Managing Food Allergies and Intolerances: Helpful Steps

Children often outgrow allergies developed in infancy or early childhood, but some allergies do persist through to adulthood. For those with a food allergy or intolerance, the following steps are helpful:

• Completely avoid the offending food. This is especially important when the allergy is severe. The most serious allergic reactions include coma and death. Some individuals with food intolerances (rather than allergies) find relief from symptoms by simply limiting the amount of the offending food.
• Build your diet from the New Four Food Groups (whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables), while avoiding those foods that are known to cause your undesirable reactions. The New Four Food Groups contain helpful nutrients such as vitamin C and phytochemicals that can help your body mitigate the effects of allergies and intolerances.
• Avoid processed foods since they may contain hidden ingredients. Additionally, processed foods may contain hydrogenated oils or oils that have been chemically altered so that they are more like saturated fats. These fats have been found to be damaging to the lining of the intestine, making a person more susceptible to food allergies and intolerances.
• People with life–threatening food allergies should carry an injectable form of epinephrine (e.g., an EpiPen or EpiPen Jr.) at all times in the event of an exposure to the food.