What are the symptoms of an allergic reaction to food?
Responses can be quite variable from individual to individual. It may involve gastrointestinal reactions including nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, itchy rash, hives, asthma and hay fever, swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, migraine headaches and, in severe cases, anaphylaxis. Some cases of food-induced hives or anaphylaxis are dependent on a cofactor for exacerbation of clinical symptoms. The only cofactor clearly demonstrated to provoke symptoms is exercise. Mood swings, attention problems or behavioral disorders are not allergic responses to the food you eat. Reactions to chemicals contained in foods, such as caffeine, that stimulate the central nervous system are well known, and clearly distinct from the allergy-mediated response described above. How is a food allergy diagnosed? Before one should embark on an investigation of a food allergy, there must be a reasonable suspicion of food sensitivity based on the development of symptoms following the consumption
