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Allergy
There are several
different kinds of allergy,
but perhaps the most common is food allergy. As its name suggests, this
type of allergy is triggered when a reaction occurs after contact with
a particular food to which you are sensitized. ‘Sensitized’ means that
you have taken this food before. As the food enters the body, your
immune
system – your body’s natural defense – sees the food substance as
harmful
foreign substance and mounts an attack against the protein. It produces
a specific type of antibodies called IgE to “fight off” the proteins.
This
action of your own body’s immune system is what triggers an allergic
response.
The response
can range from mild or
moderate to severe, including symptoms like swelling of the face and
tongue,
rash called “hives” (like nettle rash), breathing difficulties, runny
nose
and eyes, swelling of the throat, abdominal pain and bowel
disturbances,
nausea and vomiting and could to life threatening collapse
(anaphylaxis).
Below are some
practical tips to help
you manage food allergy:
Plan ahead. If
you can, write a list
of foods that you can tolerate and try to get some recipes which
incorporate
these. You may also consult your dietician and discuss or ask for any
advice/help
about special dietary alternatives or recipes that won’t trigger your
allergy.
Also, try your local libraries for recipes or contact allergy
specialists
for more information on sensitivities or recipes.
If you are
eating out, telephone the
host or chef in advance and explain your needs. See if they will allow
you to supply your own food. If not, perhaps they can adapt the menu
for
you. Always make it a point to discuss everything beforehand so you
won’t
get tempted to eat anything you shouldn’t.
Take extra
supplies whenever you go
out. You might take longer than you originally planned so carrying a
spare
packed lunch or goodies with you can be a big help not only to stave
off
your hunger but also to keep you away from restaurants selling foods
that
may trigger your food allergy.
It helps if you
keep a food and symptom
diary so when you have a reaction, you can pinpoint what triggered your
symptoms. This also helps when you make your list of tolerable
foods.
Make everyone
aware if you have a life-threatening
allergy. That way, you don’t have to rely on yourself whenever you find
yourself in a situation where you extremely tempted to eat foods you’re
allergic to. Also, in case you unknowingly ingest foods that trigger
your
allergy, there would be someone there to help you.
Freeze and bake
so you have stocks
of allowed foods and don’t have to bake every few days. This will make
a wider selection of choice, too.
If you’re going
abroad, obtain some
Allergy translation cards so you are able to show them in different
countries.
Also, one of the first things you ought to do in a foreign place is to
find out where the nearest hospital or doctor is in case of an
emergency.
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