The number of food allergies requiring treatment is estimated at five to seven percent of the population. Major cause of childhood are cow's milk, soy and egg. Adolescents and adults respond more frequently to raw vegetables and fruits, spices and nuts. These reactions occur in combination with a concomitant pollen allergy. The keyword is cross-allergy.
Allergic reactions to food are not limited to specific organs. The most common symptoms include skin and mucosal reactions (hives, rashes, redness, itching, Quincke's edema). Reactions
in the ear, nose and throat area (sneezing, runny nose), the bronchi
(cough, breathlessness, phlegm) or in the gastro-intestinal tract, such
as bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea or constipation. The
most severe allergic reaction to food is anaphylactic shock, which
manifests itself in the form of a life-threatening circulatory collapse.
An allergy means always an immunologically mediated reaction. The
body reacts to normally harmless substances from the environment over
firing by increasing antibodies - IgE type - against the perceived
source of danger - in this case a food - is. Trigger
the reaction here is not the whole foods, but only a very small part of
a protein (protein =) component, such as components of cow's milk or
soy protein. Come on complaints related
to the consumption of food in the context, the cause is unclear,
however, it is called pseudo-allergies. Trigger
pseudo-allergic reactions are additive (azo dyes, preservatives, dyes),
natural food ingredients (salicylic acid and benzoic acid and
flavorings) and flavor enhancers. As the term suggests, can the symptoms are similar to those lacking the allergy, but the immunological trigger. Continue
to distinguish from allergic disorders utilization of milk and fruit
sugar (lactose intolerance and fructose malabsorption) and the
autoimmune disease (gluten intolerance) are.
Diet - yes or no?
The prerequisite for effective treatment of food allergy is the most serious diagnosis. Be patient, especially in children, because of suspicions hastily put on strict diets. This is often a lack of nutrition and diet, stress result. The first choice for the treatment of food allergy, is to clear diagnosis, in the parental diet, ie Avoiding the foods or ingredients that cause problems. But
it is important not simply omit a food, but to ensure a balanced diet
with allergies and have to continue to enjoy the meal. Why is that every food waiting to be personalized and accompanied by a dietician specializing in allergology. Conveys the German Allergy and Asthma Association will be happy to talk to an expert on site. In the German Allergy and Asthma Association, more than 700 dietitians are involved in a network.
Tips for Food Allergy
Some allergens in food are destroyed by processing methods such as heating, grinding or souring. Especially with fruits and some vegetables, this is the case. Try an apple-allergic thus prefer apple pie or stewed, as a raw apple.
Nuts,
celery, peanuts and most of the animal triggers for allergies are more
heat stable, so here is the complete avoidance of the food needed.
Find
out whether the allergy triggers a "hidden allergen" products, or
processed in bulk lots at the bakers, butchers, etc. can occur.
Be careful with allergies on a balanced diet. Take an individual nutrition counseling. The costs are subsidized by your health insurance.
Keep a food diary symptom. In this book, you enter the foods consumed, environmental factors, medications and symptoms. EV forms are available at the German Allergy and Asthma Association
