Allergy Diet, Foods

Food allergies are a very common problem, affecting thousands of men, women and children around the globe. It can be described as an immune system reaction, which occurs after the consumption of certain food items. Even consuming the tiniest amount of food that you are allergic to, could cause you to experience severe symptoms, some of which include swelling, hives, a rash, swollen airways and breathing problems to name a few. Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, it is important for you to identify which foods you are allergic to and then eliminate them from your diet completely. While there are some foods and beverages that you may be able to easily exclude from your allergy diet like coke, sweets, and so on, there are several foods like milk, eggs, wheat and so on that are difficult to eliminate from a regular diet.

Hence, in such instances, people may need to follow a specialized allergy diet plan.

Milk Allergy Diet

There are many people, especially children who have an adverse reaction to milk and other dairy products, or even food items that may contain milk, such as chocolate. Hence, an individual following a milk allergy diet needs to avoid foods that contain any form of milk or milk products. While buying foods, it is important to check the labels and avoid anything that has milk solids, nougat, lacto globulin, hydrolysates and casein. Foods that should be excluded from a milk allergy diet include milk, milkshakes, malts, buttermilk, yogurt, ice cream, and frozen yogurt, any type of cheese, sour cream and eggnog. While eating out, pastas made in white sauce, as well as mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, pancakes and waffles should also be avoided, as they could contain a small amount of milk. It is important to ensure that all children, especially babies and toddlers, who are following a milk protein allergy diet, are monitored by a doctor.

Yeast Allergy Diet

Yeast is a type of fungi, found not just in many food items, but also in the human body. People who are allergic to these fungi should only consume foods that are free of yeast. Hence, foods that should be eliminated from a yeast allergy diet are mushrooms, canned fruit juice, dried fruit, cream cheese, powdered milk, wine or other alcoholic beverages, vinegar, apple cider vinegar, bread, cookies, cakes, pies, crackers and muffins.

Gluten Allergy Diet

There are many people, especially children, who are asked to avoid products containing gluten for various reasons. People who are on a gluten allergy diet should read the labels of all the foods they buy, to ensure that none of them contain vegetable gum, starch (except corn starch), vegetable protein, various flavorings, malt, cereals or flour. When eating out, foods that should be avoided by people following a gluten allergy diet include gravies, meatloaf, creamy food and foods that contain bread. It is best to consume fresh fruit, veggies, potatoes, corn, beans, rice and meats that have been broiled or roasted, like beef, chicken, turkey and fish.

Egg Allergy Diet

Egg allergies are very common in many people, which could be a bit of a problem, since most commercial food products contain eggs. While visible eggs are easy to eliminate, foods with hidden eggs are not. Foods that should be completely avoided by people following an egg allergy diet are:

Egg noodles or pasta
Commercially baked cakes, muffins, breads
Pancakes, waffles, donuts, chocolate, ice cream, pudding and cookies
Custard and fruit whips
Soup or stock cleared with egg or even soup that contains egg noodles
Salad dressing, mayonnaise, hollandaise and tartar sauce

Many people prepare their recipes with tofu or egg substitute, to avoid any adverse reactions.

Corn Allergy Diet

It is not just enough for people who are allergic to corn, to simply eliminate corn kernels and baby corn from their diets. Corn is present in most processed and commercial food items, in the form of corn starch or grits and eating such food could trigger off severe allergic reactions. Hence, people on a corn allergy diet should read labels to ensure that none of the foods they consume contain corn oil, cornstarch, maize, grits, dextrose, Sweetose, corn syrup and cornmeal. Hence, cornflakes, popcorn, tortilla chips and grits are also unsafe foods. Many food items contain some form of corn and therefore, people should be careful when consuming soup, fried food, peanut butter, cheese, Chinese food, spreads, gravies, candies, ketchup, sauces, salad dressing, gum and so on.

There are several customized allergy diet recipes that can easily be found through various online resources. However, before following any allergy diet menu, it is absolutely essential to get it approved from a doctor as well as a dietitian. In case you notice any allergies symptoms in spite of following a food allergy diet, it is essential for you to consult a doctor immediately.

Submitted on January 16, 2014