Food Allergies are becoming a more common part of life these days with up to 5% of the American public now allergic to at least one food.  Multiple allergies are becoming more common among those with food allergies, with new studies beginning to show at least one out of four allergy sufferers are allergic to more than one food.

It is difficult enough having to avoid one food but what happens when you suspect that you or someone you love is allergic to multiple foods?
Your first step is the allergist, while it is tempting to think that you can manage this yourself, by simply avoiding all foods you think you are allergic to, reactions can often be deceiving.  You may think that you are allergic to eggs when in fact it might be a chemical on the pan, or in the egg rather than the egg itself.  Since true allergies and intolerances are different, you may simply have an intolerance to a particular food, such as lactose rather than a full blown allergy, and testing can clarify much of this.

An Allergist will conduct what is known as a prick or scratch test, this is where they prick your skin with a small needle that has a small amount of the allergen on it. If you are allergic to a particular food or other substance your skin will break out in raised red welts.  These tests can be inconclusive especially with certain food allergies, so there are other more sensitive tests that can be done.

One of the more well known ways to diagnose food allergies and intolerances is through what is called an elimination diet. While on the elimination diet you will be given a very limited set of foods to eat, most of these foods are deemed as “low risk” for food allergies. You will stay on this diet for a period of time, usually two weeks, and then slowly one at a time you will add foods back in to identify which foods present a problem for you. This works very well for food allergies and intolerance that do not show up through skin testing.

Once you are through with the allergist you should have a list of foods that create symptoms for you. At this point you need to start working through what you will need to do to avoid the foods you are allergic to, some are simple if you are allergic to peppers then you simply need to avoid eating peppers. Many allergies however are not that simple, for instance an allergy to peanuts can cause you to need to avoid many products because of the potential for cross contamination.  You will need to learn to read every label, and identify potential problem areas, such as other nuts or grains that might be processed or even stored near peanuts.

Most people find that with multiple allergies it is helpful to eat as simple as possible, choosing whole foods rather than processed, and cooking those foods for yourself. This avoids many of the dangers of cross contaminations, and relieves you of the need for label reading on those products.

Multiple allergies can be very difficult to manage, and unless you can get all the allergens out of your environment you are likely to continue to experience problems.  Learning what to look for and how to avoid your allergens can mean the difference between misery and good health.