Since
refreshments are a standard for almost any church activity,
I often would rely on chocolate chip cookies when I was short
on time. When one of my new beehives informed me she was
allergic to chocolate, I had to make a difficult transition.
It has taken a lot of creativity to come up with other refreshments
for their many activities, since I’m such a chocoholic.
Food allergies
affect only about 2% of the adult population and 3% of children.
According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (www.foodallergy.com),
the most common foods that cause allergic reactions are peanuts,
shellfish, tree nuts (walnuts, cashews, etc.), milk, soy, wheat,
fish and eggs. The most common problems for children are
eggs, milk, and peanuts.
Symptoms
often experienced that would indicate a possible food allergy
include: itching in the mouth, swelling of tongue and throat,
difficulty breathing, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal
pain, hives, eczema, asthma, or anaphylactic shock (a severe
drop in blood pressure that can be fatal).
Dealing
with the allergy
- Food
Labels: The best way to deal with a food allergy
is avoidance. This will require reading many food labels.
Become familiar with other names on food labels that may trigger
a reaction such as albumin and lecithin (both of these are
egg byproducts).
- Dining
Out: Dining out can be very tricky and may
not be possible for those that are highly sensitive to tiny
amounts of their food allergen. Be sure to quiz the waiter
regarding ingredients in their dishes and for any hidden sources
of the food allergen such as in salad dressings (fish and
eggs are sometimes used in salad dressings).
- Travel:
Careful planning is required before traveling. You can stay
in places where you can prepare your own food and take along
things that are safe to eat.
- Safety
Precautions: People who have had an anaphylactic reaction
should wear a medical alert bracelet and carry a doctor prescribed
epinephrine shot.
Food Intolerance
Many
people confuse food allergies and food intolerance. Food intolerance
is much more common than allergy, but many of the symptoms
can be the same, it is important to be seen by a physician
if you don’t know the cause of your food reaction.
Lactose
intolerance is an example of a food intolerance that affects
about 1 in 10 people. In this condition the body is lacking
enough enzyme to digest milk products. Many people experience
bloating, abdominal pain, and sometimes diarrhea. Some people
can tolerate a glass of milk with each meal, while others
will have problems with just a little bit of milk. Since calcium
is an important nutrient our bodies need, it is not a good
idea to cut out dairy foods completely unless you have to.
The National
Dairy Council gives these ideas in their brochure "Getting
Along with Milk, For People with Lactose Intolerance:"
- Drink
milk in servings of one cup or less with a meal or snack.
When milk is consumed with other food, it is less likely
to cause symptoms.
- Choose
cheese. More than half of the lactose is removed from cheese
in processing. Aged hard cheeses, such as Swiss and cheddar,
have the lowest lactose content of all cheeses.
- Try
yogurt. Most people find that yogurt with active cultures
is well tolerated.
- Treat
yourself to a half-cup serving of ice cream. It stays in
the stomach longer than milk. That makes it less likely
to cause symptoms.
- Look
for lactose-reduced milk in your local grocer’s dairy case.
This milk has about 70 percent less lactose than regular
milk. You may also find other diary foods that are lactose-reduced.
Prepare
milk at home with an enzyme product. Some people prefer the
flavor of lactase-treated milk- it tastes slightly sweeter.
Like
my little transition in preparing food for youth activities,
people that discover they have an allergy or intolerance to
food have to change their lifestyle on a much greater scale.
The best way to deal with a food allergy is to educate yourself
so you can feel in more control of your life.
Resources
Food
Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network
10400 Eaton Place, Suite 107
Fairfax, VA 22030
1/800/929-4040
http://www.foodallery.org/
Lactose
Intolerance
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Box NDDIC
Bethesda, MD 20892
301/654-3810
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/digest/pubs/lactose/lactose.htm
National
Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver
Nurses available to answer questions
1/800/222-LUNG
http://www.njc.org
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