Foods that cause allergies

Over the past two decades, the number of diagnosed allergic diseases has doubled. In addition to the various types of allergies known to medicine, a new variant has emerged – food intolerance. However, idiosyncrasy has been known for a long time, but only a few suffered from it, perhaps because of this the disease has not been studied as thoroughly as other diseases. Today, products that cause allergies are widespread, and their list is growing every year.

So, quite recently soy was considered almost the most dietary product in the world, but in just ten years, starting in 2000, the number of allergic reactions to soy products has grown from 1% to 22-25%. More than 10% of allergy sufferers of the younger age group, that is, children, and about 5% of adults suffer from intolerance to one or another product. Most often, products that cause allergies are protein foods, since protein is a heat-stable component, that is, it does not lose its immunogenicity during heat treatment, and protein is also quite resistant to the effects of enzymes and acids. The most aggressive in terms of provoking allergies are cow's milk and all products containing it, fish and chicken eggs. Protein can also be contained in small quantities in plant foods, despite the small amount, protein components can quite provoke food intolerance.

Here is a short list of the main products containing immunogenic protein:

• Wheat and its derivatives (porridges).
• Rye and products containing rye.
• Oats and oat products.
• Rice.
• Corn.
• Soybeans and some other legumes – beans, peanuts, lupines.
• Almost all umbelliferous plants – parsley, carrots, celery, dill.
• Almost all nightshades - eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes.
• Fruits and berries containing some amount of protein and salicylates – strawberries, peaches, apples, strawberries, kiwi, avocado, watermelon.
• Almost all nuts - chestnuts, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds.
• Plants of the cruciferous family – radish, mustard, cabbage, horseradish.

Read also: 8 Common Foods That Cause Allergies Food allergies The rating of the most dangerous food allergens has been compiled

The allergy-causing products from the list above may be relatively safe for a long time. However, if you have gastrointestinal diseases, allergy readiness, or an existing allergic reaction to pollen, medications, or another substance, food can become a real trigger for a severe allergy.

Allergy-causing foods manifest themselves with the following symptoms:

• Dyspepsia, diarrhea, colic.
• Nausea and vomiting. In children under one year of age – frequent regurgitation.
• Itching.
• Hives.
• Atopic dermatitis.
• Swelling of the lips and face.
• Allergic rhinitis.
• Allergic conjunctivitis.
• Coughing up to an asthma attack.

Anaphylactic shock due to food allergies is rare and is most often caused by peanuts, lobsters, crabs, crayfish, eggs and fish.

Allergy-causing products can also provoke aphthous stomatitis, when an allergic reaction develops in the oral cavity. The tongue, lips, and throat swell, all of these symptoms are combined with severe itching and colitis. Most often, allergic stomatitis occurs in adolescents after eating citrus fruits, mushrooms, or nuts. Attacks of bronchial asthma are typical for adult allergy sufferers, and they are provoked by tomatoes, carrots, or apples. Hives and dermatitis are provoked by nuts.

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How do foods that trigger allergies combine?

It should be noted that many allergists are convinced that allergies are provoked not so much by the product itself, but by its quantity, the portion consumed by a person. In addition, there are cross-reactions, when an allergy to one product can be combined with a reaction to a completely different food. Thus, for example, peanuts can provoke an allergy to all legumes. The following information must be taken into account when creating a hypoallergenic menu:

Diagnosed allergy	Risk of reaction to such a product	Risk percentage
Peanut	Legumes – beans, lentils, peas	5%
Walnut	Cashew, hazelnut, filbert, seeds	37%
Red fish, caviar	Sea fish	50%
Shrimps	Crabs, crayfish, lobsters	80%
Wheat	All cereals, oats, barley and rye	20%
Cow's milk protein	Beef meat	10-15%
Cow's milk protein	Sheep or goat milk	85%
Flowering of wormwood and birch	Peach, apples, melon, cucumber, pepper	50-60%
Melon	Avocado, watermelon and melon	90%
Peach	Cherry, pear, plum, green apples	50-60%
Latex, rubber	Banana, kiwi, avocado	35-40%

If food idiosyncrasy is confirmed, the products causing the allergy should be eliminated from the diet for at least six months. Such elimination is often the easiest and most reliable way to get rid of food intolerance without additional specific treatment.