About Food Allergies
FOOD ALLERGY FACTS
The most common food allergens in the United States (known as the Top 8) are Peanut, Tree Nuts (such as Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Pecans, Pistachios, Walnuts, etc), Milk, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Wheat, and Soy. But a person can be allergic to ANY food, from sesame, corn and strawberries, to more rare ones like mango, peas and chicken.
Canada has 11 priority allergens, which include: Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Sesame Seeds, Milk, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Soy, Wheat, Sulphites, and Mustard.
Europe has 14, which include: Celery, Cereals containing gluten, Eggs, Fish, Lupin (a kind of legume), Milk, Molluscs, Mustard, Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Shellfish, Soya, Sulphur Dioxide (used as an antioxidant and preservative) , and Tree Nuts.
Everyone’s threshold and symptoms are different. One person might just feel a little sick after ingesting several bites of their allergen, where another person can have a severe reaction (called anaphylaxis) if exposed to a milligram or less—even through the air! So please take food allergies seriously!
No one WANTS to have food allergies. If someone asks for accommodations, they aren’t doing it to be a pest—they simply want to be safely included. Please treat people with allergies with RESPECT!
Food allergies are a complex and challenging matter. NOBODY knows why food allergies exist and are on the rise, and there is NO cure, yet. But several research hospitals are working hard to figure it out.
This is only a kid thing, right? Wrong. Many kids DON’T outgrow any of their allergies, making it a lifelong condition. In addition, food allergies can develop at any time, even for those who never had any issues before.
If you or your child are newly diagnosed, you might feel like hiding forever in your personal fortress and barring the door lest anyone bring in traces of those evil allergy villains. Not so fast! Food allergies were rare 30 years ago, but with the rise in food allergies comes greater awareness, better resources, and more people who “get it” to connect with. Take some time to grieve and find your footing, but don’t forget to find one of the many awesome support systems online or in your community. Food allergies don’t have to isolate you!
So take a look around at the fun and heroic products we have to help bring better awareness to food allergies, some of the best resource we’ve found around the web, and don’t forget to connect with us on our social media channels. We’d love to hear your personal story and how we can help!
Remember we are all more SUPER than our allergies!
