The Many Benefits Of Allergy Free Foods
Published by Fred at May 19th, 2010If you have a food allergy, you know that it is essential to avoid the allergen that you have a reaction to. You also know how quickly adverse reactions can occur, and how serious they may become. No matter how careful you are, allergens can be found in products where you least expect them. One of the benefits of allergy free foods is knowing precisely what you are getting in the products you eat.
Approximately 2 percent of adults and between 4 and 8 percent of children have allergic reactions to one or more foods. In the last decade there seems to have been an increase in the numbers of younger people with allergies. Each year, around thirty thousand Americans have food allergy responses acute enough to go to an emergency room. All this points to the fact that it is critical to control your food intake with regard to the substance or substances that produce the allergy.
Allergic reactions to food usually occur within a few minutes to an hour of the food being ingested. Symptoms can be as mild as an itchy mouth or as severe as anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal if untreated. There is no cure for food allergies, though children often do outgrow them, as adults also do sometimes.
Only eight substances are the cause of approximately 90 percent of allergic reactions. Included are tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish, fish, milk, wheat, egg and soy. It is usually easy to avoid consumption of some of these, such as fish, and also shellfish. But, when an allergen is used as an ingredient in other foods, it may be harder to detect. Soy, milk, egg and wheat are commonly incorporated into various food products. Items such as Asian sauces and different candies may contain peanuts, which are very dangerous for some people.
An important United States law was passed in 2004, known as FALCPA. This act required food companies to clearly state on their labels if the product includes any of the 8 major allergy-causing substances. However, the law did not require the manufacturers to include information regarding possible cross-contamination of foods processed by equipment used for several different types of foods, perhaps including known allergens.
While some food manufacturers do include such cross-contact information on their labels, there may still be risk associated with buying foods produced for the general population. Sometimes only a minute amount of a food allergen is needed for someone to have a severe reaction to it. Foods produced specifically for food allergy sufferers have a greater probability of being safe to consume.
In Conclusion
When in doubt about the safety of a particular food with regard to allergens, one can contact the manufacturer with questions concerning ingredients or cross-contamination. Foods produced by companies focused on allergen-free products may provide a higher degree of assurance that their foods are safe. One of the benefits of allergy free foods is, along with physical safety, greater peace of mind in knowing that you and your family are at lower risk for food allergic reactions.
Learn more about gluten-free breads and allergy free salsa.