The job of the body’s immune system is to identify and destroy germs that make you sick. A food allergy happens when your immune system overreacts to a harmless food protein – an allergen. In the U.S., the common food allergens are milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish. Food allergies are not the same as food intolerances, and food allergy symptoms may overlap with symptoms of other medical conditions, so it is important to have your food allergy confirmed with an appropriate evaluation. For more information or further assistance on food allergies on campus, contact the Panther Dining Nutrition Graduate Assistant at pdiningnutrition@eiu.edu.
What foods should I avoid if I have:
milk allergy?
- Butter or Margarine
- Milk (in all forms including condensed, dry, evaporated, goat’s milk and milk from other animals.)
- Cheese
- Cottage cheese
- Cream and custard
- Pudding
- Yogurt
- Some baked goods
- Chocolate
egg allergy?
- Egg (dried, powdered, solids, white, yolk)
- Egg substitutes
- Fried rice
- Mayonnaise
- Meringue
- Meatloaf or meatballs
- Baked goods
- Marshmallows
- Some pastas
peanut allergy
- Peanut butter
- Peanut flour
- Peanut oil or arachis oil
- Nut pieces or mixed nuts
- Candy that includes peanuts
soy allergy?
- Cold-pressed, expelled or extruded soy oil
- Edamame
- Tempeh
- Tofu
- Soybean
- Soy protein
- Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- Soy sauce
- Baked goods
- Cereals, cookies and crackers
- Most high-protein energy bars and snacks
- Canned broths, soups, and sauces
wheat allergy?
- Wheat (bran, durum, germ, gluten, grass, malt, starch)
- Flour (all-purpose, bread, cake, enriched, instant, pastry, whole wheat)
- Pasta
- Breakfast cereals
- Couscous
- Baked goods
- Breaded foods
- Most crackers and potato chips
nut allergy?
- Almond
- Artificial nuts
- Cashew
- Chestnut
- Coconut
- Hazelnut
- Pistachio
- Hickory nut
- Ginkgo nut
- Pecan
- Macadamia nut
- Pine nut
- Walnut
- Natural nut extract (almond, walnut)
- Nut butters (cashew butter)
- Nut milk (almond milk, cashew milk)
fish allergy?
- Anchovies
- Bass
- Catfish
- Cod
- Flounder
- Herring
- Mahi Mahi
- Pike
- Salmon
- Swordfish
- Tilapia
- Trout
- Tuna
- Fish oil
- Fish sticks
Double check these items for unexpected sources of fish:
- Barbecue sauce
- Caesar salad and Caesar dressing
- Worcestershire sauce
shellfish allergy?
- Crab
- Crawfish
- Lobster
- Shrimp
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Sea urchin
- Scallops
- Snails
- Squid
- Seafood flavoring (crab or clam extract)
External Resources:
FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)
ACAAI (American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology)
Mayo Clinic Food Allergies Overview
