Archive for the 'FOOD ALLERGIES' Category

Life becomes very difficult with gluten allergy. It is one of the rarest types of food allergies that make the sufferer sensitive to gluten.

A component of wheat called gluten has been discovered to trigger allergies, even in small amounts. The protein, gluten in the wheat is a common type of allergen.

Gluten is one of the most allergenic foods in the western diet. Gluten is the substance which can be found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt and low level oats.

More than 1.5 million Americans are affected by gluten allergy symptoms.

Symptoms of gluten allergy:

The symptoms and severity of the symptoms of gluten allergy vary from one person to another. The general symptoms of gluten allergy are:

• Gas and abdominal cramps
• Swelling
• Bloating
• Hives
• Eczema
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Chronic fatigue
• Weakness
• Weight loss
• Anemia
• Osteoporosis
• Asthma
• Anaphylaxis

People who have gluten allergy are often suffered with Celiac disease. It is a hereditary disorder of the immune system that causes the destruction of the lining in the small intestine. This results in malabsorption of the vitamins, nutrients, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, water and salt.

Dairy products are identified as one of the cause of food allergies.

Dairy products at the young age could be the triggers of allergies later in your life. This allergy is called as dairy allergy.

What is dairy allergy?

Dairy allergy is the immune system response to one or more of the proteins found in the cow’s milk.

Dairy products are the most frequent allergens which cause dairy allergy.

Dairy allergy is common in adults and infants. 2-3 percent of the infants are affected with milk allergy.

As the age increases milk allergy will disappear in children but in some children it will continue up to the age of adults.

What cause dairy allergy?

Lactose, casein and whey from the milk are the common causes of dairy allergy. These three substances are included in a variety of foods other than milk and cheese.

Food sources for lactose and casein:

• Milk in any form
• Ice cream and ice milk
• Salad dressings
• Dessert toppings
• Ghee
• Custard
• Cereals
• Processed meats
• Margarine
• Curd
• Lactose
• Whey
• Potato chips
• Butter
• Cottage cheese and sour cream

Caffeine allergy is a deceiving allergy.

It is an abnormal physical condition that affects the body in many ways.

Caffeine is a natural diuretic; it means that it pulls fluid out of your system.

If a person is exposed to caffeine for longer hours then there is an increased chance for developing a tolerance and an allergy to the substance.

If this is happened with the person who have caffeine allergy, caffeine can not properly metabolize and is rapidly absorbed by all the organs and distributed into intracellular compartments and extra cellular water.

Source of caffeine which cause caffeine allergy are:

• Coffee
• Black tea
• Green tea
• Chocolate
• Cola
• Kombucha
• Guarana
• Verba mate

Symptoms of caffeine allergy:

When you are suffering from caffeine allergy reactions, the following things can happen:

• Intellectual deterioration
• Loss of judgment
• Loss of focus and comprehension
• Loss of verbal and social inhibition
• Agitation
• Hallucination
• Poisoning

The affects of caffeine allergy are more severe mental disorders and they cause reactions in brain tissues.

• Circulating adrenaline increases in caffeine consuming person.
• As the dosage increases, brain levels increase proportionately.

You may all know that soy products come form the soybean.

Soybean is nutritious vegetable that can be made onto products like soy milk, soy flour and so on.

All of us consider that soy products are very helpful for our health.

Soybeans are classified as legumes. The most common foods in the legume family are black beans, chickpeas, navy beans, kidney beans, lentils, licorice, peanuts, and carob. Soy allergy is one of the common food allergies.

Soy is called as Soya outside the USA. It is used in most manufactured products and also in fast food restaurant. 60 percent of the processed foods have soy in their ingredient list.

Soy allergy is a common childhood allergy. Soy allergy is an immune system response to soy proteins that the body mistakenly considers them as harmful substance. Once the immune system considers these as harmful substances, it creates specific antibodies. The next time when you eat soy, the immune system releases some chemicals called as histamines.

Many people who are allergic to soy are also allergic to other legumes such as peas, lentils, peanuts, and garbanzo beans.

A person can be allergic to any food, among that wheat, milk, egg, corn, yeast, and chocolate are the most common allergies.

You can find thousands of types of yeasts in indoors and outdoors.

The most common cause of yeast allergy is antibiotics and their overuse.

Symptoms of yeast allergy:

Yeast can trigger many problems such as irritability, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal swelling, mood swings, fatigue, difficulty in breathing, depression, nervousness, dizziness, osteoporosis, difficulty in concentrating, muscle and joint pain, cravings for sugar or alcoholic beverages, psoriasis, hives, respiratory and ear problems, menstrual problems, infertility, weakness, bladder infections, prostatitis.

Yeast related illnesses which are suffered by one out of three Americans are candidiasis, Candida-related complex, candidiasis hypersensitivity, yeast overgrowth or simply candida or yeast problem.

Treatment for yeast allergy:

Yeast-free diets eliminate all additives and a wide range of foods, including those richest in natural chemicals. Those who are suffering with food intolerance feel better when they go on such a diet.

Yeast sources that cause yeast allergy:

The most common yeast sources and yeast containing products are:

• Baker’s yeast
• Fermented legumes, soy sauce and cheeses
• Salad dressings
• Cosmetics
• Smoke flavors

Are you suffering with wheat allergy symptoms? Of course the most logical thing to get relief is to avoid eating wheat products.

Wheat allergy is a very rare disorder.

Wheat allergy occurs when there is an allergic reaction to the proteins found in wheat, rye, albumin, gluten, and oats.

Due to adverse reaction of the immunoglobulin E antibodies to these substances, allergic symptoms will appear.

Cause of wheat allergy:

People who have wheat allergy can tend to react to the albumins and globulins. Gluten causes damage to the intestinal lining. This damage slowly increases with the partially digested gluten proteins passing into the blood stream.

Foods that cause wheat allergy:

Wheat products:

• High gluten flour
• Whole wheat flour
• Wheat malt
• Wheat starch
• Vegetable starch
• Wheat bran
• Semolina
• Farina
• High protein flour
• Graham flour
• Soy sauce
• Enriched flour
• Malt products and malted milk

Wheat-containing constituents:

• Vegetable protein
• Vegetable gum
• Gluten
• Wheat gluten
• Vital gluten

Wheat containing foods:

• Cereals, cocoa butter and cold cuts
• Pasta
• Crackers
• Baked foods such as breads, pastries, soups and cookies

Egg allergy is a very common type of food allergy.

Handling an egg allergy is not big thing for you.

Usually egg allergy symptoms are mild, but in rare cases can trigger anaphylaxis.

When the body’s immune system overreacts to proteins in the egg such as egg white or the yolk, it can cause egg allergy.

Every time something made with egg enters into the digestive system of a person with an egg allergy. Then the body thinks that these proteins are harmful invaders and the body produces antibodies that can cause allergic reaction.

Up to 8 percent of the children in the United States are affected with egg allergy. It is most common in infants under the age of twelve months and the problem is outgrown as the age increases.

Some of the children are allergic to egg after the age of six. In some case this allergy can continue up to adult life. Eggs are among the eight foods that can cause 90 percent of the allergic reactions in children.

Affects of egg allergy:

Most of the egg allergy reactions are similar to that of the food allergy reactions. These symptoms can appear within minutes to hours after eating eggs. Most of the egg allergy reactions can last a day.

People who have milk allergy or severe sensitivity to milk has serious risk or life threatening reactions, if they consume these products.

Milk allergy is most common in children. 2- 7.5 percent of children are affected by milk allergy symptoms.

20 percent of children who are allergic to milk are also allergic to soy milk.

Milk allergy is the reaction of the immune system to one or more cow’s milk proteins.

It is a common type of food allergy, especially during the first year of life.

20 protein components are present in cow’s milk such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and so on, that may provoke an allergy reaction.

Casein is the main protein in the cow’s milk, accounting for about 80 percent of the total milk proteins.

When milk is left to sour, casein makes up the curd. The watery part of the milk holds the other 20 percent of the proteins. Many children lose their allergic reaction to milk by age 3, but some children remain highly allergic for a lifetime.

Alcohol is the sedative agent for most of the people.

Alcohol can cause immediate adverse effects on the body.

Depending on the person, these effects are of many types.

Many people have allergic reactions after consuming alcoholic beverages and these reactions are called as wine, beer, and alcohol allergy.

After the consumption of alcohol or ethanol, it is broken down by liver enzymes within minutes. These liver enzymes are Alcohol Dehydrogenase which converts alcohol into acetaldehyde.

Acetaldehyde is then transferred to vinegar by the enzyme Aldehyde Dehydrogenase. If a person can’t break down alcohol easily, problems may occur if alcohol is consumed and this reaction is called as alcohol allergy.

Cause of alcohol allergy:

• Due to the inactiveness of the enzyme Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, it makes it impossible to convert alcohol into vinegar. In this case if you consume the alcohol it causes severe reactions like alcohol allergy.
• Antibiotic and antifungal drugs can inhibit the effect of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase and can cause the oriental flush syndrome.

Symptoms of alcohol allergy:

There are various ingredients in wine and beer, which can cause allergic reactions. Particularly there are two elements a person can react to in wine and beer. These two are, the substances used to make the beverages and those substances used to preserve the alcohol.

Peanut allergy is a type of food allergy. Peanuts are one of the world’s most allergenic foods.

More than 1.5 million people in the US are affected with peanut allergy.

A peanut allergy is an allergy that is caused by the body’s reaction to particular substances. This is a life threatening allergy reaction.

Cause of peanut allergy:

• The most common cause of peanut allergy is direct contact with peanuts. This means while eating or touching peanuts can cause allergies.
• The other cause of peanut allergy is, when you inhale dust containing peanuts.
• The rarest case in which you can acquire peanut allergy is, during processing or handling of a food product which consists of peanuts.
• Peanut allergy is caused by the overreaction of the immune system. Immune system considers peanuts as the harmful substances and leads to the production of immunoglobulin E antibodies. These antibodies produce histamines which causes allergic reactions to occur.

Common food sources which contain peanut proteins include:

• Salad dressing
• Cereals and granola
• Almonds
• Pecans and walnuts
• Soy products
• Ground nuts
• Frozen desserts
• Peanut butter
• Baked food such as pastries
• Artificial tree nuts