Food allergies can be mild or severe, and symptoms can differ in severity with each reaction.

In some cases, consuming foods you’re allergic to can lead to a life threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.

The immediate effects of continuing to consume food you’re allergic to can differ for each person. This is because reactions do not always occur with the first bite.

It often takes a number of hours for symptoms to appear, so you may continue to consume the food without realizing that there’ll be a reaction.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction typically take around 2 hours to develop in most cases.

In some cases, it can take up to 6 hours for symptoms to appear.

Some symptoms of a food allergy can include:

  • hives
  • dizziness
  • feeling sick
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea

In severe cases, you may experience a life threatening reaction within seconds or minutes of exposure to the food. This is known as anaphylaxis, which can cause immediate symptoms such as:

  • shortness of breath
  • hives
  • tightness of the throat
  • hoarse voice
  • dizziness
  • fainting
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • rapid heartbeat
  • cardiac arrest

This is a medical emergency.

Allergic reactions can be different each time you consume the food. For example, if you consume peanuts or shellfish and have a mild allergy, this doesn’t mean that you will have a similar reaction the next time you consume the same food.

Future reactions could be life threatening. This means that it’s important to avoid foods that have previously caused you an allergy, even if it was a mild reaction, and speak with your doctor for possible allergy testing.

Food allergies are unpredictable. This means that you may have a more severe reaction if you continue to consume or have exposure to the allergen.

You could also have a milder reaction the next time you consume the food, and then a more severe reaction the time after that.

In some cases, a child might outgrow their food allergy, particularly if they are allergic to egg, wheat, or milk. However, it’s important to work with their doctor before attempting to reintroduce the allergens to their diet, as there is no guarantee that the allergy will go away with time.