Are you ever curious about certain food before you eat it? Do you react to specific kinds of foods but wonder what the issue could be? Does some food give you itchy sensations, swellings on the face, around eyes, lips or tongue? Or do you actually vomit after eating specific foods? Then it is evident that you are allergic to that kind of food. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), a food allergy is an adverse reaction to food involving an immunological mechanism. It is when the body’s immune system reacts unusually to specific foods. Although allergic reactions are often mild, they can be very serious. The clinical symptoms of food allergies range from mild discomfort to severe or life-threatening reactions, which require immediate medical intervention. The prevalence of food allergies has been estimated to be around one to three per cent in adults and four to six per cent in children, says WHO. The foods, which cause the most severe reactions and most cases of food allergies are; cereals containing gluten, crustacean, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, and tree nuts. The Codex Alimentarius Commission Committee on Food Labelling has listed the foods and ingredients that cause the most severe reactions and most cases of food hypersensitivity. These include cereals containing gluten, for example, wheat, rye, barley, oats. Eggs and egg products, like, fish and fish products; peanuts, soybeans and products of these; milk and milk products (lactose included); tree nuts and nut products; and sulphite in concentrations of 10 milligrams or kilograms. Amon Rwasamanzi, a nutritionist at USAID-HINGA WEZE, says food allergies cause reaction every time the trigger food is eaten, and symptoms can vary from person to person, and you may not constantly experience the same symptoms during every reaction. For the symptoms, he says, they may include stuffy nose, vomiting, unconsciousness, breathing can be very difficult and digestion might become a big problem. The dangers Rwasamanzi says that allergic reactions to food can affect the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system. It is, however, difficult to envisage how severe the next reaction might be, which is why all patients with food allergies should be carefully counselled about the risk of anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal reaction that is treated with epinephrine (adrenaline). Who is at risk? Rwasamanzi explains that although food allergies may develop at any age, most appear in early childhood. If you experience food allergy, see an allergist, to decide which tests to perform and use this information to decide if a food allergy exists. He adds that a person can also be at risk of food allergies due to the family history of food allergies, and where you live, sex (as some allergies are more common in women than men or vice versa) or due to other allergic conditions, for instance, asthma, eczema, among others. You may also be asked by an allergist to be specific about what and how much you ate, how long it took for symptoms to develop, what symptoms you experienced and how long they lasted, Rwasamanzi carries on. Prevention WHO states that more than 70 foods have been reported as causing food allergies. The only way for allergic individuals to manage food allergies is to avoid eating the food that causes the allergy. Rwasamanzi further states that the way to prevent food allergies is through education and awareness, evade cross-contact of allergen foods, avoid contamination of your food supply, label your foods at home as safe, and develop food allergies protocols. “If the allergic reaction is very severe, it becomes anaphylaxis and life-threatening,” he says. He warns against diagnosing yourself or your child with a food allergy. And in case of prevention of a food allergy reaction, he advises avoiding the food and any product that may contain it as an ingredient. Rwasamanzi adds that you should not diagnose yourself or your child with a food allergy. The only way to prevent a food allergy reaction is to completely avoid the food and any product that may contain it as an ingredient. WHO explains that awareness about food allergies among public food and health officials, and those supplying and preparing food, is the first step in protecting individuals with food allergies. In order to manage allergen risks, manufacturers need to have a thorough knowledge of the ingredients and possible contaminants in a food product. “Allergens may contaminate an otherwise allergy-safe food if, for example, the product is made on the same processing equipment as products containing allergens, without adequate cleaning between products,” WHO emphasises. Rwasamanzi says that eating away from home is often risky for an allergic person as you may not know whether a dish contains certain foods you are sensitive to.
