About allergies and intolerance
As I am a chef and not a medical professional, I have taken the following information about allergies and intolerances from the Food Standards Agency.
About Food Allergies
Food allergy is caused when the immune system thinks certain foods are harmful to the body. An allergic reaction can occur as soon as a food is eaten up to a few hours later.
Common symptoms of a food allergy are:
Dry, itchy throat and tongue
Itchy skin and rash
Nausea and feeling bloated
Diarrhoea and/or vomiting
Wheezing and shortness of breath
Swelling of lips and throat
Coughing
Runny or blocked nose
Sore, red and itchy eyes
A severe reaction can be life threatening, this is called anaphylaxis. This can be fatal if not treated straight away, usually with an injection of adrenaline. People with severe allergies should take their medication with them wherever they go.
The following are some of the foods people may be allergic to.
Peanuts – found in sauces, cakes, desserts, groundnut oil, peanut flour.
Nuts – found in sauces, desserts, crackers, bread, ice cream, marzipan, ground almonds, nut oils.
Soya – As tofu or beancurd, soya flour and textured soya protein, some ice creams, yogurts, sauces, desserts, meat products, vegetarian products, ready made meals, margarines, lecithin.
Mustard – Including liquid mustard, mustard powder and mustard seeds, in salad dressings, marinades, soups, sauces, curries, meat products.
Lupin – lupin seeds and flour found in some types of bread and pastries.
Eggs – found in cakes, mousses, sauces, pasta, quiche, some meat products, mayonnaise, foods brushed with egg.
Fish – found in some salad dressings, pizzas, relishes, fish sauce and some soy and Worcestershire sauces.
Shellfish – prawns, mussels, scampi, crab, oyster sauce, shrimp paste.
Gluten – found in cereals such as wheat, rye and barley and foods containing flour, such as bread, pasta, cakes, pastry, meat products, sauces, soups, batter, stock cubes, breadcrumbs, food dusted with flour. Most oats are also contaminated with gluten containing cereals in the milling process.
Sesame seeds – found in bread, breadsticks, tahini, houmous, sesame oil.
Celery – including celery stalks, leaves and seeds and celeriac, in salads, soups, celery salt, some meat products.
Sulphur dioxide – found in meat products, fruit juice drinks, dried fruit and vegetables, wine, beer.
Food Intolerance
Food intolerance is different to a food allergy. It is not usually life threatening but can make a person very ill or affect their long term health.
About Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease. Which means a reaction to a trigger which causes the body to attack itself.
In coeliac disease, eating even the tiniest amount of gluten causes the lining of the small intestine to become damaged, preventing the normal absorption of nutrients. Other parts of the body may be affected. Cutting out foods containing gluten will gradually return the stomach lining to normal.
an intolerance to the protein gluten.
Found naturally in wheat, barley and rye, oats also become contaminated with gluten during the milling process. ‘Pure’ oats are available, but whilst these are free from contamination, some coeliacs may still suffer an adverse reaction.
The new standard sets for the whole of the EU is a maximum level of 20
parts per million (ppm) of gluten in order for foods to be labelled as ‘gluten free’, and
100ppm of gluten for foods labelled as ‘very low gluten’ – restricted to foods
processed to remove gluten. The new Regulations aligns EU law with the Codex. Please check the limit set for your country.
In people with coeliac disease, gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, preventing the normal absorption of nutrients. Cutting out foods containing gluten will gradually return the stomach lining to normal.
Symptoms of coeliac disease include diarrhoea, anaemia, weight loss, fatigue, bloating and sickness .
About Lactose Intolerance
Around one in seven people has some form of intolerance to lactose, a sugar found in the milk of all animals and therefore contained in butter, cream, yoghurt and other milk products. This intolerance is caused by a lack of the enzyme required to digest lactose – although some sufferers are able to cope with small amounts. Symptoms usually include a bloated and painful stomach, weight loss, anaemia and diarrhoea.
Many people with a lactose intolerance will also develop an intolerance to soya.
About Egg Intolerance
Egg allergy or intolerance is also common especially in young children although many grow out of it by the age of 5 or 6. Symptoms include itchiness, rash, stomach cramps, nausea and breathing problems. Cooking with eggs can also bring on symptoms.
Egg may also be labelled as albumin.
About Vegan Diet
Vegans don’t eat any foods of animal origin. This includes meat, fish and dairy foods, and also honey.
About Diabetes
Diabetes develops when the body can’t use glucose properly. As a result, people with diabetes can have abnormally high levels of glucose in their blood, if the condition isn’t controlled.
What should people with diabetes eat?
People with diabetes should try to maintain a healthy weight and eat a diet that is:
- low in fat (particularly saturated fat)
- low in sugar
- low in salt
- high in fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day)
- high in starchy carbohydrate foods, such as bread, chapatti, rice, pasta and yams (these should form the base of meals) – choose wholegrain varieties when you can
There are no foods that people with diabetes should never eat. And there is no need to cut out all sugar. But, like everyone, people with diabetes should try to eat only small amounts of foods that are high in sugar or fat, or both. If you have diabetes you can eat cakes and biscuits sparingly, as part of a balanced diet.
