Food allergies/intolerances

[Sister Havana]

I don't have any food allergies that I know of. I AM, however, a very picky eater.

One of my friends is allergic to the dye Red #40. She found this out a few years ago, after having a severe reaction to something with that in it. So she has to be really, really careful when she gets foods, medications, etc....even if there's just a trace of the dye in it, she can't have it.

[Dionysus]

Originally posted by Sister Havana

One of my friends is allergic to the dye Red #40. She found this out a few years ago, after having a severe reaction to something with that in it. So she has to be really, really careful when she gets foods, medications, etc....even if there's just a trace of the dye in it, she can't have it.

I am too. Except that I don't have severe reactions to it. I just get extremely hyperactive, more than usual, so hyper that I can't sit down. The same with Blue #1.

I'm lactose intolerant.

I have either a corn allergy or corn intolerance. I just know if I eat too much corn products, or corn itself, I get very itchy and nauseous.

I'm allergic to peanuts. I get hives if I eat too much.

I'm allergic to Cipro. I get hives.

I haven't been offiacially dignosed w/ any of these and they are mild, but common sense tells me that I'm sensitive to these products if everytime I eat these things, I get a specific reaction. Also, allergies run in my family. I eat all of the above, I just make sure that I don't go overboard.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

I'm allergic to morphine, which of course you wouldn't really find out until you were on it in the hospital, made for a WONDERFUL 3 days a year ago when I had surgery. Violently sick.

Not an allergy, but I also get food triggered migraines but we've never figured out what triggers them, and it could be a combination of things that alone don't cause anything.

[krazy]

I am allergic to nuts... If I eat them, I die... Literally... You wouldn't believe what a pain in the ass this is...

Everyone acts like it is bothersome to check for nuts, or say, "oh this doesn't have nuts in it", and I say, "I bet it does" and it will end up having nuts...

It really drives me nuts (no pun intended... well who am I kidding, it was intended) because people actually get mad at me if I say I cannot eat something...

They will have cookies somewhere, I cannot eat them... Whoever made them will say, "I made them, they don't have nuts..." I will say, "Believe me, they do" They take offense and get mad...

If you are ever annoyed by someone's food allergy, here is a challenge. GO to the grocery store, and pick up almost anything, cake mix, cookie dough, any bagged candy (especially Brach's, the only kind store's carry) and look at the fine print... SOOOO many say, "may contain traces of nuts, peanuts, etc..." Even some types of flour... I hate it, but it is the cross I bear...

[AlethiaSi]

Originally posted by Betarulz!
I'm allergic to Milk: and I always have to tell people that there is a big difference between a milk allergy and lactose intolerance. Now that I've been taking biochemistry for a semester and a half, I can actually tell you a lot more about the reasons why but I doubt anyone is interested.

B/c of the milk allergy I hence have reactions to milk choclate, ice cream, cheese on occassion and other things with large amounts of milk or cream. However usually while on my medication it's not too bad. I usually can't have more than 1-2 servings a day though. So if I have a bowl of cereal in the morning, I might be able to have ice cream after dinner, but the ice cream will cause a bigger reaction than the milk would.

ahhh i'm allergic to milk too! people treat me like such a freak and i have to explain that being lactose intolerant is different from being allergic to it- i was "diagnosed" when i was 7- so i def feel you on the eating weird bread part ktsnake when i was growing up... i never could eat cereal or ice cream- no cheese- and hwen i was younger i would drink like a gallon of milk to myself every few days- so i had complete withdrawl- now i can eat cheese and ice cream- but in definate moderation- i get terrible undereye circles and i can't breathe well at all.... but not having any milk at all is like eating cardboard and tofu all the time... not my idea of fun .... yea- i'd like to know about the microbiology stuff to if you don't mind telling me some more about it- i just know basic stuff-lol thanks!

I'm lactose intolerant... milk makes me really, really sick, but I don't have my throat or lips swell up or anything. I can eat most cheese as long as it's in moderation, but for some reason I can't touch ice cream.

I also think I'm developing some sort of deal with nuts. I used to eat them all the time, but about a month ago I had a couple handfulls of mixed nuts and my lips got all swollen and tingly

[honeychile]

Originally posted by Dionysus


I'm allergic to Cipro. I get hives.

Omigosh, I thought I was the only one allergic to Cipro!! I was taking it for an infection, and ended up with a temperature of 103.5º!!

[Dionysus]

Originally posted by Ginger
I'm lactose intolerant... milk makes me really, really sick, but I don't have my throat or lips swell up or anything. I can eat most cheese as long as it's in moderation, but for some reason I can't touch ice cream.

I also think I'm developing some sort of deal with nuts. I used to eat them all the time, but about a month ago I had a couple handfulls of mixed nuts and my lips got all swollen and tingly

Yeah...it can be an adult-onset allergy. I didn't start having problems w/ corn until a few years ago. My mother developed an allergy to Penicillin in her 40s.

[Betarulz!]

First off, you must understand that Lactose is a disacchride (composed of two sugar molecules: glucose and galactose). In order to break the bond between these two monosacchrides there is an enzyme that specifically breaks the bond between them. This enzyme is called lactase. Surprisingly, this enzyme is present in gradually lower levels as you become an adult.

Lacking lactase or having some sort of mutation that lowers the activity of the enzyme is what being lactose intolerant is. Without that enzyme your body resorts to other methods of breaking the lactose down, or it passes through to your intestine where the bacteria break it down into food for themselves. They will produce some sort of chemical intermediate that causes the intestinal pain and diarrhea associated with lactose intolerance.

Basically all allergies are the same. Exposure to anything can create proteins known as IgE proteins that will bind to Mast cells that tend to be concentrated in the areas you associate with allergic reactions. Upon repeated exposure to these substances they interact with the specific IgE proteins on the mast cells. This causes the mast cells to release histamine (a hormone) which causes the reactions we are familiar with into the surrounding tissue. Depending on which sort of tissue the IgE coated mast cells are located causes the varying types of allergic reactions: ie skin = hives, sinuses = runny nose, eyes = watery eyes. This is why differnet peopel react to the same substance in different ways and why the same person will react to different things in different ways.

The interesting thing, is that while being likely to have allergies is genetic, you need to have exposure to the substance to become allergic to it. That's why a lot of people claim to have "resistance" to poison ivy and such, but the more they handle it, the more likely they are to have a reaction to it.

If you know you have never been exposed to something that you are currently allergic to, it simply means you were likely exposed to some substance that has an analogous chemical structure.

[GMUBunny]

Originally posted by xok85xo
i'm lactose intolerant.. sometimes i can eat certain dairy without getting sick, but i generaly err on the side of caution and always make sure i'm stocked up on ultra lactaid pills. they are fantastic.

Same here. I'm also severely allergic to shellfish. And, although I'm not allergic to them, I can't eat nuts, coconut, raw fruits or veggies, whole wheat, or anything high in dietary fiber. My small intestine can't break them down

[AlethiaSi]

Originally posted by GMUBunny
Same here. I'm also severely allergic to shellfish. And, although I'm not allergic to them, I can't eat nuts, coconut, raw fruits or veggies, whole wheat, or anything high in dietary fiber. My small intestine can't break them down

could you be allergic to glucose? my great aunt is severely allergic to glucose- its found in wheat and pastas- etc- i don't know that much about it- but its just a thought (she didn't develop the allergy till she was in her 50's... weird huh?)

[xok85xo]

Originally posted by AlethiaSi
could you be allergic to glucose? my great aunt is severely allergic to glucose- its found in wheat and pastas- etc- i don't know that much about it- but its just a thought (she didn't develop the allergy till she was in her 50's... weird huh?)

i think you mean gluten, not glucose.

my good friend has coeliac which means she can't have any kind of gluten at all..- wheat or any other kind of grain, or have anything that has touched gluten.

[AlethiaSi]

hahaha yea gluton- lol sorry

[cutiepatootie1]

I am highly allergic to MSG
also to certain fruits and veggies.... I will break out in hives and look like a chimpmunk......carrots, tomatoes, ,avacadoes, pineapple, strawberries ( i love pineapple and strawberries ...it sucks and sometimes i will eat them and deal with it.)
I don't go into anaphal. shock or anything but i am sooo highly allergic to nuts. I can eat some like the soft ones ( chashews and pistachio) but other than that my toungue starts to swell and hives everywhere


I am not lactose intolerant but i cannot drink milk. I hate it. ice creamand dairy is fine with me

[cashmoney]

Mayo.

I started throwing up. Yet, I love all other dairy products.