These additives may cause adverse reactions in sensitive people. True allergic reactions to food additives are very rare. The best way to handle food additive sensitivity is to know which foods contain certain additives, and to avoid the additives that cause problems for you. Your allergist can help you identify those food items responsible for your symptoms so that you can eliminate them as much as possible from your diet. An allergist is the best qualified professional to diagnose food allergy.
Diagnosis requires a carefully organized and detailed assessment of the problem.
First, the allergist will take a thorough medical history, followed by a physical examination. The allergist will inquire about the frequency, seasonality, severity and nature of the symptoms, and will ask about the amount of time that elapses between eating a food and any reaction. Allergy skin tests may be helpful to determine which foods, if any, are triggering a patient s allergic symptoms. In skin testing, a small amount of liquid extract made from the food is placed on the back or arm. In a test called a prick test, a needle is then passed through the liquid on the top layer of the skin.