Food Families
Allergy to one member of a food family can mean allergy to other members of the same botanical family because of shared or cross-reactive allergens. While many people contend that they are allergic to all seafood, fruits, starches, greasy foods, or spices, in reality they are allergic to a particular food family. For example, the following food items are not in the same food families, so an individual could be allergic to one food, but not the other.
Examples of foods that are not in the same food family:
- Tuna and shrimp
- Wheat and buckwheat
- Crab and clam
- Peanut and other nuts
- Coffee and tea
- White potato and sweet potato
- Black and red pepper
- Raisin (grape) and prune (plum)
Examples of foods that are in the same food family:
- Apple and pear
- Pea, bean, and peanut
- Beet and spinach
- Onion, garlic, and asparagus
- Walnut and pecan
- Peach and plum
- Wheat, corn, and other grains
- Chocolate and cola drinks
- Cucumber and melons
- Carrot and celery
For a downloadable PDF of over 200 foods and their food family classification, click here (opens as a PDF).
For a downloadable PDF of food families and the foods that they contain, click here (opens as a PDF).
Recommended Reading for Food Allergies
- Links to articles about food allergies
- An Overview of Food Allergies
- Food Families
- 10 Helpful Hints for Coping with Food Allergies
- Reading Food Labels for Allergies
- Anaphylaxis
Helpful Food Allergy Video Resources
