How Do I Know if I Have a Food Allergy?
Last Updated: 10th November 2022 · Written by Donna Mastriani
When you’re suffering from a food allergy, your body’s immune system reacts negatively causing unpleasant symptoms of varying degrees of severity. Even a small amount of the offending food type can cause a range of unpleasant reactions with your system seemingly unable to cope with what it sees as a foreign body. The more severe the reaction, the greater need to test for allergies as in the worst-case scenario, food allergies can be life-threatening. So, if you’re asking yourself “How do I know if I have a food allergy?” the very fact that you’re unsure about it, means there’s cause for concern.
The Symptoms
According to Allergy UK, the percentage of people suffering from an allergy in the UK is around 44%. This is one of the growing number of reasons why companies like ours that test for allergies are so busy.
The types of symptoms encountered when a food allergy is present tend to be quick to manifest and are severe in nature. A food allergy reaction can typically involve:
● Itching or tingling in or around the mouth.
● Swelling of various parts of the body, including the lips, tongue and throat.
● Being light-headed, dizzy or passing out.
● Difficulty in breathing, wheezing or a blocked nose.
● Diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea or abdominal pain.
As you can see, most of the symptoms listed are on the severe side and will often require the administering of an EpiPen to alleviate the symptoms. If these adverse effects are part of your daily life, a test for allergies can be a route to a better, less stressful and healthier life.
Common Triggers
There are many foods that can be associated with food allergies and whilst there is no definitive list, there is a group that make up most cases.
They are:
● Cow’s Milk. (particularly prevalent in very young children, when they’re exposed to it)
● Eggs.
● Peanuts.
● Wheat.
● Shellfish.
● Tree Nuts.
● Fish.
● Soy.
A test for allergies from the Lifelab Testing team checks for all of these and up to 17 other key food allergy triggers. Without wanting to fearmonger in any way, a severe food allergy can develop at any time of your life and left undiagnosed and untreated, can lead to unconsciousness, coma or even death.
If you feel any of the symptoms listed above, even mildly, then you need to get yourself diagnosed so that you can take steps to minimise the risk it poses to your health. And with a test for allergies costing from as little as £74.99, we think it’s a bit of a no-brainer. Of course, it’s your prerogative to deal with your health in your own way, but if your life is in any way in danger, being safe is much better than being sorry, as they say.
If you would like to know more about the quick, affordable blood screening services we offer at Lifelab Testing, take a look through our website. There you’ll find everything you need to know, as well as our easy to use LiveChat facility through which you can chat with one of our friendly experts about any questions you might have.
Thanks for reading our blog. Stay safe, stay healthy and we’ll see you again next time.
