Test Your Food IQ

How much do you know about food allergies? Find out using this true/false quiz. Don’t think too much about each question; answer as best you can. You will receive your results immediately. After reading Food Without Fear, you’ll have a full understanding of these topics. You can see all the answers or reset the quiz by submitting at the bottom of the page.

1. Using hand-sanitizing gels (e.g., Purell) is an effective way to remove food allergens from one’s hands.
2. Benadryl should be given first for a serious allergic reaction.
3. Food allergies are rare, impacting fewer than 1 in 100 people in the US.
4. Food allergies and intolerances/sensitivities develop only in childhood.
5. A reaction to pollenlike proteins in certain raw fruits and vegetables that triggers itchiness or swelling of the mouth, face, lip, tongue, and throat is an oral allergy syndrome.
6. Reactions to foods, be they allergies or intolerances, are less common among patients identifying as Black or African American compared to their peers who identify as white.
7. Infants most commonly develop hives or vomiting when experiencing a food allergy reaction to a new food.
8. Most cases of bloating and gassiness caused by consuming milk or wheat (gluten) are probably a food allergy.
9. Eczema in babies is a risk factor for the development of food allergies.
10. Someone who gets food stuck in their esophagus could have a chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
11. A pregnant woman should avoid eating peanuts or introducing them to her future child too early.
12. Precautionary allergen labels, such as “May contain” labels, are strictly regulated by the FDA.
13. Food allergies are more common among people who live in rural areas than among city dwellers.
14. People with sulfite intolerance do not need to avoid sulfa-based antibiotics.
15. Food sensitivity tests you can buy online and in pharmacies are incredibly useful in identifying problematic foods you should avoid.
16. Typical Western diets can adversely affect your immune system and inflammation pathways.
17. If you have a food allergy or food-related condition, the reaction will always occur within minutes.
18. It is recommended that people with an intolerance to MSG need to carry an autoinjector at all times.
19. Testing IgG antibody levels in the blood to exposure to multiple foods (usually 90 to 100 foods with a single panel test) can help you definitively identify food allergies and intolerances.
20. Reactions to food never change; you’re stuck with them for life.