5 New Rules for Good Health

In order to diagnose a food allergy, the guidelines advise, ideally, confirming the presence of four factors: a report from the patient (or from the parent, in the case of children) of an adverse reaction such as a rash, intestinal difficulties, difficulty breathing or other reactions after consuming a particular food; a blood test that measures antibodies indicating an allergic immune reaction, a skin prick test with the allergen that shows an adverse reaction; and finally, the gold standard, a positive oral challenge test, in which the patient ingests a small amount of the food allergen.