So why a section on food allergies? For one, it was ground into some of my brain cells during culinary school and second, because I, as I'm sure do many others, have a friend or family member with food allergies. In my case, I have a few friends with multiple food allergies and I've learned to adjust or beware of ingredients in recipes when cooking or baking for them. Thankfully I have an 'iron' stomach because nothing seems to bother me (except fast food). It's the responsibility of the consumer to watch out, but it's useful to know this info when cooking of others.
In theory, any food can cause a food allergy. But in fact just a handful of foods are to blame for 90% of allergic reactions to food. These foods are known as the 'big eight'.
The eight foods identified by the law are (fda.gov):
- Milk/Dairy
- Eggs
- Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
- Crustacean shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp)
- Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
- Peanuts
- Wheat/Gluten
- Soybeans/Soy
In children, most allergic reactions to food are to milk, peanuts, nuts from trees, eggs, soya and wheat. Most children grow out of most allergic reactions to food in early childhood. In adults, most allergic reactions are to peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish, citrus fruit and wheat.
Cookbooks for Food Allergies
Specific Allergy Information
This section mainly describes foods that can cause food allergy, but it also includes lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance/sensitivity (coeliac disease). These are types of food intolerance, but they aren't allergies. Remember, if you think you have a food intolerance, contact your doctor.
Information Sources:
Foodstandards.gov.uk
FDA.gov
