USDA 9 Top Food Allergies

Milk allergy includes all milk products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, among others. The category includes not only cow's milk, but milk from other mammals such as goats, sheep, and buffalo. It is one of the most common allergies, especially in children under three years old. Milk is a healthy food for most people, unless there is an allergy. If you have a milk allergy, the only way to avoid the consequences is to avoid milk.

Lactose intolerance is different from milk allergy, although they do present similarly. There are steps available to take with lactose intolerance that will help you digest the milk product. See your doctor for guidance. As with other food allergies, the best way to treat milk allergy is to avoid dairy in your diet.

Eggs are one of the most common food allergies. Some children with an egg allergy will outgrow this allergy by age 16, but not all of them. Experts recommend that if you have a chicken egg allergy, you should avoid all poultry eggs such as duck, geese, quail, and turkey.

In the past, some vaccines included egg, but this is no longer an issue because eggs have been removed from vaccines due to possible allergy. It's important to check labels carefully since egg is a hidden ingredient in a variety of foods like soup, baked goods, salad dressing and meatballs.

The category of fish allergy is specifically identified as "finned" fish, like tuna, halibut, or salmon. Finned fish and shellfish are both allergen categories, but they don't bear a lot of similarity. If you are allergic to finned fish, it does not necessarily mean you are allergic to shellfish, and vice-versa. The most common finned fish allergies are to salmon, tuna, catfish and cod.

You may find finned fish products in a lot of food items you would not expect such as Worcestershire sauce and Cesar salad dressing. Always check ingredients labels if you have a fish allergy.

Shellfish allergy is the most common food allergy in adults. Finned fish and shellfish are very different are are listed separately by the USDA for that reason.

The shellfish category includes both crustaceans and mollusks. Did you know that octopus is a mollusk, but doesn't have a shell? It is, and an allergy to octopus is considered a shellfish allergy. Crustaceans include shrimp, prawns, crab, and lobster. Mollusks include clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, octopus, squid, abalone, and snail. Crustacean allergies are more common than mollusk allergies. The most common shellfish allergy for both children and adults is to shrimp.

Keep an eye on cross-contamination. If you visit a seafood restaurant, they may be prepared using a shared space. This could cause an issue if your food touches something that you are allergic to. Let your waitstaff know of any allergies so they can carefully prepare your food.

Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, shea nuts and walnuts. An allergy to one tree nut does not necessarily mean an individual is allergic to other tree nuts, but certain tree nuts are closely related, including cashew with pistachio and pecan with walnut. Cashew, walnut, hazelnut and pistachio are the most common nut allergies in the US.

It's important to distinguish between tree nuts and peanuts. They are different types of allergens. Clearly, tree nuts grow on trees. Peanuts grow in the ground, and are actually legumes, just like peas, beans, and lentils.

A wide variety of tree nuts are used in prepared foods such as candy, crackers, cookies, energy bars, flavored coffee, frozen desserts, marinades, ice cream, and even alcoholic beverages, so read labels on prepared foods. In addition, prepared vegan dishes substitute cheese with artificial cheese made from soy or nuts.

Peanut allergy differs from tree nut allergies; peanuts are categorized as legumes and are not a true nut. The legume family includes peas, lentils, and beans. If a peanut allergy exists, it's a good idea to watch for a reaction with other legumes. Peanut can present as one of the most severe allergies. Many who have this allergy carry an EpiPen with them.

Peanut is a very common ingredient in many prepared foods and can present as peanut butter, peanut flour, or peanut oil. Also read labels carefully on items such as baked goods including energy bars.

Wheat allergy is another common allergy and is caused by eating wheat or products that contain wheat. It is particularly important to check food labels because wheat is an unexpected ingredient in a lot of prepared foods. For example, wheat may be an ingredient in beer, fried foods, soy sauce, and candy, among others.

While Celiac disease and wheat allergy cause similar symptoms, they are not the same condition. Celiac is an autoimmune disease that causes damage to the  small intestine as a reaction to gluten. A wheat allergy is an allergic response to eating wheat or inhaling wheat flour.

Soy allergy is a negative reaction to soy or soy products. These can include soy beans, edamame, soy curd (tofu), miso, and other products. Soy is a legume, similar to beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts.

Sometimes soy is found in other food as well. Of course you'd expect to find it in soy sauce, but read labels carefully as you might be surprised to find it in vegetable broth, baked goods, canned tuna, crackers, and sauces.

Sesame allergy is the newest allergy added to the list of top allergies by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) in January 2023. It is now accepted as the 9th most common food allergy. Because of this transition, sesame might not be listed on some food labels. This applies to foods that contain sesame that were on the shelves prior to January 1, 2023, or those products which were in transit at that time. All products packaged after January 1, 2023 are required to list sesame as an ingredient.

As always, read labels carefully as sesame can be found in a variety of foods that don't appear to contain it such as halvah, sesame oil, hummus, falafel, and hamburger buns, among others. Some non-edible products that contain sesame are cosmetics, medications, and some pet foods.