What Are the Most Common Food Allergies?

Question: What Are the Most Common Food Allergies?

These common food allergies are worth watching out for when starting solids and introducing new foods to your baby or toddler. This is especially true if you have a family history of allergies or similar problems like eczema and asthma.

Answer: The most common food allergies are to:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Tree nuts
• Wheat
• Peanuts
• Soybeans

The FDA requires that the foods above be clearly labeled on packaged products, making it easier for parents to avoid them. Of those eight foods, those that affect children under 4 most often are milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease states that 6-8 percent of children under 4 have food allergies. And there are 300,000 episodes of anaphylaxis with 100-200 related deaths. If there can be good news in that statistic, it's that most of those deaths do not involve young children.

You can keep that statistic low by reading food labels, introducing these foods at the right times for your child and knowing the signs and first aid treatment for allergic reactions.

Regardless of family history, most foods can be introduced one at a time as soon as your baby is old enough to start eating solid foods. Just make sure you're doing it slowly and cautiously -- see more on introducing solids food and avoiding food allergies.

Most Common Food Allergies - When to Introduce Allergenic Foods

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish and Shellfish
• Tree Nuts
• Wheat
• Peanuts / Peanut Butter
• Soy

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