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2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
If you are experiencing food allergies, don't panic! The main thing is not to take the most common misconceptions about this phenomenon as the truth.
Food allergies, food intolerances and food sensitivities are not the same thing. There are, of course, similarities between them. Food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities are like three sisters from a bad family: everyone has a bad character, but it manifests itself in its own way.
Food allergy is the reaction of the body's immune system to a specific food. In a mild form, it is accompanied by itching or rash. Symptoms of an acute form of allergy - anaphylaxis - are life-threatening. For example, with anaphylactic shock, the larynx or tongue may swell, making breathing difficult and leading to hypoxia.
Food intolerances mean that the body lacks an enzyme that is needed to assimilate some food. You have probably heard more than once about lactose or gluten intolerance, which causes digestive problems, bloating and abdominal pain, and diarrhea. For all the unpleasantness of the symptoms, food intolerance is not able to cause rapidly developing anaphylaxis, but in the long term it weakens the lining of the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients.
Food sensitivity is a special category of the body's response to food. It manifests itself, for example, by severe headaches when overeating chocolate or acid reflux (the outflow of stomach acid into the esophagus), provoked by spicy food.
Food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities have one thing in common - prevention. It is enough to stay away from problematic or unknown ingredients in order not to get into trouble.
Food allergy myths
Don't panic if you are experiencing food allergies for the first time. The main thing is to get rid of the most common misconceptions. The most famous myths will be dispelled by a professional nutritionist of the company, which for nine years has been developing personal nutrition programs taking into account allergic reactions.
Myth 1. Blood sampling is the most accurate test for allergens
The gold standard for allergy detection is the double-blind food challenge (TPT), in which neither the doctor nor the patient knows which allergen is being tested.
Myth 2. Food allergies in children are forever
There is no specific age for babies to outgrow food allergies. It can be as long as 12 months after birth, up to five years, and sometimes symptoms last until adolescence. The main thing is to understand the cause of the allergy. And it lies in a very clean or very dirty environment. For example, during gestation, the immune system of a newborn child is sterile, it was not touched by a single antigen, therefore it perceives many things as a hostile substance. In this case, it is necessary to wait until the body gets used to it.
Myth 3. Only seafood causes a strong allergic reaction
The most frequent and most acute reaction is caused by protein! This can be, for example, nuts, chicken eggs, cow's milk. Also, when we do not know the source of the allergy, in addition to eggs, milk and butter, we immediately exclude wheat from the diet.
Myth 4. Dyes and flavors are harmless
Artificial colors and flavors also cause allergies. However, scientific studies that tried to find out the presence of an allergic reaction to sulfites, monosodium glutamate, azo dyes, sorbates, benzoates, butylhydroxyanisole and butylhydroxytoluene, showed that only sulfites can cause asthma attacks and anaphylactic shock. Although isolated cases of a similar reaction have also been observed for nitrates and carmine. And ice cream containing acetylsalicylic acid can cause rashes.
Remember: many nutritional supplements have not passed extensive testing, especially in humans, which means that we do not know what effect they can have not only on an adult, but also on a child's body. But one thing is clear: compared to adults, children, especially those of preschool age, do not have well-developed biological mechanisms that will help get rid of unwanted substances at the right time. And if for an adult a certain dose of an allergen may be harmless, then for a child it may turn out to be toxic. Therefore, my advice is this: dear parents, try not to pamper your crumbs with foods with an abundance of additives. Make your own fruit sweets!
How to avoid food allergies
As already mentioned, a sensible attitude towards unfamiliar food is the only perfect prevention. Be especially careful when dining out. Of course, no one wants to eat potatoes when the menu contains fish and seafood, which are usually so lacking in the diet.
But it’s better not to take risks away from home. Do not be lazy to find out what ingredients certain dishes contain, so that your vacation does not turn into an ordeal far away from your native land.
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