Food Allergy is on the Rise Among Children

May is national Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.

According to the CDC, 4% of children suffer from food allergies.  Having food allergies, doubles a child risk of having asthma and triples their risk of having a skin or respiratory allergy.

There are eight typs of foods that account for 90% of food allergies (according to the CDC)

• Milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Soy
• Wheat

It is unclear what is causing this rise in food allergies among children but it could be related to how we cook or process our foods.  Food allergies can range from being mild to being very serious, in life threatening.

Signs of Food Allergies are:

• hives
• itching
• rash (eczema)
• behavioral/temper changes
• swelling of the face, lips, tongue and/or eyes
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• cramps
• itching and tightness of throat
• difficulty breathing (asthma)
• wheezing
• in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock requiring immediate medical attention

For more information and support for families who children have food allergies, visit AllergyKids.com or the  kids with food allergies organization.