Cause: Specific foods, often dairy, wheat, eggs, or nuts.

Useful Supplements: Lactase, Protease.

Further information: Food allergies are caused by the body’s sensitivity to certain foods. They can cause either traditional allergic responses – hives, breathing difficulty – or a range of other symptoms, including diarrhea, upset stomach, heartburn, eczema, ear infections, and lethargy. The latter category is more accurately defined as a food sensitivity rather than allergy. In either case, the best treatment is to avoid foods which cause problems.
Food allergies are common, food sensitivities even more so. The most common allergens include dairy, wheat, eggs, nuts, and seafood (especially shellfish).
Food allergies in children often turn into simple intolerances as the children grow older.
There are no proven ways to avoid food allergies. However, breastfed infants appear to have fewer food allergies later in life than their formula-fed counterparts.
The best way to determine if a food is causing either an allergic or sensitivity reaction is via an elimination diet. This can be done simply by removing the suspected allergen from the diet, and watching the results. (Note that some foods may take up to several weeks to clear the system entirely.)
The more effective (but more difficult) approach is to eat simply the least allergenic foods – rice, chicken, lamb – and slowly add other foods to the diet. This approach is best done under the guidance of a health care professional.
Some food allergies can be tested via a skin test. A small amount of the food allergen is injected under the skin, and watched. If the area swells and turns red, the food is one to which the patient is allergic. This test is not completely accurate, however.

The following herbs and vitamins may be effective in the treatment of food allergies:

Enzyme therapy is the most effective way to naturally combat food allergies. Since some allergies are caused by the body’s inability to process specific foods, the addition of the digestive enzymes needed for these foods may help ease symptoms.¹ Protease and Lactase (for protein and lactose intolerances, respectively) are the most widely recommended of these.

The use of probiotics has recently been shown an effective way to combat food allergies.²

See the listings for eczema and Asthma for recommended treatments for food allergies which result in these problems.

References:

¹Taussig, S., Yoloyama, M., et al. Hiroshima J Med Sci, 24: 185-93, 1975.
²Majamaa H, et al. Probiotics: a novel approach in the management of food allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997; 99(2):179-85.