There are some foods that contain the properties found in the antihistamine medication you might be familiar with from chemists and pharmacists.

Food allergies occur when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks food proteins, causing the body to release large amounts of histamines and other immune chemicals. The body releases these chemicals so suddenly that a person can have a life-threatening allergic reaction within moments of eating a trigger food.

An almond allergy can be serious and life threatening. It can cause hives, a blistering rash, or worsen underlying eczema.

Iodine is a mineral that contributes to thyroid gland function. Your doctor may suggest a low-iodine diet if you have thyroid cancer or before a medical test called a radioactive immunoassay. According to "Essentials of Thyroid Cancer Management," by Robert J. Amdur and Ernest L.

Lip and eye swelling, along with hives, form as the result of an allergic reaction to a substance with which you have come into contact. For some, this swelling does not present a medical emergency, although it should be examined.

Although honey is often used as natural treatment for a variety of ailments, some individuals can develop an allergic reaction to it.

Some of the more commonly experienced symptoms of allergies to latex condoms are usually mild. However, repeated exposure to latex--if you are allergic--can lead to a severe and sometimes fatal reaction.

Chickpeas and soybeans share similar proteins that can cause an allergic reaction. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America notes that soybeans contain at least 15 different proteins that can trigger an allergic reaction.

When foods are refined, some of their nutrients are lost and then put back in. These foods are then called "enriched." Fortified foods, on the other hand, have vitamins and nutrients put into them that they didn't originally contain.

Peppers come in many varieties, from sweet bell peppers to hot peppers. If you have a reaction to one type of pepper, you may react to others. Many meals, including those made in restaurants, contain whole peppers or a spice, such as ground chili pepper or chili flakes, which may also cause a reaction.

While eggs, milk, nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy account for 90 percent of food allergies, kiwi allergy is not rare -- especially in people with other allergies. Among older children and adults, an allergic reaction to kiwis usually represents cross reactivity to another allergy-provoking substance, or allergen.

Fungus belongs to the kingdom Fungi, bacteria to Monera and protists to Protista. Although these organisms are often thought to be detrimental to human health, many of them actually exist in the foods you enjoy, as well as on the body itself.