When you think of food allergies, you may picture someone experiencing severe anaphylactic shock or hives all over their body. But while some people do experience food allergies in this manner, many food allergies cause much more minor symptoms. The problem is, a food allergy that usually only causes minor symptoms can, one day, cause a more serious reaction. So, it is still important to be on the lookout for signs of even a minor food allergy in your child.

Here are five signs that your child might suffer from a minor food allergy.

Itchy Skin

There are a lot of possible causes for itchy skin, from eczema to insect bites. However, if you notice that your child's skin becomes more dry and itchy after eating certain foods, it might be due to a food allergy. This is especially likely if lotion, oatmeal baths, and other conventional remedies for dry, itchy skin do not give your child much relief.

Nausea

Does your child occasionally suffer from unexplained bouts of stomach pain, nausea, or diarrhea? Sometimes food allergies just upset the stomach. The symptoms may not appear immediately after your child eats the food to which they are allergic, either. Sometimes these symptoms appear once the foods make their way into the small intestine, which happens an hour or two after a meal.

Pale Skin

Allergies can cause a child's circulation to slow down, and the only noticeable sign of this may be pale skin. When circulation is inhibited, less blood makes it into the small capillaries that feed the skin, causing the skin to turn pale. Some people even report their child looking a bit "green" at times after eating certain foods.

Sneezing

When your child starts sneezing, you might assume there's something in the air bothering them or that they are coming down with a cold. But it could be that they ate something which is irritating their mucous membranes. You might also notice them rubbing their nose or experiencing a runny nose soon after eating certain foods.

Coughing

Coughing can occur as your child's airway starts to tighten up. This does not always happen to the degree it does during anaphylactic shock. Sometimes, it's just enough to irritate the respiratory tract and cause an occasional cough. 

If you suspect your child may have a food allergy, reach out to an allergy specialist, like those found at Northwest Asthma & Allergy Center PS, for testing.