Food allergies and asthma are connected to food. One of the most common symptoms resulting from eating a food you're allergic to is asthma-like symptoms, such as shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears, R.N., state that you can implement an elimination diet to help identify the foods that may be triggering your asthma and allergies. An elimination diet does not diagnose your condition; instead, it highlights specific foods for further evaluation. Talk with your doctor before modifying your diet.
Trigger Foods
An allergic reaction is a reaction of the immune system in which your body mistakes the proteins from certain foods as dangerous and creates specific antibodies to fight them. At the root of the majority of all food-related allergies are fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, dairy and eggs. Other common foods as well as additives in foods can also trigger asthma, including cider, beer, wine, yeast, mold, food colorings E102, E104 and E110 and cow's milk.
Elimination Diet
To determine which foods may be causing your symptoms, the Mayo Clinic states that you should eliminate all possible food triggers for up to 2 weeks. Talk with your doctor for a complete list of foods to eliminate. Once the 2 weeks are over, add one food at a time on a daily basis to see if you develop allergic reactions that lead to asthma. Keep a journal in which you record the day, time, type of food you ate and how much and the reactions that resulted from eating the food. Discuss your findings with your doctor to determine whether you need further testing. Report foods that trigger a severe allergic reaction or asthma attack immediately to your doctor.
Additional Testing
Your doctor may recommend observing how your body reacts to certain foods you've reported to be a problem. She may also request that you participate in allergy testing to determine whether the symptoms you're experiencing are related to an allergic reaction. Tests commonly administered include a skin prick test in which a doctor injects a small amount of an allergen under your skin to see whether an inflammation results. Your doctor may also use blood tests to determine whether your blood creates antibodies when you are exposed to suspected allergens.
Warning
You should discontinue an elimination diet if you develop signs of anaphylactic shock. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can lead to death. Common symptoms include lightheadedness, mental confusion, facial swelling, shortness of breath and a faint heart beat.
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