From reddened skin, itching, wheals, asthma and hay fever to gastrointestinal complaints and, in the worst case, severe circulatory problems – the symptoms for food allergies and intolerances are as varied as their triggers. A true allergy is an overreaction of the immune system – in contrast to so-called pseudoallergies, which, however, manifest themselves in a similar way. Typically, the signs of illness occur shortly after eating the allergenic food and also subside quickly when avoiding the food.
Food allergies are hardly treatable
Unlike pollen allergy, there is no possibility of hyposensitization for food allergy. Therefore, the only therapy is consistent avoidance of the food. Exact figures on the frequency of food allergies do not exist for Germany. Experts assume that up to eight percent of children and two percent of adults are allergic to certain foods.
The most common food allergies are to hen’s eggs, cow’s milk, wheat and soy. The allergenic effect comes from certain protein components that the immune system recognizes as foreign and therefore fights.
Reaching the target through “provocation”
It is often not so easy to find the allergy trigger. Real allergies are discovered by specialized doctors with the help of skin and blood tests. However, a positive test result does not necessarily mean that the food also causes symptoms. Only careful omission diets followed by testing of the suspected food (“provocation”) provide reliable proof.
Learning to cope with allergy
After diagnosis, it is especially important for allergy sufferers to educate themselves. He/she can learn to cope with the allergy and avoid the individual food allergens – often without having to give up a “normal life.”
With processed foods, for example, it is important to detect “hidden allergens” in the list of ingredients. For example, if the product is labeled “spices,” it may contain celery, to which some people are allergic. Also, not everyone knows that pasta or margarine may contain chicken egg ingredients. Careful training and advice is therefore essential.
Alternative foods
Suitable alternatives exist for staple foods such as wheat, milk or egg, and not just in specialty stores. For example, people with cow’s milk allergy can use milk, yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese from other animal species (sheep, goat). Soy-based milk substitutes can replace regular milk when baking cakes or refining sauces. Quite often they are even enriched with the important bone-building substance calcium.
Those who “only” react to whey proteins may be able to tolerate very fatty dairy products such as butter, crème frâiche, cream or canned milk. A food allergy is just something very individual and often enough the sensitivity also changes with time.