10 Most Common Food Allergies in U.S.

90% of food allergies in the United States are to these 10 foods: 

1. Cow’s milk: (e.g. nonfat milk, 2% milk, whole milk, creamer, half and half, butter, cheese, sour cream, creme cheese, whey, cottage cheese, lactabumin, phosphate, casein, sodium casinate, lactose, curds.)  

2. Egg 

3. Soy

4. Wheat

5. Peanut

6. Tree nut (e.g., almonds, walnuts, coconut and pecans)

7. Fish

8. Crustacean shellfish
9. Corn
10. Sesame Seed

Experts do not know why some foods cause more allergy than others. Very frequently, patients with pollen allergies have mild cross-reactions to fresh fruits, such as apples, peaches, cherries and to raw vegetables, such as carrots and celery. Food Allergies are a global issue, with over 150 Million people found to have allergies to one or more foods. Food allergies can come on at any point in a person's life, from newborns to elderly. Some children can outgrow some food allergies but it is very unlikely to outgrow food allergies as an adult. 

Hidden ingredients that contain food allergens in products: 

Bread: I have found that most store bought bread has some milk component in it. Every bread needs to be checked. Generally speaking, most breads baked in a bakery do not have milk in them, unless it is an obvious cheese bread. 

Soy Sauce: Check all ingredients, there are some wheat free products out there, but most all soy sauce contains wheat and of course soy. 

Soy Cheese: This is the one that is greatly disappointing. Most soy cheeses on the market contain a milk component. Such a shame. There is absolutely no point in this at all. If a person is buying soy cheese, they are likely allergic to milk or a vegan (who will not buy an animal product). Always read the labels. Obviously it has soy in it as well. 
Pesto: Most pesto contains pine nuts and Parmesan cheese (which is cow's milk and tree nut)
Vegan products: Many vegan products contain tree nuts. 
Skin care products: A lot of lotions, facial cremes, conditioners, and other skin care products have almond oil, walnut, sesame,egg, soy. Read product labels before using, as the beauty manufactures are not required to list top 10 food allergens as the food manufacturers are.  

Q: What is the most difficult ingredient to take out of a kitchen? A. SOY.

Soy is in a lot of the ingredients that I investigate in commercial kitchens. It's in most sauces, cooking sprays and alternate products.  

Food Allergy List in Spanish: 

Milk (Leche)	caseína, caseinato, lactoalbúmina, lactoferrina, lactulosa, suero
Eggs (Huevos)	albúmina, globulina conalbúmina, lecitina, livetina, lisozima, merengue, ovoalbúmina, ovoglobulina, ovolactohydrolyzed proteínas, ovomacroglogulin, ovomucina, ovomucoide, ovotranferin, ovovitellin, silico-albuminato, vitelina, yema de huevo, claras de huevo
Soy (Soja/Soya)	lecitina, proteínas de los alimentos modificados, la soja albúmina, fibra de soja, harina de soja, granos de soja, leche de soya, nueces de soya, proteína de soja P34, brotes de soja
Wheat (Trigo)	almidón de los alimentos, kamut, espelta, proteína de trigo, Durham, triticale, centeno, cebada
Peanuts (Cacahuates)	las nueces de cerveza, cacahuetes, nueces, aceite de cacahuete del mono
Tree Nuts (Nueces de árbol)	almendras, hayucos, castaña, nuez Bush, anacardos, castañas, coco, avellana, nuez ginko, avellanas, nueces de lichi, nueces de macadamia, pacanas, piñones, pistachos, karité, nuez
Fish (Pescado)	anchoas, lobina, bagre, el caviar, bacalao, lenguado, mero, abadejo, merluza, el arenque, el mahi mahi, la perca, el lucio, abadejo, salmón, bacalao de, pargo único, pez espada, tilapia, trucha, atún
Shellfish (Marisco/Crustáceo)	crustáceos, abulón, almejas, cangrejos, cangrejos, equinodermos, langosta, mejillones, ostras, vieiras, erizos de mar

Contact a food allergy consultant today for help in food allergy education, recipe development, menu identification and allergy alert systems in your commercial kitchen. www.ilaraholland.com

Gluten Free: Fad or Forever?

From Food Allergy Gal

Gluten Free? Health Fad or Here to stay

I hear people going "gluten free" or "dairy free" to stay thin or because they think it's "healthy." Some people take one look at me and say, "I wish I had food allergies. I would be thin too." I'm flattered- but with or without food allergies, I was thin. This is not a lifestyle choice for me. This is not something I will be able to stop doing when I reach my "perfect weight." I'm sorry to report the 10 most common food allergens are things that also contain many good vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. I MUST live this way to avoid being very sick and/or dying with some foods. While Gluten may sounds like Gluttony, please don't think it is or has anything to do with it.

Just because there is a shiny red or green sticker on something in the stores now, does not mean it's "healthy." A recent tell all truth from major food manufactures- speaks to this healthy perception as well, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/the-extraordinary-science-of-junk-food.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0. This article will knock you on your feet. 

Healthy is all perception. If I share one lesson learned in life, it is this, "Every person has their own molecular set up, whatever "healthy diet" your best friend or neighbor is on, might not be equally as good for you. Know your body, be honest with yourself about your body and the foods you put in. Keep track of your body. I am not a nutritionist, a life coach, a doctor, a scientist, a fitness instructor or anything of the sort. I am just Food Allergy Gal, experienced in life and my own medical issues. I've watched and listened to others and had my own life experience. I do research and I read and then fact check. Speak with a doctor, nutritionist or coach before you cut out one of the healthy food pyramid items or journal what you ate and how you felt after. 

Love your food

Before food allergies, I lived by the following sayings, "Love your food! Be able to pronounce the food you are eating. Cook with real ingredients." Yes, I did use whole milk, half and half, butter, yogurt and cheese in my cooking before diagnosed with one of food allergies. It's delicious and I miss the flavor, but I don't miss feeling sick.  I also made delicious pear and walnut salads, fried chicken, and sushi (not all a the same time of course). I've tried to eat a little bit of everything in my life and have hardly ever passed up trying something new in food, of course this is a heck of a lot harder with 9 food allergies now. 

There are 3 million, DIAGNOSED Celiacs in America and about 5 million globally. Gluten is the root of the problem for celiacs. They MUST live a 100% GLUTEN FREE lifestyle in order to live without being constantly sick. People with celiac will never "outgrow" it and there is no cure, just as there is no cure for food allergies. 

This is serious! A serious lifelong illness, not a fad diet plan that will fade away. 
Food allergies and intolerance are not going away either, they are increasing rapidly as a matter of fact. If you feel better when you don't eat something, there is a chance that food is not right for you. If you can't breathe, turn itchy or red or have diarrhea  nausea or vomiting after eating something, you likely have an intolerance or food allergy to that item. Read everything you can on things. 

Did you know a lot of alternative to wheat flours are actually higher in calories than wheat, in most cases? If you can eat wheat, I recommend you do. Leave the gluten free, dairy free, food allergy free items- to those who CANNOT. If bread makes you feel fat, try eating more vegetables  try looking up different ways to prepare them. Talk to JamieLiving.com- who is awesome at coming up with healthy ways to incorporate good foods and recipes into your regular day. 
Eating gluten free pancakes, bread, and crackers might contribute to further obesity or unwanted weight gain. 

Skin Testing

Food Allergy testing is done by skin test, blood test, and elimination. Celiac disease is a longer more drawn out process that includes, stool samples, blood work, small intestine biopsy and monitoring. Either way, see a professional and do your homework before you start living without gluten. 

If you don't have an allergy or intolerance to food, PLEASE STOP staying that you do, it gives the rest of us who have an allergy, a bad name. If you are picky, just say so. If you are food intolerant, say that, if you are dieting without, say that.  Be honest to the Chef and Food Server. Let them know, so they can better serve you.   Food allergies are not a FAD or TREND. If you haven't been tested for food allergies, your body isn't breaking out in hives, welts, cyst, you aren't having GI issues, migraines, acne, bloating, throat isn't swelling up, tongue isn't itchy, skin isn't red, dry, and flaky... you probably don't have a food allergy. Don't claim you have an allergy to lose weight though. 

Gluten is NOT a 10 most common food allergy by the way- WHEAT resides in top 10 food allergen list and yes, wheat does happen to have gluten in it,  but gluten is not wheat. I have an article on what Gluten is... It's very helpful. Click Here for gluten information.  Click to see the 10 most common Food Allergens

Don't take my word for it, let me give you more experts on this subject: 

A Medical Doctor on "Is Gluten Free Healthier?": 

More and more groceries and health food stores stock gluten-free products. That’s good news for people with celiac disease, who for health reasons should not eat wheat with gluten. Yet paradoxically, most of the people who reach for gluten-free products don’t have celiac disease and or even a sensitivity to wheat, Peter H.R. Green, MD, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, told WebMD. "The market for gluten-free products is exploding. Why exactly we don’t know. Many people may just perceive that a gluten-free diet is healthier." In fact, it isn't.  For people with celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is essential. But for others, "unless people are very careful, a gluten-free diet can lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber," says Green.

A registered Dietitian on Gluten Free Diets:
“A gluten free diet is designed for those with the medical diagnosis of gluten sensitivities and reactions. It was not designed to be a weight loss program,” celebrity nutritionist and registered dietitian Lisa DeFazio told Celebuzz. “Do not just follow the diet because Miley and Victoria are doing it!” DeFazio says people should not just jump on the gluten-free bandwagon for the sake of it, especially since it can cause weight gain.

“Gluten free foods may have other ingredients such as fat that you do not need,” said DeFazio. “It is a strict diet and if you are not gluten sensitive or have Celiac, you are putting yourself through unnecessary restrictions.

“Unfortunately in Hollywood, celebs announce their diet plan and everyone wants to do it, but these celebrities are not medical experts so do not follow their lead without seeing the REAL qualified experts to see if you really need to restrict your diet!”

For my fellow Food Allergics, when you are headed out to dinner and want to check a restaurants allergy rating, check out AllergyEats and it would be awesome to have you RATE restaurants you've eaten out, to help us all.  http://www.allergyeats.com/

If you have a restaurant and  want to improve you food allergy rating/knowledge and specialty menu selections, let us partner with you. We can now easily post accomodating menus on line- specialized for each person's dietary restrictions. 

www.ilaraholland.com

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