1. Find Out About Your Food Allergies
It's possible to be allergic to any type of food, and one of the first symptoms to appear after eating a food you're allergic to is hives. This is especially true of certain foods that are known hive producers, such as shellfish, dairy, wheat and soy. Sometimes getting hives is the only symptom of a food allergy. Other times, it's just one of many symptoms that can be dangerous and require immediate medical attention.
2. Analyze What You Eat
If you get hives and aren't sure why, think back to what you ate in the 2 to 3 hours immediately before the hives appeared. You may be allergic to that food. If you ate more than one food, write down everything you ate, and then eat each of those foods on its own, one food a day, and see if you get hives again. If one of those foods produces hives, don't eat it again, as you are allergic to it. People can develop allergies to anything at any time, even foods they've safely eaten in the past with no reactions.
3. Avoid Stinging Insects
Many insects produce hives if they sting you. This is especially true if you're allergic to the insect sting. However, some people get hives in a small, localized area around the sting as a standard reaction, without having a real allergy. Bees and wasps are particularly known for causing hives, and in some people, so can mosquitoes and ants.
4. Remember What You've Touched
On occasion you can get hives simply from touching something to which you're allergic. For example, people who are allergic to chlorine may get hives when they go in a swimming pool. Someone who's allergic to nickel might get hives in her ears if she wears cheap earrings. If you break out in hives and haven't eaten anything recently, think back to what you may have touched. As with food, touch the suspicious objects again to see which produces hives, and then avoid it in the future.
