What’s Up With All The Food Allergies Lately?

Does it seem like everywhere you go, someone is allergic to something?  I don't mean, cats, dogs, ragweed...I am talking about foods.  It used to be dyes, and nuts, peanut butter, now it seems like allergies are getting more and more prevalent.

Statistics back up the fact that food allergies are on the rise. Between 1997 and 2011, allergic reactions to food rose 50 percent in children. The most notable increase was in peanut allergies; from 1997 to 2008, this particular doozy tripled in American kids.

Experts say we may never know the reason for the sudden rise. In a recent BritlandCo. article experts speculated on some of the reasons including, but not limited to:

• Hygiene - This theory says our obsession with being clean and germ-free may actually compromise our immune system.  Exposure to germs at a young age might reduce the risk of getting allergies.
• Awareness - We as a society have everything at our fingertips ... "Did you Google that?"  It seems more and more people are afraid to eat new things.
• Diet - The increase in processed and fast foods may also make us more susceptible to allergies.

Read more about the rise in allergies here.