sulfites in wine can give me a stuffy nose, but that's about it, except this really weird reaction to the calories in food...makes me gain a lot of weight! huh?
Food allergies
- Thread starter redkitty
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I can't eat fresh pineapple. My tongue gets so excruciatingly sore. (Yes, I do remove the skin first) I can't eat anything that got into contact with fresh pineapple as well.
However, I've no problems with canned pineapple.
Canned pineapple has been heated during the canning process which deactivates the enzyme bromelain (hope I spelled that right). That is the enzyme that helps break down a ham when you cook it with pineapple and is used to chemically age some meats.
I am so happy I have no allergies, but I have a neice who is very young and is deathly allergice to all peanuts/tree nuts, soy, eggs, and dairy. She has to carry and epi-pen at all times.
krichardson
Cook
I am allergic to avocados and bananas! I just developed these allergies about 4 years ago, around the same time that I became a vegetarian. I don't know if they are related though. With avocados I have a anaphylatic reaction and get very sick. If I touch a banana I start to itch like crazy, eat one and I'll be puking in 30 minutes. I guess I'm also allergic to everything else in that family like kiwi's and chestnuts but I haven't tried them out yet, not until I feel like being violently ill for at least 24 hours!
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
Im so sorry for you guys so far no major food allergies however my mother and one brother are allergic to shell fish they get very ill even eating something that has been fried in the same oil as shell fish.I do believe I have a slight allergy to wheat I get a bit congested.My worst allergy is Bee Venom I carry 2 Epi Pens have not had a full blown reaction yet because I do all I can to not get stung but I am a good canditate the next time Im stung.I believe I have really bad bee karma because when I was a little kid in Germany I would pick bees off the hedge and pull their wings off.
My job in Texas is somewhat stressful bees everywhere and I mean everywhere.Here at home the bees dont bother me they just fly by but in Texas they try to get in the truck,the house they are all over at the gas station they are every where and try to get in everything even grocery bags they hover every where.flukx
Senior Cook
Actually, I am glad someone started this thread as I have a question. I have, after some research, diagnosed myself with oral allergy syndrome. This basically means that due to my "normal" allergies (hay fever, etc), I am mildly allergic to some types of food, mostly raw vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery and others) and a lot of fresh fruits (apples, pears, some berries). Reactions are always comparably mild if eating these foods, mostly just tingling/numbness in the mouth and lips and it really isnt severely dangerous, or hasnt been thus far.
Oral allergy syndrome basically occurs because your body mistakes an enzyme (I think) that is present in these foods for pollen. Cooking the foods gets rid of the enzyme, therefore no reaction.
Since I am not allergic to the foods (rather the pollen that my body mistakes these foods for) it is actually possible to cure this type of allergy with shots/pills, or so I hear.
I am thinking of giving this a try, anyone else have any experience with this?
Oral allergy syndrome basically occurs because your body mistakes an enzyme (I think) that is present in these foods for pollen. Cooking the foods gets rid of the enzyme, therefore no reaction.
Since I am not allergic to the foods (rather the pollen that my body mistakes these foods for) it is actually possible to cure this type of allergy with shots/pills, or so I hear.
I am thinking of giving this a try, anyone else have any experience with this?
Claire
Master Chef
The one thing I wish all would do is differentiate between food allergies (i.e, , eating something will make you feel bad for a few hours or even a day) and FOOD ALLERGIES, (i.e., you get even a taste of peanut or shrimp and we need to dial 911 and hope you live long enough for the medics to get here, and hope that someone in the room has an epi-pen). There should be two different words. For example, I love clams, especially when in linguini with clam sauce. But I won't eat it in a restaurant, because it goes straight through me. So I make it once a year or so, at home, so that I can deal with the cramps and runs to the toilet. I don't consider that a food allergy. But when a meal sends someone to the emergency room, that's another story entirely. So, I wish there was another word for the true, death-is-possible, food alergy.
Claire
Master Chef
flucks, I've lived among diverse ethnic groups all of my life. Some people simply lack enzymes to deal with certain foods. Many Asian women cannot drink alcohol, they lack the enzyme that helps to digest it (I'm putting it in my terms, someone here can explain it better than I). This isn't an allergy, really. If you lack an enzyme that allows you to digest something, well, heck, don't eat it. This is my quandry. When my Asian friends (for some reason it seems more common in women than men, don't ask me why) visit, they knew to not drink the alcoholic drinks. BUT, what I am getting at is that this isn't death-defying. One Asian friend decided she really wanted to drink my daquiries. She turned red, ran to the bathroom, puked her guts out for ... well, a couple of minutes, and came down to be cossetted and cared for. I asked her husband what was going on. "She drank the daquiries, right?" Yup. (I didn't know about this at the time). "No big deal, she'll be sick for a few minutes and all will be OK." Sure enough. This was when I was quite young, now I know it is common. But this kind of allergy is one thing. My husband's allergy to insect stings is another thing entirely, as is that allergy to peanuts or some shell fish. 15 min (or overnight in the bathroom) will NOT purge it, you will die within minutes. There should be a different word for it.
OP
OP
redkitty
Executive Chef
Yes Claire, their is a difference between a food allergy and food intollerance. Most people suffer the intollerance, such as myself.
A lot of people do confuse food allergy and food intolerance, another classification is food sensitivity, which is also different from a true allergy. That is why it is always important to ask your doctor if you think you may have an allergy. I was told mine is a true allergy, and with each exposure my risk of a more dangerous response gets greater. I was told by my doctor that if I am not careful to avoid the peppers it can become as bad as peanut allergies are for some people. I learned the other day how careful I need to be because I ate a TV dinner I "thought" was safe, only to find out I was wrong. I made the mistake of not reading the ingredient list because I did not expect to find chili peppers in a ginger-garlic sauce! From now on I read All ingredient lables! Fortunately so far Benadryl works to stop my reactions, as long as I take it right away. And the benadryl goes everywhere with me!
Kadde
Kadde
I have a corn intolerance. It's not really an allergy, as the reaction occurs between 36-48 hours after eating a corn laced product.
With corn appearing directly or indirectly in many ingredients and forms, it's hard to avoid in the mainstream. Fast food is almost non-existant to me. I cook more than ever before.
I'm finding in my research that many people probably have a food allergy, but doctors don't want to recognize it. My wife thinks it's all in my head, but I know when I've been corned, I'm a different person. My mother and son also have it... mom has gluten and dairy in addition to corn.
With corn appearing directly or indirectly in many ingredients and forms, it's hard to avoid in the mainstream. Fast food is almost non-existant to me. I cook more than ever before.
I'm finding in my research that many people probably have a food allergy, but doctors don't want to recognize it. My wife thinks it's all in my head, but I know when I've been corned, I'm a different person. My mother and son also have it... mom has gluten and dairy in addition to corn.
llvllagical_llkook
Cook
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2007
- Messages
- 74
I'm very allergic to shellfish and shrimp (except black tiger shrimp). When I eat it, my throat tightens, begin vomiting, fever and rashes around the neck. If I eat it, I can tell by having my throat tighten. An epipen is then needed and an ambulance. This only happens if I ingest it. If I smell it, no problem. If I touch it, I get a large rash. Despite this, I still make meals with this. When making these meals, I wear gloves and long sleeves and turtleneck. I also used to be allergic to melons, corn, apples and grass but no longer am. Hopefully, my allergies to shellfish will go away just as the others did since I love the black tiger shrimp.
SHAMALICIOUS
Senior Cook
I dont think im allergic to any food. I do always get a sore n itchy mouth though whenever i have kiwi or melon. Nothing severe though. Maybe i am mildly allergic to them? Ive never had any big problems, so thats good
This reaction to the melons may be a food sensitivity which is a bit different than an allergy, but only your doctor could really say for sure. I get what sounds like the same reaction as yours to citrus/acidic type foods, tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit etc, if I eat too many or eat them several days in a row. This differs from my reaction to the peppers which has the itching, but also burning and tingling followed by thickening or swelling of the tongue and tightening of the throat... and on from there if not treated right away.
llvllagical_llkook
Cook
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2007
- Messages
- 74
Don't forget, people's allergies can go away, or they can get new ones. I had grass allergies to a point I couldn't see since my eyes were watering endlessly and had to have tissue boxes surrounding me. Now, none of that. Just went away. Same for melons, corn and apples.
Sounds like you get anaphylactic reactions to peppers.
Sounds like you get anaphylactic reactions to peppers.
Claire
Master Chef
You are so right. People can develop alergies out of the blue. It is odd. But I still maintain that there is a difference between having the runs and cramps for a few days and flopping around and dying within a few minutes of a bite.
Interesting thread.
As background, my father was a physician. When I was born, I didn't show any allergic/sensitive symptoms to anything...until my parents introduced solid foods to my diet.
For some reason, I had a strong/violent reaction to "cooked" carrots. Read this to baby strained carrots. I would almost convulse, etc. As a result, my parents quit feeding me cooked carrots
Fast forward to my teen years. After I was served cooked baby carrots, I had a severe reaction...again.
When I was in college, living with my grandparents, I found myself passed out on the floor after eating carrots my grandmother had served me with the evening roast.
As far as my father could determine, I was sensitive to the cooked version to carrots. All he could conclude was that there was something that happened to carrots upon being heated/cooked that changed the chemical composition of carrots that my system couldn't handle. (I have always been able to eat a boat-load of them raw.)
It has only been during the last several years that I've been able to eat cooked carrots. This whole process has taken over 50 years to find out. Go figure.
As background, my father was a physician. When I was born, I didn't show any allergic/sensitive symptoms to anything...until my parents introduced solid foods to my diet.
For some reason, I had a strong/violent reaction to "cooked" carrots. Read this to baby strained carrots. I would almost convulse, etc. As a result, my parents quit feeding me cooked carrots
Fast forward to my teen years. After I was served cooked baby carrots, I had a severe reaction...again.
When I was in college, living with my grandparents, I found myself passed out on the floor after eating carrots my grandmother had served me with the evening roast.
As far as my father could determine, I was sensitive to the cooked version to carrots. All he could conclude was that there was something that happened to carrots upon being heated/cooked that changed the chemical composition of carrots that my system couldn't handle. (I have always been able to eat a boat-load of them raw.)
It has only been during the last several years that I've been able to eat cooked carrots. This whole process has taken over 50 years to find out. Go figure.
llvllagical llkook - if it wasn't anaphylactic before it is now! Son gave me a mini egg roll last night without properly checking ingreds. & it turned out to have green chilis and jalapeno in it. I took benadryl as soon as I realized it but almost ended up in ER anyways. My tongue and throat swelled and I could hardly talk. Got very short of breath and was wheezing. (I am also asthmatic.) We were actually on the way to ER when the benadryl finally started to help and breathing got easier, so we went back home. I will be on the phone to Dr early Monday!
notjustamom
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2007
- Messages
- 47
Food allergies are awful, some of you guys have some serious ones. And of course doctors don't always believe in food allergies, I went to an allergist who actually told me that adults couldn't develop food allergies! I got up and walked out the door. I developed serious allergies to soy and peanuts about 13 years ago. Soy does something weird to me, it gives me a huge adrenalin kick that has my heart racing so fast I nearly pass out and my chest starts to hurt. Peanuts has the opposite effect. I actually don't carry an epi pen because I'm afraid if I do pass out after eating soy someone will give me the epi shot which would just finish me off.
llvllagical_llkook
Cook
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2007
- Messages
- 74
Whether or not doctors believe in food allergies I do. I've studied biology, more specific, human anatomy in high school. I'm studying it in university, so I for one, know allergies are real. There's a "new science", a load of crap, which basically is hooking you up to a large battery, turning it on and waving the food over you. It's said to make you better. I told them to do it to themselves, minus the food and see how different they are. Epi pens won't save you. Take it but you still need to see a hospital. If you've got a MedicAlert bracelet on, hospitals run the number and can see you're allergic to something. People aren't always allergic to food. It can be to fungi or even to medication. My friend cannot take Tylenol. If he does, his pulse races like you said when eating soy.
Basically, allergies are when you eat or something comes into contact and the body's defence system recognizes the proteins as invading, so they attack. For the anaphylactic, the body is desperate to destroy the proteins of the initaitor. It stops anymore entry of food by ingestion, yet can kill you. It's one of the methods the body uses to protect you, which it does, yet can kill you. Ironic isn't it?
Basically, allergies are when you eat or something comes into contact and the body's defence system recognizes the proteins as invading, so they attack. For the anaphylactic, the body is desperate to destroy the proteins of the initaitor. It stops anymore entry of food by ingestion, yet can kill you. It's one of the methods the body uses to protect you, which it does, yet can kill you. Ironic isn't it?
