SC - Food Allergies nd the SCA Cook

[Sue Wensel]

Hi all,

Got a few minutes free so I went looking around on that thing known as the
World Wide Web (huh, what spider is that??).  To summarize my findings, the
foods we most need to be aware of from an allergy standpoint are:

milk			eggs				nuts				fish/shellfish/seafood	
wheat/flour	chocolate (oop)		artificial colors		pork/bacon
chicken		tomato (oop)		soft fruit			cheese
yeast		soy				peanuts/legumes	barley
rice			citrus fruits		melons			bananas
spinach		corn				potatoes

I won't pretend that this list is anywhere near complete; any food protein can
cause  an allergic reaction.  This is a list of some of the more well-known
allergies.

All we as cooks can do is post our menus (with ingredients) as far in advance
as possible, check the labels of anything processed we use such as boullion,
and make ourselves easy to contact with concerns.  If despite all this, we
still have people throwing fits, then that is not a reflection on ourselves as
cooks, but rather on the graciousness of the gentle who could not be bothered
to take care of their (or their children's) dietary restrictions.

Derdriu

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Here are some URL's that I found (with relevant quotes):

http://www.veg.org/veg/Orgs/VegSocUK/Info/allergy.html

      The Vegetarian Society
      Information Sheet 
      Food Allergy & Intolerance

"Common Causes of Food Intolerance

"The most common food intolerances, in order of frequency are milk, eggs,
nuts, fish/shellfish, wheat/flour, chocolate, artificial colours, pork/bacon,
chicken, tomato, soft fruit, cheese and yeast." 


"Symptoms

"The most common symptoms of allergy include asthma, gastro-intestinal
symptoms (nausea, vomiting, and diarhhoea), eczema, urticaria (hives),
rhinorrhea (heavy discharge from the nose), and angio-oedema (swelling of the
blood vessels). Other more long-term symptoms include can depression, anxiety,
fatigue, migraine, sleeplessness and hyperactivity in children. "

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http://www.nuh.com.sg/view/nuh/cmc/f-aller.htm

    Food and Allergy
    by A/Prof. B W Lee
    FAMS. M Med (Paed). MD.

This site indicates that food allergies are fairly rare (less than 5% of the
adult population), but also states that this is hard to impossible to verify.

"Food Allergens
    Virtually any food can cause food allergy. The majority of allergens
causing IgE-mediated reactions are glycoproteins, and are more than 14
kilodaltons though few are more than 80 kilodaltons. Physical treatment such
as heating, which occurs with cooking, can reduce immunogenicity of these
foods. The common food allergens are cow's milk, soy, eggs, wheat, white fish:
shellfish and nuts. Interestingly, allergy to cow's milk, soy and eggs tend to
develop in infants and young children, whereas allergy to seafood and nuts
tend to occur in older children and adults. Societal eating pattern is one of
the determining factors for the relative incidence of allergy to different
foods. For example, in communities uch as Scandinavia, where peanut is an
uncommon food item, allergy to peanut is relatively rare. In contrast, peanut
allergy is common in the United States, where the peanut butter and jelly
sandwich is a favourite among American children. "

"...Vasoactive amines such as tyramine, and methylxanthines such as caffine
have been reported to adversely affect the gastrointestinal tract and central
nervous system in some individuals.26 Sulphites used in preserved fruits and
vegetables may also cause asthma in susceptible subjects."

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http://www.aaaai.org/patpub/allrasth/otherdis/food/reaction.html

     Adverse Reactions to Foods - A Patient's Guide

"Foods That May Cause Reactions
      " Food allergens, the parts of foods that cause allergic reactions, are
usually proteins. Most of these allergens can still cause reactions even after
they are cooked or have undergone digestion in the intestines. In studies of
allergen content, cow's milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, and soy have been found to
be the most common  food allergens. Other known food allergens include shrimp,
codfish, soybeans, and crab.
     " In some food groups, especially legumes and seafoods, an allergy to one
member of a family may result in the person being allergic to other members of
the same group, known as cross-reactivity. People who are allergic to peanuts
are more likely to be allergic to soybeans, peas, and other legumes than to
walnuts or pecans. However, some may be allergic to both peanuts and walnuts.
These allergies are called coincidental allergies.
      " Within animal-based food families, cross-reactivity is not seen as
often. For example, people allergic to cow's milk can usually eat beef, and
people allergic to eggs can usually eat chicken.
       "Cooking some proteins usually reduces their ability to cause a
reaction, but not always. In fact, the heating process may actually make some
proteins more allergenic. The protein of cow's milk is composed of two types:
casein (80%,) and whey (20%). The allergenic potential of these proteins is
not reduced by heating. Those allergic to eggs usually react only to the egg
white, which contains several proteins. Again, cooking or heating does not
make these proteins non-allergenic. Natural processes such as ripening also
may affect the allergenic properties of a food; tomatoes become more
allergenic as they ripen."

"Severe Allergic Reactions Caused by Foods
     " Foods that frequently cause anaphylaxis in allergic persons include
peanuts, nuts, shellfish, eggs, and seeds. Anaphylactic reactions have also
been reported in persons who have eaten milk, chocolate, barley, rice, wheat,
citrus fruits, melons, bananas, tomatoes, spinach, corn, potatoes, and
soybeans. However, any given food protein can be troublesome, depending on the
individual."

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