01 October 2008

Food Allergies and Food Labeling

I've read ingredient labels but never really noticed this. The following eight foods account for 90% of food allergies so the FDA requires that they be labeled in any foods which contain them:

Milk
Eggs
Fish
Crustacean shellfish
Tree nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts)
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans

People can be allergic to practically anything; I knew a kid in middle school who was allergic to a few dozen things. Just a few weeks ago I thought I was developing allergies to black dudes from the west side but it turned out I was just allergic to his dog (and apparently, only his dog).

My father has shellfish allergies. I am allergic to cats but not as a food item. I am not allergic to cashews but I don't like them.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've always wondered why people who are allergic to nuts are allergic to peanuts and all the other kinds of "nuts" that aren't really true nuts. I asked a nurse about this while we were going through allergy testing and she had no idea.

FOOTBALL MAN said...

I love your blogs, looking forward to your future udates.

liz said...

does this post count as science, sports, or cincinnati?

liz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
liz said...

also, i was just your 4000th profile viewer. you have inspired me to make mine more interesting.

p.s. i didn't know my little pony was a book. then again, they don't have a category for "favorite horse toy."

k said...

i have a friend who is allergic to benadryl. and not the pink dye in the capsules, the actual drug. oh, the irony.

WestEnder said...

4000 people have viewed my profile? Wow, that is 3998 more than I would have guessed.

And this post is categorized under "science" for tax/legal purposes.

Anonymous said...

I am one of the unlucky folks who has Celiac disease. The body suddenly will not tolerate Wheat, Rye, Barley or Oats. As you can see Wheat alone is in so many good things to eat, even used in the production of some vitamins and drugs. So you post about new places to eat and what you will eat. I rarely it out. No pizza, beer, cake, Busken, Skyline, holiday treats etc.

Some people will have the disease as an infant. I did not develop it until I was 50 years old. Studies now say that 1 in every 133 people have the disease. It can only be passed to you by one of your parents. I have three sisters and none of them have the disease. Neither of my parents had it but the gene was there and I was the unlucky one to have it.
It can do many things to the body. I can deal with the diet but because of the disease I have developed Peripheral Neuropathy, a nerve disease. I have it of the feet and lower legs. For over 30 years I was a long distance runner. Ran every day, 10 marathons and Boston twice. I had to quit my job early, and it is now difficult to walk and even sit at the commputers in my home office. I am writing this on my new laptop on a couch with my legs up. Google it for more information.
Did not mean to be so long winded or bore you.