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How do food addictions and allergies work?

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:11:54 +0000

professionalkiwi asked:

I read that food allergies can become addictions because our bodies craves the food we are allergic to (some, not all obviously) and can lead to the addiction of that food. This is counter intuitive on so many levels lol So maybe I understood incorrectly.

Can someone explain the link between food allergy and addiction? Is this pseudoscience or real? How does it work?

Serious answers only.

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If food allergies are rare then why does everyone seem to have food allergies?

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:38:58 +0000

missy1982 asked:

True food allergies are rare, so why do more and more people claim to be allergic to certain foods even rare food allergies, everyone these days claim to have anaphylactic attacks even though this is rare in food allergy. Only 10 deaths from food allergies have been reported within 10 years in the uk,so why is it that you read about people who claim they are allergic on the internet? Do people actually have these diagnosed or do they diagnose themselves even though it could only be an intolerance that is not an allergy?

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Diagnosing Food Allergies

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:21:16 +0000

There are some specific things that a doctor can do to help you discover if the cause of your symptoms is a food allergy. The doctor can utilize a questionnaire, a physical exam, study a food journal kept by the patient, scratch skin test results and use a food elimination diet.

The Questionnaire:

A doctor may give the patient a questionnaire to fill out. The answers are then used to determine if there is a pattern that would suggest a food allergy. The results of the questionnaire will help decide if more tests are needed. Some common questions asked on this type of questionnaire are:

What reaction did you have that you suspect is from a food allergy?

When did the reaction occur, how long after eating the food?

Did anyone else get sick who had eaten the same food?

How much of the suspect food did the patient eat before a reaction was noticed?

Was the food raw or prepared?

Were there other foods that were eaten at the same time?

Does the patient suffer from other conditions that may be attributed to food allergies such as ear infections, eczema, or asthma?

Food Diary:

A food diary is simply a record of everything the patient eats and a note of any reactions that the patient experiences after the meal or snack. The patient and doctor sit down and read the diary making note of anything that suggests a pattern of food allergic reaction.

Elimination Diet:

An elimination diet is a tool used to determine if a specific food allergy is likely. The doctor will instruct the patient not to eat a particular food for a certain time period. If the symptoms go away when the patient does not eat the food and then when the food is reintroduced into the diet the symptoms return, the doctor can then have an idea about what is causing the reaction. The doctor may do this pattern with several foods.

The doctor may wish to measure an allergic reaction by using a scratch skin test. These tests are quick, simple, and relatively safe. The doctor will match a positive skin scratch test with the patient’s own history of having a reaction to that particular food. It is possible to have a positive skin test without having a reaction to eating that food. The danger in skin scratch tests occurs when the patient has a severe reaction to the skin test called an anaphylactic reaction, which can be dangerous, even deadly.

There is also a method called a double-blind food challenge. Foods suspected of causing a food reaction is placed in opaque capsules are swallowed by the patient and the doctor watches for a reaction to occur; the process is repeated for each suspected food. Individuals with a history of severe reactions should not take this method. The method is called double blind because neither the doctor nor patient are aware of what food substances are in which capsules.

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Defining the Differences between Food Allergies and Food Intolerances

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:18:34 +0000

There are thousands to millions of people who believe that they have food allergies when in fact, they actually just have body intolerance to certain types of food. One prime example is milk consumption. Many people drink milk and end up with upset stomachs, gas and even diarrhea. This reaction to cow’s milk is food intolerance rather than an allergic reaction. The same thing could occur with other food products such as those that contain gluten, a protein found in barley, wheat and rye.

So how do you know when you have a food allergy rather than just intolerance to food? The answer lies in your body’s immunological response. When your body thinks that a foreign invader is present, it will produce antibodies which release chemicals such as histamines to combat them. If you were allergic to a particular food like shellfish, peanuts or milk, an allergic reaction would manifest itself via hives, swelling, and redness, breathing difficulties, runny nose and more.

For the most part, food intolerance does not trigger any immunological response but rather a simple reaction in the gastrointestinal tract. Because of this, it can be quite difficult to treat them and those who believe they have had an allergic reaction to the food in question will discover that anti-histamines and other medications that fight allergic responses have no effect. People with food intolerances rather than allergies will have reactions that are not as harsh as what a food allergy would cause. In fact, you could probably eat small doses of the food in question without garnering a negative bodily response.

Food intolerance and food allergies are similar in that they both can cause digestive issues along with other symptoms such as headaches, foggy mental clarity and even low energy levels. However, the difference lies in other symptoms that occur in food allergy sufferers over people who are food intolerant. The allergy sufferers may have the telltale hives, rash, swelling and even wheezing.

Another disparity is the fact food allergy sufferers could slip into anaphylactic shock if their reactions were severe enough. With food intolerance, the food culprit eventually leaves the body and you are back to normal. Now there are a few health conditions like celiac disease which is sometimes called a type of food allergy when it fact it relates to food intolerance. Celiac sufferers have problems with the proteins found in wheat, barley and rye. If it were an allergic reaction, the body would produce histamines to combat the proteins but it does not. Therefore, the disease is grouped with food intolerance.

If you believe that you may be food intolerant, you could experiment a bit to find the best times to try to consume the food in question. Some people who are lactose intolerant cannot have cow’s milk products in the morning when there is no other food in their system but they find out they can handle them better in the afternoon or evening time. It is up to you as to how much you want to subject yourself to the discomfort that food intolerance brings but it may be worth it if it is something you really enjoy otherwise.

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Dealing With Multiple Food Allergies

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:16:26 +0000

Having a food allergy can be difficult to deal with, imagine what it feels like to those people who have been diagnosed with multiple food allergies. There is hope available that can help individuals with multiple food allergies to cope with them.

The first step is to know which foods you are allergic to and to differentiate between food allergies and food intolerances. A doctor or an allergist can give you an accurate diagnosis regarding your food allergies. Once you have been diagnosed than it is time to plan your treatment.

There are several factors involved in managing your food allergies.

The first factor is avoiding food that contains the food allergens that you are allergic to, the obvious food and the hidden food. You locate hidden food by reading labels and by asking restaurant managers and chefs about what ingredients are in the foods they are serving you. Call ahead to restaurants and tell them you have food allergies, tell them what they are and when you will be dining there, so they can prepare for you.

The next factor is shopping for food. Make sure that you read every label, even if you have purchased the food before, because food manufacturers change the ingredients from time to time and just because you checked previously does not mean that the food item is still the same now. Check each time you buy a product. Ask the manufacturer of a food item if you are unsure, there should be a toll-free number to call on the package.

If the person who has the food allergies is an adult you should be able to purchase regular food for the rest of the family and keep the special food for the one with the food allergies in a separate cupboard or pantry.

The individual with multiple food allergies may be tempted to give up in utter frustration and go hungry…a food strike is NOT the answer. You can find food that you are able to eat safely. Your doctor can guide you to a nutritionalist or a dietician who can help you to locate food and food substitutes that you are able to eat.

The last factor is cooking the food, when someone in your family has multiple food allergies. You need to be careful when preparing or cooking/baking food that you do not cross contaminate food surfaces or utensils. Do not use the same surface, equipment or utensils with different food items as this can leave food residue on the items and the food allergens can get into otherwise safe food this way.

The fact that there are multiple food allergies means that there is a higher chance of making a mistake and ingesting something that you are allergic to. Make sure that you have allergy medication prescribed by your doctor on you at all times, so that you have it in case of emergency. Make sure that you notify all family member, friends, teachers etc., that you have multiple food allergies and what they are. Also make sure that everyone knows what it will look like if you are having an allergic reaction, especially a severe one. Make sure everyone will recognize when you need help and what to do. If you have an emergency kit with you, and you have an Epipen, make sure that your friends, family and teacher knows how to use it, in case you are not able to.

It is possible to eat healthy with multiple food allergies, you just have to be on your toes all the time, and make sure that others around you are aware of your allergies.

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Creating your Own Emergency First Aid Food Allergy Kit

admin — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:34:46 +0000

When you have food allergies, you always have to be on alert especially during meal and snack times. However, even with the most practiced diligence, possible cross contamination could occur with as something as simple as a handshake with someone who just peeled and ate shrimp or had a peanut butter sandwich. For those seriously afflicted with food allergies, just touching the hand of someone else who handled the food can have dangerous consequences.

Being prepared for these possible situations is important for food allergy sufferers and many are advised by their doctors to create an emergency first aid food allergy kit. This kit is something that should be easily portable, especially for active children who may spend time away from home as well as adults who travel. Basically, anyone who is at risk of possible anaphylactic shock from exposure to a food allergen or even less severe symptoms should have this kit handy.

Where your Kit Should Reside

Being well-prepared is important so you should decide just how many kits you should make as well as where they should reside. Choosing places that you frequent or spend the most time in is essential and communicating to others where the kit is located is vital. The important thing to remember is this emergency first aid food allergy kit should be housed in an area that is temperature controlled so that the medications and such do not spoil and remain effective.

As an adult, you likely spend the most time at home and at work so it makes sense that you have at least two kits – one for each location. Choose a spot to store them and let your family and co-workers know where it is should they have to fetch it in an emergency. For kids, the daycare office, school room or school nurse and home are likely kit scenarios. You might want to create a third emergency kit for those times when you are away from home.

Items for the Emergency Kit

If you have been prescribed an Epipen or some other type of injectable epinephrine, be sure to put one in your kit along with instructions on how to use it in case someone else has to administer it to you. When asthma is a common food allergic reaction, asthma medication like an inhaler should also be placed in the kit.

Antihistamines that can be taken orally should be placed in your food allergy emergency first aid kit, preferably a liquid as it acts faster than pill form. Should you need a lotion for hives or a rash or any other medication, be sure not to miss them. Also important for the kit is a copy of your food allergy history if it be needed to present to emergency medical personnel as well as a copy of your insurance card. Important numbers for your doctor, family members and insurance company are necessary as well.

Other Things to Think About

In addition to creating your emergency first aid food allergy kit, you will want to educate those around you at work, home, and school or anywhere you plan to store your kit. They need to know what to do should you show signs of an allergic reaction. In addition, check the expiration dates on your medications you store in there and replace as needed. If you think you might have trouble remembering to do it, program your computer to give you a reminder or write it on your calendar. Most of all get the advice of your doctor to ensure that you have everything you need in your emergency kit. Those items could one day save your life.

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Coping Strategies for Food Allergy Sufferers

admin — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:32:08 +0000

Knowing that you have food allergies is a good thing but the road to the future can be tougher. You have more obstacles to bulldoze through or go around because you will have to be more diligent in what you buy and eat and dining out options shrink just as dinner invitations may dwindle too. Being on your guard at all times to avoid potentially dangerous food allergic reactions can be draining both physically and emotionally. You need some coping strategies to keep you looking positive into the future.

Taking Care of Yourself

Being diagnosed with food allergies is not a death sentence, just a new way of life. Of course, that takes a lot of adjustments which can be depressing at times. Arming yourself with the latest in food allergy information is very important and it empowers you in a positive way. Educating family, friends, neighbors and more is important and putting yourself in the role of teacher is another way to empower yourself against your allergies.

Join a support group in your area or start your own. Just know that you are not alone in your food allergies. Sharing stories and ideas with like minded others help a great deal. Talking with other allergy sufferers can put things in perspective too, especially when the death toll due to food allergies is very small. Keeping a food journal to log reactions is important as well and this involves you directly in your treatment.

When Your Child Has the Allergies

Children are quite adaptable and they are likely to become more comfortable with their food allergy diagnosis a lot quicker than you as the parent does. When your child is the one with the food allergy, you must make proper plans for school. Meet with your child’s teacher as well as school nurse, principal and other aides. Let them know how to handle a potential allergic reaction and the steps to take in administering medicine and seeking medical help.

Keep two EpiPens with your child – one in their backpack and one with the school nurse or primary teacher. Prepare healthy meals for your child’s daily lunch as well as provide healthy snack they can eat and provide them to the teacher to administer during snack times. Involve your child in the food preparation as they are more enthusiastic when it is something they have prepared themselves.

Be Adventurous and Proactive

A diagnosis of food allergies means that you have to be a bit more creative during meal time. This is the time to be adventurous, finding new recipes with approved ingredients and even trying new health food stores to shop in you normally would not visit. Learn more about food substitutions to make great entrees and desserts that are similar to the “real” thing so you or your child won’t feel as if you all are missing out.

Food allergies are a challenge and it is not something you can readily change. What you can change is how you approach the problem. You can meet it head on or cower and hide, playing the “woe is me” card. Obviously, in order to truly live life to the fullest and get on with things, you have to tackle things head on.

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Cooking Tips when Food Allergies Factor in your Life

admin — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:29:58 +0000

Ask anyone who has a food allergy – planning meals can be a tricky proposition. Unfortunately, if you or someone in your home has a food allergy, chances are they cannot really eat out due to fear of exposure to the wrong foods so that makes preparing meals at home the best alternative. Cooking at home gives you the most control over what you put into your body and at least you know how the food is prepared and what ingredients are used.

Food allergies can make home cooking quite a challenge, even for the most accomplished of cooks. Luckily, with the increased attention to allergies caused by what you eat, there is a plethora of information and recipes on the internet and in books that can help you in the meal planning process. Of course, learning how to substitute ingredients is important as well.

Approximately 90% of all food allergies are caused by peanuts, dairy, shellfish, tree nuts, dairy, soy and wheat. The good news is there are plenty of resources in which to find recipes that are food allergy friendly, especially if you are dealing with just a single food allergy. However, it starts getting tricky when there are multiple allergies to deal with.

Manipulating Recipes to Accommodate Allergies

While you may find a plethora of recipes that accommodate allergies, you may wish to adjust regular recipes by employing substitutions. This is a great talent to have in the kitchen especially if you find some great recipes that call for ingredients you just cannot eat. Luckily there are plenty of substitutions that are easy to find at the grocery store whereas other times may require a trip to a whole foods or organic market.

Experimenting is crucial to food allergy sufferers especially when it comes to dealing with substitute ingredients. This is where reading food labels come in handy! You can replace flours made from wheat and even find alternatives to dairy products and peanut butter. Half the battle is looking for these food items and the other half the battle is patience during your food experiments.

Obtaining and Cooking with Allergy-Free Ingredients

While your local supermarket may carry a limited selection of allergy-free products, other stores do not. Therefore, you may have to cruise the internet a bit to find websites devoted to food products that address allergies, especially if you live in the country or some other area where special types of food ingredients are available.

While you may be on a special diet because of food allergens, it does not mean the rest of the family cannot have “normal” food. You just have to be diligent about food preparation in regards to cross contamination. Even using the wrong spoon to stir something on the stove can be harmful. Washing hands, counters and sink areas are important in keeping possible food allergens away from your meal. Overall, what do you do when it comes to choosing a meal in a restaurant or preparing a meal at home? Worry! However with a little forethought and planning, you can whip up an food allergy free meal.

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Common Food Allergies

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:12:13 +0000

A food allergy is basically an immune system response to a particular food, or foods, that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. An individual may be allergic to any food, such as vegetables, fruits, and meats there are eight particular foods which account for the majority of all food allergic reactions. These particular foods are milk, peanut, fish, egg, tree nut, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Allergic reactions to certain foods typically begin within minutes to a few hours after eating the food. The frequency and severity of symptoms may vary widely from one person to another. When symptoms first appear, it is important to differentiate between a real food allergy and another potential cause. Often the cause may be something other than a food allergy, most commonly simple food intolerance.

The most common symptoms of food allergies involve the skin and intestines. Intestinal symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and indigestion. Skin rashes typically include hives and eczema. Other symptoms caused by food allergies include asthma, with coughing and wheezing, rhinitis, and occasionally anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that may become life threatening. Peanut allergies affect more than one million people in the United States alone. As the most common cause of life threatening allergic reactions, peanut allergies account for 80 percent of fatal or near fatal allergic reactions every year.

A food allergy is the result of the body’s immune system overreacting to food proteins. Not all adverse reactions to food are due to allergy. Some reactions to milk may be related to a deficiency of an enzyme that normally breaks down a sugar in milk. When individuals with lactase deficiency drink cow’s milk or eat other dairy products, they may experience intestinal symptoms, typically misinterpreted as a food allergy. Almost any food can cause an allergic reaction and some individuals are only allergic to one food, while others may be allergic to several types of food. Cow’s milk is the leading cause of allergic reactions in very young children. Milk allergy affects about 2 percent to 3 percent of infants worldwide, and its signs and symptoms can be serious enough to cause distress for both the allergic child, but also for the child’s family. Most children do outgrow a milk allergy by age 2 or 3.

Some people have an allergic reaction to a food that is triggered by exercise. As the body is stimulated by exercise, a person with an exercise induced food allergy may feel itchy and lightheaded. In more severe cases, reactions such as hives or anaphylaxis may occur. Not eating for a few hours prior to exercising may help prevent this problem. Some fresh fruits and vegetables may also trigger a mild allergic reaction that causes the mouth to tingle or itch. This is called cross-reactivity in which the proteins in fruits and vegetables cause the reaction because they are similar to allergy causing proteins found in certain pollens. Most cooked fruits and vegetables generally do not cause cross-reactive oral allergy symptoms.

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Common Reactions to Watch for with Food Allergies

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:10:09 +0000

Food allergies manifest themselves physically and cause a variety of symptoms. What happens is this: your body may view a food item as a foreign body and react accordingly to combat it. Your body will release chemicals such as histamines that can affect various systems in your body like the cardiovascular, respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal system.

For some people, a food allergy could be mild, producing minor burning or itching sensations on the tongue and in the mouth or it could be more severe causing throat swelling and impaired breathing. What is interesting is that people react in different ways to food in which they are allergic. Some symptoms are apparent within minutes while others may take a few hours.

Here are some reactions you might expect with food allergies:

• Runny nose and itchy eyes
• Rash on the skin or hives
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea and abdominal pain
• Throat and tongue swelling which could cause loss of voice or even wheezing

The most severe food allergic reaction would be anaphylaxis otherwise known as anaphylactic shock. This reaction can come on suddenly and could be a combination of symptoms. Typically several things will happen at the same time: a drop in blood pressure, respiratory passageways swelling up to constrict breathing, heart palpitations and more. For people with severe food allergies where one bite may be fatal, they must carry epinephrine to counteract the symptoms to buy time until a hospital can be reached.

For some people, it is quite easy to pinpoint a food allergy because a reaction is instantaneous. However, for others, it can cause quite a stir trying to nail down the culprit, particularly in foods with multiple ingredients. In this case, a food diary can be quite helpful in narrowing down the food items that are suspect.

Some doctors do believe that food allergies are hereditary, meaning if you have a parent that had hay fever and other seasonal allergies, this would make you more susceptible to food nuances. And because some food allergies are developed over time, to a certain extent, the environment and changing food manufacturing processes could also be probable causes as well.

Of course, it is important to know the difference between food intolerance and a food allergy. Millions more people have food intolerances like a problem digesting wheat or dairy but their immune systems do not kick in and try to combat what they perceive as a threat. Food intolerance is the result of your body not being able to process certain foods because it lacks an enzyme or chemical. With a food allergy, your body can process the food but it also perceives it as a foreign body and will release the antibodies to attack it, thus triggering an immune response.

As long as you know the difference between food intolerance and food allergies, you should be able to choose the best course of action to alleviate the problem. As mentioned above, keeping a food diary is a smart move and will help narrow the field of your problem.

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