc in the body such as impacting the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system. Understanding the most common egg allergy symptoms in children and babies will go a long way into ensuring that you are able to deal with and contain the problem from a very young age.

Just as with any kind of allergic reaction, the best way to deal with the problem is to make sure that you avoid the causing substances. However, this may be significantly harder to do than with other medical allergies because of the fact that a lot of foods are prepared with the help of eggs. Some reactions to eggs can be more severe – possibly even leading to a bout of anaphylaxis that will require the administration of antihistamine medication to revive the patient. As a result, when coping with egg allergies, it is highly recommended that you do as much research as possible on the various egg allergy diets to help you avoid any complications. You may also consult your doctor on egg allergy substitute foods that you could consume for essential nutrients needed by your body.