I would like to discuss food allergy in adults, and symptoms that one may experience with food allergies.  Fortunately, food allergy is pretty rare in adults, only about 1-2% of the adult population has true food allergies.  (However, many other adults have what we call, food intolerance, which is a different mechanism than a true allergy, and may include lactose intolerance).  Food allergy is much more common in children, but fortunately some children outgrow their food allergies. 

The typical symptoms of food allergy are varied, and usually develop within 15 to 30 minutes after eating the particular food.  Therefore, if your symptoms develop more than 1-2 hours after eating the food, it is less likely that you may have food allergies, and it may be a food intolerance instead.  The usual symptoms include hives, itching, nausea, vomiting, feeling lightheaded, abdominal pain, swelling of the lips/tongue and in some cases difficulty breathing.  If you experience any swelling of the lips and/or tongue and notice that you can not breathe or your voice changes, you should immediately go to the emergency room as this reaction may be life threatening. 

Original »