Food allergies

[wabbitmom12]

BethM wrote:

wabbitmom12 wrote:

Hey, I blame this whole thing on my mom...MRS. SUPER CLEANNY MOM. Still keeps the most disgustingly clean house on the planet. Allergist said I probably developed the allergies because my body never had to deal with the normal allergens as a kid. But guess what? We did have.......a dog and a cat!

I know that theory sounds logical and good, but I am not convinced: I always had a dog growing up. And now I am severely allergic to dogs. The house I grew up in was also pretty nasty as far as not being clean, and I played outside in the dirt a lot. (Seriously, my grandma dusted at Christmas, SOME years. I can't remember her ever vacuuming. There was usually some sort of food out in the kitchen, not always in a state of freshness. Kitchen/bathrooms, countertops, etc., were rarely cleaned. Mice, roaches, and other pests.) I am now allergic to dust; pretty much all tree/grass/flower pollen; mold; leaf mold; hay; dogs; and cats (my eyes swelled shut the first time I touched a cat when I was 6, and it's been downhill from there.) I am also allergic to cigarette smoke (it triggers my asthma), despite growing up in the house of a 2-pack a day smoker.

My body had to deal with a LOT of normal allergens, and I still now have SEVERE allergies and chronic sinusitus, with recurring polyps in my sinus cavities. *shrug*

:shock:The theory truly does not apply!

 

[pbheather]

I grew up in Texas and Florida. When we lived in Texas, when I was really little, my parents had I think 3 cats. They fed me the normal baby food, but apparently I went to solids really early.

As far as I know, allergies can be there since you were born, or they can develop out of nowhere later in life. It's the wonders of the every changing immune system within the human body. I read somewhere that it's actually a missing protein within certain cells of the body that causes the body to react to allergens, but that may be internet jumble.

I developed both my allergies and asthma when I was 5 months old, and I reacted to certain foods immediately from birth, so we kept away from those. My mother kept a clean house BECAUSE of my allergies. We kept the windows closed and the ac on, I didn't go outside a lot.

A lot of kids who grow up in very clean houses from the start are hit with diseases and viruses harder than kids who went outside into the dirt. Some of us just have a slightly lower immune system than others, and some of us are predisposed to certain conditions (diabetes, asthma, etc). Allergies are elusive, and this isn't supposed to be mean, but kids who grew up both in clean and dirty houses can develop allergies, and it depends on the person how bad the allergies come out to be.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

I know I am becoming allergic to milk. Every time I eat it I get sick now.

I had a allergy as a kid but grew out of it.

All well back to rice dream milk.

 

[wabbitmom12]

pbheather, you make some really good points. Especially when you consider that kids who grew up in the same households often have VERY different immune systems. Four of us grew up with my "Mrs. Super Cleanny Mom". My sister and I have all of the allergies and food sensitivities, and she also has allergy and cold induced asthma. Our brothers....none. And, they are healthy as horses, getting maybe one cold a year, and they SMOKE!! Go figure.

I think it's also important to note that one can also "outgrow" - or "grow into" some allergies. While people who have life-threatening allergies will probably not outgrow them, other people can develop them suddenly at any time. My allergist told me that my children (now teens and young adults) could very well outgrow most of their allergies, or the allergies will at least become less severe. The immune system develops as we grow...and as we are exposed to more things. So, in some ways, it is better to have the allergies as a kid, because by the time you are an adult, you may have developed at least some resistance. You may not have the allergies as severly, or they may quietly fade away altogether.

As with all things allergy related...I think these are guidelinesrather than rules. I bet we all know - or haveexperienced ourselves -EXCEPTIONS to these statements, lol. Isn't that what makes allergies so "fun" to deal with?!

 

[wabbitmom12]

Mrs. PBJ wrote:

I know I am becoming allergic to milk. Every time I eat it I get sick now.

I had a allergy as a kid but grew out of it.

All well back to rice dream milk.

Ya, that one is pretty common, unfortunately. Can you eat yogurt with active cultures? Many people find that easy to digest. My 18 year old can't drink milk, but tolerates most other milk products pretty well, especially when they are cooked (like cheese in a casserole.)

 

[pbheather]

My doctors have told me that because I developed the allergies young, and because I am female, that I am unlikely to grow out of them. A boy with allergies really young will have a high chance of growing out of the allergies.

I have a milk allergy, and it's not digestive, which is odd, I guess. I was having extreme tension headaches for two years before I found it I was allergic to milk. The allergist I go to told me to stay away from milk, and other allergens, and my headaches went away but for about once a week, and that's from stress. Otherwise, I'm headache free.

I have actually gained allergies in the last year or so. I developed my milk, wheat, and tomato allergies in that year, and it has been a big change food wise. Before, it was fish/shellfish, melon, peanut, green peas, and strawberries (did grow out of that one ). Those were really easy to stay away from. The tomatoes, not so easy. It's in EVERYTHING I like pretty much. Wheat is getting easier because the local grocery store is adding more and more gluten-free bread stuff. Milk is not easy when I go out, because a lot of sauces have milk, and I like ice cream, but there's some good soy alternatives.

Yea, all of these are guidelines. There really aren't any rules other than stay away from your allergen and get treatment when it's needed. Everyone has different allergies, and even if they have the same allergies, it may be different tolerances.

 

[wabbitmom12]

pbheather wrote:

My doctors have told me that because I developed the allergies young, and because I am female, that I am unlikely to grow out of them. A boy with allergies really young will have a high chance of growing out of the allergies.

I have a milk allergy, and it's not digestive, which is odd, I guess. I was having extreme tension headaches for two years before I found it I was allergic to milk. The allergist I go to told me to stay away from milk, and other allergens, and my headaches went away but for about once a week, and that's from stress. Otherwise, I'm headache free.

I have actually gained allergies in the last year or so. I developed my milk, wheat, and tomato allergies in that year, and it has been a big change food wise. Before, it was fish/shellfish, melon, peanut, green peas, and strawberries (did grow out of that one ). Those were really easy to stay away from. The tomatoes, not so easy. It's in EVERYTHING I like pretty much. Wheat is getting easier because the local grocery store is adding more and more gluten-free bread stuff. Milk is not easy when I go out, because a lot of sauces have milk, and I like ice cream, but there's some good soy alternatives.

Yea, all of these are guidelines. There really aren't any rules other than stay away from your allergen and get treatment when it's needed. Everyone has different allergies, and even if they have the same allergies, it may be different tolerances.

:shock:I had never heard the difference between male vs. female in regard to allergies! That is so interesting.

Your last paragraph is right on the money too.The seasons even affect the severity of my allergies. It makes sense, because you can get "overload"....I have to really watch corn near the end of summer, for example, because the pollen from it is EVERYWHERE (In Indiana anyway, lol), as well as the molds, etc, that are related to it. But, in the winter, it is only a minor annoyance, and infrequently at that.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

wabbitmom12 wrote:

Mrs. PBJ wrote:

I know I am becoming allergic to milk. Every time I eat it I get sick now.

I had a allergy as a kid but grew out of it.

All well back to rice dream milk.

Ya, that one is pretty common, unfortunately.  Can you eat yogurt with active cultures?  Many people find that easy to digest.  My 18 year old can't drink milk, but tolerates most other milk products pretty well, especially when they are cooked (like cheese in a casserole.)

I get the potties from the back end when I eat or drink anything with milk in it. Its has been happening a few years now and I never understood why. Then a friend of mine told me to write down everything I eat. Every time I had anything with milk in it I had the runs shell we say.

When I eat Ice cream I cough. Uncontrollably for about 30 minute afterwords. So I grew out of my milk allergy at about 5 or 6.

So if I think back when I was like 19 and never realized it tell now. My doctor wants to do a test but my new health insurance has to approve it first.

But I know I asked my mother and she said it is the same reaction I had as a kid.

 

[Brandy456]

I hate that people just assume you're a picky eater when you ask for something not in your dish.
and even if you were, taking tomatoes out of a dish, if they were smart enough they'd notice TOMATOES LEAVE ACIDIC JUICE BEHIND.

I somewhat allergic to Shrimp. I don't have an epi-pen, and I don't go into that 'shock' that some people do. I just get heaves and I can't breath. People just think I don't like shrimp and I give up, if restaurants can't hire people who care for the well being of their customer, then their not worth re-visiting.
I'm sorry you had to go through that.
I remember when I went down to Nova Scotia, my uncle and aunt own a restaurant there and I worked a bit for them (nothing much else to do) and had to clean pots and whatever material used before we start a dish when someone requested something changed in the meal.

 

[wabbitmom12]

Brandy456 wrote:

I hate that people just assume you're a picky eater when you ask for something not in your dish.
and even if you were, taking tomatoes out of a dish, if they were smart enough they'd notice TOMATOES LEAVE ACIDIC JUICE BEHIND.

I somewhat allergic to Shrimp. I don't have an epi-pen, and I don't go into that 'shock' that some people do. I just get heaves and I can't breath. People just think I don't like shrimp and I give up, if restaurants can't hire people who care for the well being of their customer, then their not worth re-visiting.
I'm sorry you had to go through that.
I remember when I went down to Nova Scotia, my uncle and aunt own a restaurant there and I worked a bit for them (nothing much else to do) and had to clean pots and whatever material used before we start a dish when someone requested something changed in the meal.

:shock: WOW!! That is a LOT of extra work. It makes sense when a person has such severe allergies that it could be life-threatening, but I never even thought about how careful you would have to be with the cooking utensils.

It makes me think of something else...anyone with severe peanut allergies can relate, I'm sure: We had a young boy at our church named Ben (he was like 8 or 10, I think) who had a life threatening peanut allergy. The church board decided togrant the request of his parents to make the church a 100% nut-free building. No foods were to be brought in for dinners or fellowships, Sunday School class snacks, etc, with nuts of any sort. This little guy was SO allergic....if a crumb from a cookie with a peanut in it fell under the table in his classroom, and he walked in,it could cause anaphylaxis. His family NEVER ate out because they just couldn't trust the restaurant people to be careful enough. One or two scary emergency room trips convinced them it was better to eat at home, where you knew how everything was handled.

At church, if people forgot the nut-ban, his poor parents would literally be cleaning the church from top to bottom. Not a small feat...wehave almost 350 people in our congregation, so you have an idea of the size of the building. Besides the sanctuary, thereare 2 fellowship areas, 2 kitchens, 8 bathrooms, 2 nurseries, and at least 20 classrooms. The crazy thing was, ittook MONTHS for people to really takeBen's plight seriously enough to follow the ban 100%. It seemed like every time you turned around, someone would bring in cookies with peanuts....labelled"WITH NUTS".SORRY!!!! DING, DING, DING!!! WRONG! KeepingBen from eating cookies with nuts was only a small part of the battle, so to speak. It was theCRUMBS that could be carried around on shoes, for days and days, to every single area of the building.It was like some peoplejust couldn't grasp it. I mean, they were"trying" to be careful by labelling the items "with nuts"....right?!

When I worked the kitchen or the fellowship times, we would watch like hawks whateveryone brought in. At the first sign of "THE LABEL", we would immediately take the dish out and put it in one of our cars before it could accidentally get unwrapped.Then someone would have to hunt down the contributor, after the event, and explain why the ban was a COMPLETE ban....while trying not to hurt or offend their feelings.

Some people would ask, why was it fair for Ben's parents to ask the church members to make this allowance for him. But, you know, it was really just a matter of giving up something that was NOT essential, in order to protect the life of this little boy that we all loved (and to preserve the sanity of his poor parents.) Really, it was a small thing to ask or do, when you consider what was at stake. I believe that once everyone really got it in their heads...really UNDERSTOOD the reasons forit...the 100% nut ban was followed willingly, and without resentment, by the vast majority of the members.

 

[BethM]

Brandy456 wrote:

I hate that people just assume you're a picky eater when you ask for something not in your dish.

This is perpetuated by people like my sister-in-law. She INSISTS that she's deathly allergic to shrimp and other shellfish. However, when she's in town we all go out for dim sum, and she will get the noodles that have shrimp in them and then just pick them out (with the chopsticks she eats with) and eat the noodles. One time, we had dofu skin rolls, and I cut mine in half and two whole shrimp fell out. I pushed them behind something else, and looked at her: She at two of those rolls and didn't even NOTICE there were shrimp in them, no allergic reaction whatsoever.
She also sometimes claims to be allergic to all fish, but I have seen her eat salmon.

I really dislike her for this. She does it because she gets more attention from "being allergic" to fish than she does for simply admitting she just doesn't like it.

 

[BethM]

wabbitmom12 wrote:

It makes me think of something else...anyone with severe peanut allergies can relate, I'm sure: We had a young boy at our church named Ben (he was like 8 or 10, I think) who had a life threatening peanut allergy. The church board decided togrant the request of his parents to make the church a 100% nut-free building. No foods were to be brought in for dinners or fellowships, Sunday School class snacks, etc, with nuts of any sort. This little guy was SO allergic....if a crumb from a cookie with a peanut in it fell under the table in his classroom, and he walked in,it could cause anaphylaxis. His family NEVER ate out because they just couldn't trust the restaurant people to be careful enough. One or two scary emergency room trips convinced them it was better to eat at home, where you knew how everything was handled.

I hope that kid is never on an airplane with me. I always take a big can of mixed nuts (including peanuts) with me when I have to fly, or sometimes a peanut butter sandwich. I find flying so exhausting, I feel like I need the extra protein to deal with it.

 

[TribalJMD]

I've got a weird one for ya, I'm allergic to Strawberry Soda. Nothing else strawberry flavored, no candy or the real thing, just the soda.

 

[wabbitmom12]

TribalJMD wrote:

I've got a weird one for ya, I'm allergic to Strawberry Soda. Nothing else strawberry flavored, no candy or the real thing, just the soda.

That is a strange one. But, I can believe that, because my daughter had some really weird allergies when she was tiny, from birth until about age 6. Some of them included anything RED. You would think "Aha! RED DYE." But, it could not have been just that. She couldn't even eat watermelon!I used to have a list of "No No's" in her diaper bag, and some of the things on it were: Skittles, life savers, candy canes, red licorice, jellies & jams, strawberries, watermelon, tomatoes, taffy, any juice except apple, etc.She usually got severe hives and a site reaction on both sets of cheeks. (face and bottom.). She could eat apples, but of course the flesh is not red...just the peel is, and that didn't seem to bother her. I was never so happy as when she outgrew these allergies...her brothers and I used to sneak strawberries for a snack when she napped! She loved them so much, we had to hide them in a covered bowl in the fridge so she didn't know we had them in the house.

 

[wabbitmom12]

BethM wrote:

wabbitmom12 wrote:

It makes me think of something else...anyone with severe peanut allergies can relate, I'm sure: We had a young boy at our church named Ben (he was like 8 or 10, I think) who had a life threatening peanut allergy. The church board decided togrant the request of his parents to make the church a 100% nut-free building. No foods were to be brought in for dinners or fellowships, Sunday School class snacks, etc, with nuts of any sort. This little guy was SO allergic....if a crumb from a cookie with a peanut in it fell under the table in his classroom, and he walked in,it could cause anaphylaxis. His family NEVER ate out because they just couldn't trust the restaurant people to be careful enough. One or two scary emergency room trips convinced them it was better to eat at home, where you knew how everything was handled.

I hope that kid is never on an airplane with me. I always take a big can of mixed nuts (including peanuts) with me when I have to fly, or sometimes a peanut butter sandwich. I find flying so exhausting, I feel like I need the extra protein to deal with it.

I am almost 100% positive they would never consider flying with Ben, considering that many airlines do still give peanuts for a snack. I know what you mean, though. I usually try to carry nuts or seeds with me when traveling, too.

 

[BethM]

The allergy to red things reminds me....My mom developed an allergy to cinnamon when she was in her mid-30's. She had always been fine with it, then one day she somehow ate a whole package of Red Hots candies. The tissues in her mouth and throat swelled up and felt burnt for a few days immediately afterwards. Now, she can't eat ANYTHING with cinnamon in it. No artificial flavor, no real cinnamon. Well, she sometimes will, but is always uncomfortable afterwards. Once she had a piece of apple pie I made, it had 1/4 tsp of cinnamon in the whole pie, and she only had a half of a slice- her mouth was sore for days after.
Since I am now in my mid-30's, I try to avoid anything with intense cinnamon flavoring. I still use natural cinnamon, but I don't want to tempt fate with cinnamon gum or candy. (My mom's sister is also a little bit sensitive to it, as is Her daughter, so it might be hereditary somehow.) My mom is also allergic to bananas.


As for the red....red colors in fruits and vegetables (and fall leaves) are red due to anthocyanins. Maybe your daughter was sensitive to them?

 

[Brandy456]

Who else is allergic to Shrimp?

 

[wabbitmom12]

BethM wrote:

The allergy to red things reminds me....My mom developed an allergy to cinnamon when she was in her mid-30's. She had always been fine with it, then one day she somehow ate a whole package of Red Hots candies. The tissues in her mouth and throat swelled up and felt burnt for a few days immediately afterwards. Now, she can't eat ANYTHING with cinnamon in it. No artificial flavor, no real cinnamon. Well, she sometimes will, but is always uncomfortable afterwards. Once she had a piece of apple pie I made, it had 1/4 tsp of cinnamon in the whole pie, and she only had a half of a slice- her mouth was sore for days after.
Since I am now in my mid-30's, I try to avoid anything with intense cinnamon flavoring. I still use natural cinnamon, but I don't want to tempt fate with cinnamon gum or candy. (My mom's sister is also a little bit sensitive to it, as is Her daughter, so it might be hereditary somehow.) My mom is also allergic to bananas. My mom and I are also both sensitive to bananas and cinnamon. Are wonder if the two foods are related somehow (as in a certain chemical that is causing the problem)? Mom's is much worse than mine, having developed and degenerated over the course of a few decades. She can eat bananas in banana bread and that is all.For her, fresh bananas= weird mouth AND terrible sour stomache. Pretty similar for cinnamon, but not quite as severe.

Mine is more of the weird tongue/mouth after consuming it, especiallyif not part of a cooked recipe. Slightly swollen and itchy tongue and mouth. DefinitelyCANNOT chew cinnamon gum (which I love), but some candies are okay, if I eat just a couple ofpieces. Absolutely cannot eat a powder sugar cinnamon-coated donut.


As for the red....red colors in fruits and vegetables (and fall leaves) are red due to anthocyanins. Maybe your daughter was sensitive to them? Ooo! Ooo! New term! :biggrin2: I stopped seeing the allergist when I didn't need the shots anymore, so I'm not up on terminology...what is anthocyanins?! I had never any clue what the red allergy was...you may be solving a 15 year old mystery for me! Please enlighten!!

 

[BethM]

wabbitmom12 wrote:

Ooo! Ooo! New term! :biggrin2: I stopped seeing the allergist when I didn't need the shots anymore, so I'm not up on terminology...what is anthocyanins?! I had never any clue what the red allergy was...you may be solving a 15 year old mystery for me! Please enlighten!!

Anthocyanins are an antioxidant that are found in plant tissues. They occur inside cells, mostly in outer layers of tissue. They are responsible for purple and red colors in plants. Apple skin, tomatoes, strawberries, etc, get their red color from anthocyanins. Some can appear purple (eggplant skin, grapes, etc). It seems that the anthocyanins work something like a sunscreen, absorbing particular wavelengths off light to help prevent sun scald on sensitive tissues (like fruits).
When leaves turn red in the autumn, it is because of anthocyanins. A cold snap will kill the chlorophyll (green) cells in leaves, so the red that has been there all along will become visible.

I don't know if that is what your daughter was sensitive to....but it's the only thing I can think of that is common to all red fruits. I also don't know if anthocyanins (or chemicals containing them) are used to make food dyes, as she was also sensitive to artificially-colored red things. Could be, though.
*Concord grape skins are often used to produce food dyes (often listed as "natural color"), and would still contain the anthocyanins, but if she wasn't allergic to purple grapes, that shouldn't have bothered her.


As for bananas and cinnamon...
I just spent some time looking that up. I can't seem to find a link between the two, but I wouldn't rule it out. Do you have trouble with any other tree bark?

*Also, remember that most "cinnamon" that is currently on the market these days is actually from the bark of the Cassia tree (Cinnamomum cassia), and is not actual cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum). So people with "cinnamon" allergy are actually most likely allergic to cassia.

Interestingly, my husband is allergic to bananas and all kinds of melons, also oranges. All of those things will make him vomit, unless consumed in very tiny amounts.
His sister (the shrimp-allergy-faker) is allergic to mangoes. I think this one is fairly common. Mangoes are closely related to poison ivy, which she is also extremely allergic to. The sap from the tree and fruit skin can cause poison ivy-like outbreaks, due to their similarity. Cashews are also related, but few people in this country come into contact with the fruits/sap of the trees.

I've read a bit that allergies to certain kinds of pollen can trigger allergic reactions when you eat a food that has chemicals very similar to those in the pollens. I guess an allergy to birch pollen can cause a reaction to avocados, peaches, bell peppers, and other things; and an allergy to ragweed can cause a reaction to melons, fresh cucumbers, zucchini, and other things. I'm seeing banana on both lists, at different websites.

However. Once again, I am the exception. I find myself allergic to every kind of pollen I come into contact with, but don't seem to have food allergy/sensitivity. Too weird.

 

[wabbitmom12]

BethM wrote:

However. Once again, I am the exception. I find myself allergic to every kind of pollen I come into contact with, but don't seem to have food allergy/sensitivity. Too weird.

Thank goodness for small blessings