What is a Food Allergy?
Schedule an AppointmentMore than 32 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with food allergies and this number continues to rise at epidemic rates. Food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs soon after eating a certain food. Even a tiny amount of the reaction-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as hives, swelling, vomiting, or trouble breathing. This happens because the immune system overreacts to the proteins in that food. While a person can be allergic to any food, the top nine most common allergens are milk, egg, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and sesame.