There’s nothing positive about having a food allergy. It means that you have read ingredients labels misroute on fun snacks and generally feel uneasy about foreign foods. Whether it’s a child allergy or a lifelong one, it can mean some serious changes. However, not knowing you have a food allergy could be even worse. Since eggs and egg ingredients are common allergens, take a look at the egg allergy symptoms below to see if any of these sound a bit too familiar.

7 popular egg allergy symptoms

1. Digestive problems: Sometimes, it can feel like rumbling and noise. Other times it’s frequent trips to the bathroom with diarrhea or messy bowel movements. Perhaps its a combination. If you feel that eggs just aren’t digesting right — and they seem to go right through you — you could be allergic.

2. Cramping or bloating: Dealing with moderate to severe stomach cramping after eating eggs is another popular sign that something is going on. As well, if you find that your stomach bloats up after eating a single egg or even less, this is another focus point.

3. Congestion and illness: Feeling ill and congested (and even having runny eyes) is another common symptom that your body is trying to tell you something. If you suddenly feel like you’re coming down with the flu or virus and then it’s gone the next day, it could actually be something you ate.

4. Asthma flare-ups: While allergies don’t cause asthma, it could irritate your airways and trigger a flare-up of asthma. Coughing is a common symptom, and those with asthma could be more prone to flare-ups as a result.

5. Eczema, rashes, or hives: If any of these pop up after eating eggs. This is another reality that your body is not reacting well to egg products. The rashes can be all over the body and can be itchy or just prickly.

6. Fast pulse and feeling faint: If you feel light-headed with a faint pulse, this is a sign of a more severe egg allergy. This often happens immediately after eating the allergen.

7. Difficulty breathing: Any sense of difficulty breathing — difficulty in drawing in a breathe, struggling with a lump in the throat, or a combination of the two, these are all critical signs that should be taken seriously.

Allergies are always serious

If you only have one or two of these, or your egg allergy symptoms aren’t severe, you may be tempted just to shrug it off and ignore it. It’s important to remember that a mild allergy can often grow into a moderate and even a severe one with no warning. Understanding what you’re allergic to and learning how to avoid and eliminate it will keep you safe. An allergy test is a key part of that.

Learning about egg allergy symptoms may lead you to suspect that you have an allergy to diagnose. Even if this is not the case, allergy testing is always helpful in understanding what your body reacts to — if anything — so that you can have a better, more complete picture of its needs. Try an at-home allergy test today and start moving towards a better overall picture of health.