Have you ever eaten something that suddenly gives you a bad physical reaction? It can be scary and confusing especially if you’ve never dealt with a reaction before. It doesn’t matter how old you are, food allergies can pop up out of nowhere and really throw you for a loop. Don’t trudge through meals worried when your next reaction will rear its ugly head. Let’s help navigate an unexpected food allergy and see if a visit to a dietitian might help and if it would be covered by your health insurance.
How Can You Tell If You Have A Food Allergy?
A true food allergy causes an immune system reaction after eating a certain food. The smallest bit of food that a person is allergic to can trigger a response and can potentially be life-threatening.
There are 9 foods that make up 90% of food allergies: peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, shellfish, fin fish, soy, wheat, and sesame. If you are eating one of these items and you have a physical reaction there is a good chance you have developed a food allergy. The only way to confirm you are in fact allergic to a particular food is to go through an oral food challenge, usually administered at an allergist’s office.
If you’re not familiar with what an oral food challenge is, here is a brief rundown of what to expect. You will eat small measured doses of food that you believe is causing a reaction while being monitored by a healthcare professional. If you have no significant symptoms the doses will increase and if a reaction occurs the food challenge will stop and from there you’ll determine the best course of action. An oral food challenge can let you know how mild or severe a food allergy is in a safe environment.
Consult With A Dietitian
Once you confirm that you have a food allergy, going to see a RDN (registered dietitian) is important to ensure you’re confident in knowing what foods and/or ingredients need to be avoided, especially if it’s a severe allergy. Dietitians can also help give recommendations to replace foods that you’re not able to eat anymore. Dietitians will go through your individual needs and give you a specific, personal nutrition plan that will keep you on track with your limitations and goals.
While it may seem that the most stressful part of developing a food allergy is finding out what the trigger is, most people would agree that the financial ramifications involved are equally stressful. The good news is many health insurance plans cover registered dietitians. If coverage is denied you can ask for a letter of necessity from your physician and dietitian to appeal the denial of coverage.
Just remember if you suddenly develop a food allergy there are solutions that will get you on the right path to a new normal! If you want to find out if a dietitian would be covered under a new health insurance plan, contact an EZ agent now. Our agents can help you compare plans because they work with the top-rated insurance companies in the nation. Get free instant quotes by entering your zip code in the bar above, or call 888-350-1890 to speak to a local agent.