Food Allergies

Anyone with food allergies worries about every morsel of food they ingest outside of their own kitchen. Ingredients in a recipe served in private or public can contain hidden foods or flavorings the chef is unaware will cause an allergic reaction. An increasing problem, scientists estimate that the approximately 12 million Americans who suffer from food allergies often come from families with hay fever, asthma and eczema.

Food allergies can occur in anyone at any time, often without prior warning. According to The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, "a food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful." Food that had previously been considered safe to eat can suddenly cause a serious reaction. According to FAAN, once the immune system decides that a particular food is harmful, it creates specific antibodies to that food. The next time the individual eats the food to which they are allergic, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, including histamine, to protect the body. These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, and/or cardiovascular system. An allergic reaction to a food may include one or more of the following symptoms: a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue and the throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and even death. The person may even feel disoriented as if in a trance, unable to talk, function or move. Symptoms typically appear within minutes to two hours after the person has eaten the food to which he or she is allergic.

Eight foods that account for 90% of food allergies include milk, peanuts, eggs, tree nuts (like walnuts and cashews), fish, shell fish, soy and wheat. As a member of the food allergy group, constant vigilance is the difference between a night on the town and a night in the ER. On a recent family vacation to Captiva Island, at the beginning of each restaurant meal the server was made aware of all food allergies by being handed a business card that listed each item. The server then suggested safe foods on the menu, free of cross contamination on the grill or in the kitchen. Boiled shrimp or lobster create food vapors in the air that cause serious allergic reactions when the fish protein becomes airborne during cooking. Breathing in the airborne fish protein can result in serious allergic reactions as if the shell fish had been ingested. According to the FAAN website, even some individuals have had reactions from walking through a fish market.

Is there a solution? Making the food server aware of food allergies is primary to avoid a life threatening incident. Carrying an Epi-pen or strong anti-histamines will help treat the symptoms once they appear, hopefully allowing the affected person to get medical treatment. Other solutions include staying home, living in a bubble, or accepting one's allergies and living with them.

Photo attribution: somewhatfrank