I was asked recently to do an article on food Allergies because it is common but with that are a few other questions that come to mind, so let’s talk about this.

1) What is an allergy and how do I find out if I’m allergic?
2) What are some things I should look for?
3) What are the most common food allergies?
4)How can I avoid them?
An allergy is when your body (the immunity) responds to food or something in the environment. Now if you have any of the symptoms mentioned below, please go see an allergist or ENT specialist, allergies can be deadly.
There are 8 common food allergies that people have.

Gluten which includes wheat germ, bran cereals, Bulgaria, rye, barley, web-based pastas, breads, cookies, crackers

Swap it for: non GMO tortillas, rice noodles, zucchini, homemade granola, gluten free flours- almond, coconut, tapioca and gluten free

Eggs which are in mayo, baked goods, breads, marshmallows, meringue, meatballs, ice cream

Swap it for: mashed bananas, applesauce, nut butter

Diary, which is cow’s milk, cheese, cottage cheese, half and half, cream, sour cream, pudding and yogurt

Swap it for: Almond milk or other nut milks, diary free chocolate chips, sorbet, coconut or almond milk based ice cream

Soy which is in So sauce, soy milk, tofu, soy protein isolate, miso, some deli meats, tamai

Swap it for: Coconut amigos for soy sauce

Peanuts which are in peanut butter, trail mix, and peanut oil

Swap it for: Sunbather, almond butter, coconut butter

Fish: Tuna, salmon, cod, Catfish

Swap it for: Chicken, turkey, beef, pork, tofu

Shellfish which are Shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, oyster

Swap it for: Fish, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, tofu

Tree nuts which are walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pine nuts, brazil nuts

Swap it for: Coconut or Sunflower products

Now for some, simply swapping ingredients will be okay but for others they need to avoid the allergic more. Be careful when entering a room, research each brand so there are no cross contamination, and if you are going out to eat, please advise head of time of allergies or make sure they don’t coo with your allergen at all. Again I will advise you to see a specialist if you have any more questions.