Food allergies

What is a "food allergy" or a "food incompatibility"?

The consumption of food doesn't mean only pleasure for five to seven per cent of the population. If the immune system reacts to a certain substance allergically in the food, one talks about a food allergy in which it comes to the typical symptoms of an allergy. Eyes, a regular nose, watering among other things, asthma, are included and red, itching skin areas. At a food allergy the defense system recognizes certain food components which are completely harmless for a not sensitized person when strange and dangerous and puts a defense process into walk. Is decisive that the cause of the illness is found for a treatment. This isn`t always easy at all at food incompatibilities.

A certain food avoids many people because they think they are allergic, only one to two per cent of the population reacts allergically to a certain food (lies with children the percentage a little more highly, in the adulthood forms the allergy with a part of the children however again back).

Unlike the allergy it doesn't come to any immune reaction at a food incompatibility. This is said it isn't antibodies of the type, IgE with the food involves in the reaction. The fabric hormone histamine is nevertheless released (responsibly for a large part of the symptoms of an allergy). This happens at some food like strawberries or tomatoes directly by the food. Some food also contains histamine (for example cheeses, wine, canned fish, sauerkraut) itself. Sodium glutamate, an addition in Chinese food and soy sauce, also can trigger an incompatibility. Another form of the incompatibility consists in an enzyme defect. For example incompatibility of milk at a lack of the enzyme lactase. At the example milk the difference between allergy and incompatibility shall be clarified: At the allergy the patient doesn't stand milk at all and it immediately comes to allergy typical troubles. There is a lack of the enzyme at incompatibility which dismantles the milk. The patient can take however still small quantities of milk.

Frequent triggers of food allergies

All food can in principle cause an allergic reaction. Allergies are the most frequent: Bowl animals, milk, fish, soybeans, wheat, hen's egg, nuts and vegetables.

Here a listing of different vegetable and animal allergy triggers:

Plants:
Stone and malaceous fruit (frequent)
Vegetables, e.g. celery (frequent)
Spices and herbs (frequent)
Nuts and seed (frequent)

Animals:
Egg (frequent)
Milk e.g. of cow, goat, sheep (frequent)
Bowl animal, e.g. cancer, prawn, lobster (frequent)
Meat, e.g. cattle, pork, game, wether (rare)
(Seldom) fish
Poultry meat (rare)
Gelatine (rare)
Microorganisms/mushrooms: Yeasts, molds

Milk allergy: Trigger of the allergic reactions of which Casein and ß-lactoglobulin are regarded as most frequent triggers primarily is the protein of the milk in which five different egg-white components were confessed till now. Since every cow's milk person suffering from an allergy doesn't react to all five components, partial cooked milk or a sour dairy product is stood.

Milk is used for different purposes for example as binder in finished products for the upgrading of the protein content in meat products for the improvement of delicacies salads as a liquid bonus in cakes, bread and pastries. It is therefore important to read the ingredient list exactly. References to milk egg-white provide concepts how: whey protein, sweet whey, sour whey, casein, caseinate.

Being part of the broad pallet of the dairy products which must be avoided in the case of doubt:
  • Milk, yoghurt, cream, quark and similar
  • Sausages like sausages, ham sausage, ready breaded meat, canned meats, herring salad
  • Breads which can contain milk (like Graham, toast and buttermilk bread, roll, yeast plait)
  • Waffles, cake, pancake, rice pudding
  • Potato finished products
  • Nougat cream, blancmange, ice food, chocolate, caramel candies, cream liqueur
  • ready sauces, mayonnaise, ketchup.
Hen's egg allergy: Not the whole egg functions as allergy trigger but certain proteins. This, however, doesn't mean that one stands the egg yolk. Egg-white is rather the generic term for a nutrient group here. Some allergens of the egg, e.g. the ovalbumin, are partly destroyed by heating up. Since other egg-white components are, however, heat stable, egg must be avoided in every form. One must respect egg yolk on concepts like egg white, in the declaration of food. Eggs are used by their versatile qualities in different areas. One should avoid:
  • Egg dishes of any type
  • Binder in dough and bread, cakes, and pastries, flour and potato dumplings,
  • Emulsifiers into sauces, cream food, mayonnaise, advocaat
  • Raising agent into sweets
  • Propellant into bread, cakes, and pastries
  • Clearing means into broth, aspic.
One doesn't suspect wobbling egg-white in some food at once. Therefore following enumeration as small help. Egg is contained often in:
  • Ready salads, vegetable ready-to-serve meals
  • breaded courts
  • Rusk
  • Noodle courts
  • Wermouthwine like Campari
  • Ice cream, gingerbreads, negro kisses, candy floss, much candy
  • Sauces
  • Yeast plait, white bread dumplings, meatballs.
To meet the protein requirements also without eggs, a balanced diet recommends itself.

Cross allergies: Some allergies are associated with so-called cross allergies, i.e. unless on the allergen, one also reacts sensitively to a certain food whose allergens of each other resemble. Birch pollen e.g. reacts crosswise with nut types, apples, pears, cherries, walnuts, almonds, plums, kiwi, potato-skin, tomatoes and carrots. This means an allergy against birch pollen can cause also allergic reactions against the mentioned vegetables. Grasses react over-cross with beans, lenses and green peas. Mugwort pollen reacts over-cross with celery, spices and carrots.

Which symptoms are there?
  • Swelling of face, lips and tongue
  • Sneezing attacks with strong watery secretion ion and regular or blocked nose by swelling up the muscous membranes
  • Conjunctivitis itching, eyes which are reddened and watering and photosensitivity increased
  • Itching of the muscous membranes with scrapers and swelling up in the mouth and throat area
  • Cough and difficulty in breathing up to asthma amounts (amount like, serious difficulty in breathing with narrowing of the respiratory tract)
  • Nettle rash with hiveses
  • Eczemas (not infectious inflammations of the skin and muscous membrane)
  • Reaction of the digestion section in the form of diarrhea, flatulences, vomiting, colics
  • Arthritis, fever, allergic Vaskulitis, photo allergic Exanthem
  • oral allergy syndrome (OAS): immediate after the eating's heavy reaction with neurodermitis, blood pressure drop and anaphylaktic shock immediate treatment by the emergency doctor! frequent as a result of a cross reaction between allergens and breathed in food allergens! (frequent trigger see "cross allergies")
Delayed reactions still can, days, take place after the eating. A delayed reaction happens at allergies of the type III and type IV. Type III speaks typically in the form of nettle rash, arthritis, 6 to 8 hours after the eating, fever and allergic vasculitis. Type IV reactions needing up to two days and then being able to cause troubles of an eczema or a photo allergic exanthemas (Red skin triggered by light).

Diagnosis position
  • With the symptoms which the patient describes (case history), i.e. primarily where and when the troubles have appeared for the first time.
  • Skin tests
  • Antibody proof from a blood test
  • Exclusion and provocation diet: The patient must observe an allergen poor water rice potato diet more than seven days (exclude a potato or rice allergy by skin test) before! If he isn't recovered after this, a food allergy is improbable. If complaint liberty enters, then a single food is gradually added up to the appearance of troubles now. The corresponding food is identified with that.
  • You lead at suspicion of food allergies a diet diary as exactly as possible list you in it when you have what eaten and when which symptoms have appeared. You don't forget snacks between meals, spices and if necessary brands/article, either to be able compositions of products to enquire
Avoidance therapy

The first choice in dealing with food allergies lies in the avoidance's certain food or contents substances which arouse problems. Important is, however, not simply to leave food out but to take a balanced diet despite allergy. At first the avoidance therapy should be carried out for 1 to 3 years. Is problematic that the avoidance of the allergen is easy only at easily recognizable triggers.The thing turns out more difficult at hidden food allergens, soya e.g. is contained in much food although it doesn't appear in the ingredient list. It can be thought in ready-to-serve meals, bread, cakes, and pastries, candy, meat products and drinks it is used as one thick and binder. Is therefore some comprehensive information and diet advice of the person suffering from an allergy prerequisite for a successful therapy.

Diet tips

Substitute for milk: Partial goats and sheep's milk cheeses are possible as a substitute. It seldom comes to cross reactions here. On the other hand, many cow's milk people suffering from an allergy don't stand any soya products. The diet's certain vitamins and nutrient sources must be added at avoidance of all dairy products. Calcium is primarily included. Calcium empires food are vegetables like broccoli, kale and fennel, pulses, garden herbs, in which these alone ones hardly are able to cover the whole daily requirement. Calcium is utilized by the body better if a sufficient vitamin D is available. Vitamin D is contained in fish, forms, however, also at solar radiation in the skin. Calcium empires mineral water are an important calcium supplier.

Hyposensitization

At single food allergies e.g. on milk or egg the possibility, an acclimatization health cure, admits with the aim that you stand a normal quantity of milk or egg after dosage rising slowly to have anybody carry out the so-called "oral hyposensitization treatment". This measure is discussed, however, controversially. Because the food must be consumed at a good compatibility following an at least 3-year treatment duration daily, otherwise the effect loses itself. In addition, no medicine may be taken against allergy during the complete time of the hyposensitization.


These informations may be considered a substitute for a piece of medical advice in no case. The content of health-illness.com doesn't can and may be put into any case to make diagnoses or carry out self medical treatment independently.


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