The most common food allergies are:

• Nuts, spices, grains, fruit and vegetables
• Cow milk and egg whites
• Fish and shellfish

For people with food allergies, common sense dictates avoiding foods that trigger an allergic reaction. However, this is not always easy: eating out at restaurants can pose a problem, as can processed food products, because it is not always clear exactly which ingredients have been used.

If you suffer from very serious allergic reactions, or have an allergy to commonly “hidden” allergens, ask your physician to prescribe special emergency medications. You should then always have these medications with you, just in case.

A growing number of people experience intolerance reactions to commonly used food additives such as preservatives, antioxidants, coloring, monosodium glutamate, and aromas. Their bodies react to the additives in a way that causes symptoms similar to those of a "real" allergy. Physicians call this reaction a "pseudoallergy". The pseudoallergy depends on the amount of the additive: some people can tolerate a small amount of the additive, but experience problems with larger amounts.

The following additives are commonly found on food labels:

• E100-E1518
• Artificial colors, artificial flavours, preservatives, gelatines, emulsifiers, thickening agents, sweeteners, stabilisers, antioxidants, baking agents, coatings, moisture enhancers, modified starches, flour treatment agents

The following food products can contain undeclared additives:

• Unpacked processed food products such as bread, cake, cookies, sausage, salads
• Potato products such as chips, croquettes, pre-peeled potatoes
• Many alcoholic drinks
• Chocolates, pralines, cream desserts
• Products with processed ingredients, for instance the fruit mixtures used in yoghurt.

Some medications can cause pseudoallergies, most commonly acetylsalicylic acid (found in aspirin).

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