Question of the Day: Do you have food allergies?
The non-food allergy season is upon us here at Serious Eats HQ, and the pollen from budding trees and plants has us itchy-eyed and sneezy. But worse than that, we thought, would be allergies brought on by our favorite foods.
So, do you or anyone you know have allergies? If so, to what? And what's the scariest food allergy incident you've dealt with?
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21 Comments:
My sister in law is seriously alleric to nuts of all kinds, peas, all types of shell fish. And she is mildy allergic to eggs - she can have a little, but not alot...in baked goods is fine. You can imagine how difficult it is to cook for her.
Lilartist at 9:16AM on 05/01/07
I have a shellfish allergy -- no mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels, etc). Luckily, I guess, it is not a life-threatening respiratory issue, just a day-wrecking gastrointestinal horror.
Rescriptrix at 9:46AM on 05/01/07
I'm lactose intolerant; so, of course, many of my favorite foods are dairy based. I used to take OTC pills with dairy products, but this was very hit or miss, and *not* to be done away from home. Now, there's a daily OTC pill that allows me to have ice cream and (my favorite dairy) sour cream without even thinking about it. In the last ten years, I threw away my glasses (lasered) and now I can also eat onion-soup dip! My teenaged wishes came through, albeit a bit later than I'd hoped.
Barbara Hanson at 10:32AM on 05/01/07
Wheat consumed in larger amounts, like bread and pasta a couple days in a row gives me Migraines.
I have issues w/ Lactose, but it seems to just be straight up milk for the time being, ice cream, sour cream and yogurt don't bother me. Though, I've heard this can change as we age... oh fun!
Alm25 at 11:10AM on 05/01/07
I am allergic to lobster. At first , for years my hands would itch when I ate them. Then, my throat started to tighten the last time I had one. That was enough to convince me not to eat anymore lobsters.
Mich23 at 11:46AM on 05/01/07
I'm allergic to shrimp, crab, and lobster. My mom developed the allergy first and then I somehow got it too. They were three of my favorite foods before. It really sucks. Mom and I have the same hands itching/throat tightening as Mich23.
I found out when I was in Spain on a school trip. We were eating some really bad paella that had shrimp in it when I realized my throat was getting kind of itchy and tight. The only reason I knew it was an allergic reaction was because I knew how it affected my Mom. It was just a small reaction and was taken care of by drinking a LOT of water, but it was not cool to realize "I'm in a foreign country and my throat is closing."
segalbraith at 12:47PM on 05/01/07
I'm allergic to eggs. No fun at all.
OldHippie at 1:03PM on 05/01/07
I was allergic to shellfish as a child, but now (close to 30) I've somehow outgrown it. Thank God, because I live in Charleston, SC... Shrip and Grits please!
MML at 5:51PM on 05/01/07
I'm allergic to milk and milk products. No cheese, cream, butter, ice cream, or yogurt for me. Not to be confused with lactose intolerance, which I sort of wish this was instead. Then I could take something for it. Oh well. At least soy products are better than they used to be.
KDBlue at 6:34PM on 05/01/07
Mayonnaise... This is a really random one that when I go out to eat I have to swear is actually real... But its hereditary, I guess... All the women on my mother's side can't eat the stuff...
pbisNOTmyname at 9:00PM on 05/01/07
Here's my odd allergy -- tomatoes. I eat them and my tongue and lips swell, espcially if eating raw.
BDJ at 9:04PM on 05/01/07
pineapple, raw celery and milk products. i guess my body decided themes are for losers when it was choosing allergies.
Alice at 12:23AM on 05/02/07
I don't have any food allergies, thankfully. However, one time at a crab feed I did see someone have a violent reaction to crab. The ambulance was called, she fainted while the ambulance was still on the way. Luckily, there were some medical professionals there who were able to give her CPR and the EMTs took over when they got there, quickly performing a tracheostomy. Shortly thereafter she went into cardiac arythmia and I saw them breaking out the defibrilator as they sped off. Sadly, she died several days later without having regained consciousness.
Calichef at 3:42AM on 05/02/07
My father is allergic to shrimp, which he absolutely loves. He has been known to sneak shrimp when my mother is away and then drive himself to the hospital!
ceforrester at 9:12AM on 05/02/07
yikes, Calichef.
We had a non-lethal but incredibly allergic experience with a friend of mine. Her sensitivity is such that she was affected by the trace amount of Nutella (a low nut-percentage product to begin with) left on a knife after it was washed, when she used it to put jam on another piece of bread. She got hit another time by having just a bite of someone's macaroni and cheese, which evidently had the smallest bit of nutmeg in the sauce. Both incidents necessitated hospital trips and oxygen tanks.
So scary to be this allergic! I feel lucky to have avoided any such afflictions thus far.
veggiesattva at 10:22AM on 05/02/07
I'm allergic to wheat, barley, oats, rye. I can eat small amounts of dairy if I'm completely wheat free otherwise it kills me too. I'm also a vegetarian. Try going to the pub with that combination!
PS I love to eat everything so this sucks.
Tessa at 12:57PM on 05/03/07
I am allergic to all nuts but peanuts because they are a legume.
It is an annoying allergy.
My friends are used to me bothering the waitstaff begging to know if nuts or nut oils were used.
My biggest problem is when people think you can just take the nuts off of the top of a dish and it would be fine for me to eat it. WRONG!
Nut oils seep into food when cooked!
Some Restaurants in NYC do list all of the ingredients, but some don't.
"English Is Italian", which is now closed, would ask if anyone had allergies and make you seperate dishes.
It was divine!
Kmichelle at 2:19PM on 05/03/07
More and more people are realizing they are gluten intolerant and cannot eat wheat, barley, rye and oats. Solution: RICE. It's gluten free, goes with every cuisine, and can be eaten in all kinds of dishes from soups, salads, entrees, desserts.
For recipes go to www.usarice.com
judy at 5:40PM on 05/03/07
Rah! Tessa - you sound like me...vegetarian celiac is a tough combo. No one is celiac by choice, but being a vegetarian was a choice I wasn't prepared to forfeit to make the GF diet easier to manage.
tgchi at 10:15PM on 05/03/07
I have undiagnosed Celiac disease (self-diagnosed), and lactose intolerance. I have been told by some that after going on the gluten-free diet for a while they were able to have small amounts of cheese and/or ice cream again because their intestines had healed. I am hoping to get a good taste of a nice sharp cheddar again some day. I know the brie and me will probably never again be.
amandaonmaui at 4:12AM on 10/16/08
I am lactose intolerant, and believe that I am sensitive to wheat (if I eat in more than once a week, or a lot at once, my stomach becomes upset), but I haven't had the wheat thing medically confirmed.
KarynMC at 8:21AM on 10/16/08