8 Food Allergies & Intolerance That Cause Skin Disorders

When you have a flare-up of itchy, irritated, inflamed skin you feel like you’d do anything to calm it down or prevent it. These days, there are many ways to keep your skin disorders under control.

Treating and managing any skin disorder to eliminate or get them under control requires an understanding of the different foods that could be contributing to the problem.  Food allergies and intolerance play a huge role in the health and condition of skin.  As a result, it’s important to know the top 8 food allergies.

A food allergy is a condition that triggers an immune system reaction that affects several organs in the body.  In some cases, an allergic reaction can be severe or life-threatening.  A food intolerance is less serious that a food allergy, but some of the signs and symptoms are the same.


There is a popular misconception that food intolerances just affect the digestive system, but for me, this was far from the case.  My food intolerances weren’t life threatening, but they did severely impact my quality of life.

A Food allergy or intolerance are both triggered by the protein within food that the immune system doesn’t recognize and considers it harmful.  This sets off a range of protective measures within the body, including a chemical release of histamine, that causes inflammation throughout the body. Very small amounts of problem food for some people who have food allergies or intolerance’s can cause an allergic reaction.  The symptoms can occur within minutes after exposure to a few hours later.

Some of the more common symptoms are:

  • Swelling (face, mouth, tongue)
  • Hives
  • Itchy rash
  • Cystic bumps
  • Vomiting
  • Digestive issues
  • Diarrhea
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Low blood pressure

Here are the eight most common food allergies.


1. Cow’s Milk

Cow’s milk allergies are more common in babies and young children.  Allergic reactions can happen within 5-30 minutes of ingestion.  Mothers who breastfeed their babies with a milk allergy may also have to remove cow’s milk and foods that contain it from their own diets.

This includes any foods or drinks that contain:

  • Milk
  • Milk powder
  • Cheese
  • Butter
  • Margarine
  • Yogurt
  • Cream
  • Ice cream

2. Eggs

Eggs are the second most common cause of food allergies in children.  However, most will outgrow their allergy by the time they are teenagers.  It’s more common to have an egg white allergy as opposed to an egg yolk allergy because of a slight difference in the proteins.

Interestingly, you may not have to avoid egg-related foods because heating eggs changes the shape of the allergy-causing proteins which means they are less likely to cause a reaction.

3. Tree Nuts

Tree nut allergies have exploded over the past 25 years.  People with tree nut allergies will also have allergic reactions from food products containing nuts.  An allergy to tree nuts is usually a lifelong condition.

Some examples of tree nuts include:

  • Almonds
  • Brazil nuts
  • Cashews
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Pistachios
  • Walnuts

4. Peanuts

Peanuts are different than tree nuts, a peanut is a legume.  Like a tree nut allergy, peanut allergies are very common and can cause severe and potentially fatal allergic reactions. An allergy to peanuts is usually a lifelong condition.

5. Shellfish

The most common trigger of seafood allergy is a protein called tropomyosin.  Symptoms of shellfish allergy come quickly.  The only treatment is to remove it shellfish from your diet. 

Examples of shellfish are:

  • Lobster
  • Shrimp
  • Scallops
  • Crayfish
  • Squid
  • Prawns

6. Wheat

A wheat allergy causes an immune response to one of the hundreds of proteins found in wheat.   People with a wheat allergy only need to avoid wheat and can tolerate gluten from grains that don’t contain wheat.

Not to be confused with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, which can have similar digestive symptoms.  Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are caused by an abnormal immune reaction to one specific protein, gluten, that also happens to be found in wheat.  People with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity must avoid wheat and other grains that contain the protein gluten.

7. Soy

Soy allergies include soybeans and soy products like soy sauce and soy milk.  They are triggered by a protein in soybeans or soybean-containing products.  A small number of infants who have allergies to cow’s milk also have allergic reactions to soy.

Soy is found in many foods, so it’s extremely important to read food labels.

8. Fish

Fish allergies are more likely to surface later in life and many people with a fish allergy are allergic to one or more types of fish.  Shellfish and fish don’t carry the same proteins, so people with shellfish allergies may not be allergic to fish. 

OTHER FOODS

These are the top 8 food allergies but there are more less common ones that cause an array of symptoms ranging from mild to severe reactions.  Here are some other less common food allergies:

  • Chamomile
  • Celery
  • Garlic
  • Kiwi fruit
  • Avocado
  • Bananas
  • Peaches
  • Sesame seeds
  • Mustard seed
  • Aniseed
  • Passion fruit

If you suspect you have a food allergy, it’s important to speak to your doctor.

Our Healing Kitchen – Finding a Food Trigger

Some are obvious. If your child eats shrimp or drinks a glass of milk and breaks out in hives 15 minutes later, it’s probably not hard to figure out.

But with eczema, it’s often tougher. Symptoms may not show up for days after you eat something. If you do find a trigger food and get rid of it, that will help.

Eliminating foods works the best. If you think a food may be harmful, you may not want to give it to your child for 10 to 14 days. Watch to see if it makes a difference.

After you’ve taken a food out of your child’s diet, add a small amount back in to see if it causes symptoms. Only eliminate one food at a time. If you ban dairy and gluten at the same time and symptoms get better, you won’t know which one made the difference. You will need to keep track of what you get rid of, and the changes that it brings.

Tracking down a food trigger requires work and patience. Move slowly.  I hope that the following referral links will help guide and motivate you on your journey.

Helpful Referral Links:

Inspiring Story: Family With 6 Kids Regained Their Health. We wanted to give a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle a chance, but we knew that we needed to do it as a family for it to work. Gone: Allergies, Asthma, and 115 Pounds of Unwanted Weight. Read more…

Topical Treatment:

Written By: Mary Ellen Wank, Wellness Advocate and Founder of LATIV, Natural Skin Revival DISCLAIMER

July 31, 2019 5:07 pm

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