Most Common Food Allergies - What Are They?

Common food allergies affect millions of Americans each year. If you're one of these sufferers, you may be experiencing minor symptoms such as hives and facial swelling, or more serious reactions including swelling of the throat and difficulty breathing. More than 160 foods can lead to one or more of these reactions in people who are susceptible to food allergies. However, eight foods are responsible for 90 percent of food allergy symptoms.

Some of the most common food allergies are to:

To help food allergy sufferers avoid contact with common allergens, Congress passed a law called the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004. This law pertains to all foods labeled after January 1, 2006, and all imported and exported foods regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The law stipulates that all food labels must clearly state if the ingredients are or contain one of the eight most common food allergens.

The most effective "treatment" for common food allergies is to avoid the allergens altogether. Therefore when you're shopping, avoid foods with labels that list the major allergen in parenthesis by the name of the ingredient [i.e. flour (wheat)], or immediately following the list of ingredients in a "contains" statement, such as "contains soy, milk, and wheat."