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The Recommended Diets for People with Food Allergy Issues -By Sharman Shiralkar

There are lots of people in the world who have allergies and allergic reactions related to many kinds of foods. Some of these reactions can be mild or severe related to how much they’ve consumed the product or how near they were to it. I will be going through the 3 most common food allergies and the diets they should maintain because of it.

1)   The diets that people with Nut allergies should maintain: People with nut allergies should obviously avoid foods with nuts or traces of it. This can be difficult but with careful planning, there may be a way to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. First, you should read food labels carefully, look for the statement “peanut free” and “tree-nut free” on the labels. Be aware of hidden sources of nuts, such as nut oils, nut butters, and ingredients like “natural flavors” which may contain nuts. Second, you should cook at home more often for you to have more control over your meals. Third, you should find substitutes for nut-based ingredients such as sunflower seed butter or soy butter instead of peanut butter. The foods you should avoid are obviously nuts, peanuts and peanut products, and food that may contain nuts such as pesto, chutney, sauces, granola bars, trail mix, chocolate, and ice cream. With a little bit of planning, people with nut allergies can find the perfect food for them in all the 5 categories (dairy, grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein) for them to eat. Figure reference.¹

2)  The diets that people who are Lactose Intolerant should maintain:

People who are lactose intolerant can manage their condition by reducing or eliminating lactose in their diet. Lactose is a type of sugar with is found in milk and any other dairy product. First, you should identify lactose triggers. People with lactose intolerance have many different levels of tolerance. Some people can avoid certain dairy products while others may need to avoid dairy altogether. Make a food dairy so you can identify your lactose triggers. Second, you need to choose lactose-free dairy products, there are many of these types of products available such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. These products consist of lactase, an enzyme that helps digest lactose. Third, you need to consider lactose supplements, lactase enzyme supplements can be taken before consuming dairy products to help with digestion. Fourth, you should read food labels carefully, and look for lactose on the ingredient list. Lactose may also be listed under other names, such as milk sugar, curds, or whey. Figure reference².

3) The diets that people with Egg allergies should maintain:

People with egg allergies should avoid foods containing eggs or traces of it. This can be challenging if you’re baking, but with careful planning, it’s possible to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. First, you should read the food labels carefully. Look for the statement “egg free” on labels. Be aware of hidden sources of eggs, such as egg whites, yolks, albumin, lecithin, and lysozyme. This can be found in many processed foods, baked goods, and even medications. Second, you should cook at home more often. This gives you more control over the ingredients in your meals, there are also many delicious egg-free recipes available online and in cookbooks. Third, you should find substitutes.  There are many substitutes for egg-based ingredients. For example, you can use flaxseed meal mixed with water as an egg binder in baking. There are also many delicious egg-free foods out there for you to eat too. Figure reference³.

There are many such food allergies around the world, some common, some rare. But there maybe other food allergies that cause you to be despair. There may be medications you can take, Claritin, allergy shots, or Tylenol. But some reactions can ultimately land you in the hospital. Overall, I went through the 3 most common food allergies and how you should maintain their diet so you can’t land taking Claritin in the hospital.

               References:

​​​¹ Lactose Intolerance: Causes, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Treatment (continentalhospitals.com)

​​​²Tips On Dieting With Food Allergies – FitForLifeCoach (wordpress.com)

³https://www.foodallergyawareness.org/food-allergy-and-anaphylaxis/food-allergens/tree-nuts/