ORONOGO, MO.--- "What are your favorite foods to eat?"
"Um... Mac and cheese," states Chandler Ray.
Like most 7 year olds, Chandler Ray loves macaroni and cheese, but she can't always eat it.
"She's allergic to foods which entail egg whites and cows milk," states Misty Ray, Parent of Chandler Ray.
Something that's caused her parents to pay a lot more attention to the fine print.
"It just takes a lot of research, reading the food labels, I never did before really. You have to know because it doesn't just say egg whites on the ingredients, you have to know all of the different names," states Misty.
And she's not alone. A new study released by the Food Allergy Initiative shows 1 in every 12 kids in the U.S. may have some type of food allergy. This gradual increase over the past decade, confirms what dietitians believe to be an increasingly widespread condition in children.
"The process of how we make our food nowadays and how we grow our food nowadays is changing. It's definitely becoming more common, even food alternatives, low fat food alternatives may have a different ingredient than the actual regular product," states Meghan Waggoner, Freeman Registered Dietitian.
In addition to food, parents should also pay attention to labels on medicine, beauty products, and even pet foods.
"Pet foods do have those allergens in them just like human foods does so if the kid is highly allergic, even touching a dog that has the food on it's mouth will cause a reaction so just being aware of those also," states Waggoner.
On the bright side, more kids living with food allergies means more resources available for families to cope.
"There's a website, kids with food allergies dot com and I have joined the group. They have recipes and substitutions for the food and that has helped out a lot," states Misty.
Experts say peanut allergies are most common followed by milk and shellfish allergies. Common food allergy symptoms include rashes and trouble breathing. If your child experiences either of these after eating something new, experts recommend you visit a doctor.
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