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Therapy for food allergies

When the symptoms are clearly identified - what is the treatment of a food allergy? The therapy for food allergies is to remove the food allergen(s) from the diet. Depending on the food, this diet can be difficult. Nutritional advisors help to eliminate allergens and show alternatives, so that the diet is varied and balanced despite the restrictions. This is particularly important in cases of an allergy to staple foods, such as cow's milk, wheat, or chicken eggs.

The European Food Ordinance – All food allergy sufferers should know this

People suffering from food allergy, as well as their relatives and caregivers, need to learn to identify risky situations. For this, it is essential to deal with food ingredients lists. Only in this way can those suffering from food allergies completely avoid their triggers - at home and outside, for example, during a restaurant visit. This is particularly important in the case of allergies to legumes (soy allergy, peanut allergy). For these foods, the allergic reactions are often particularly violent.

The European Food Ordinance (LMIV) helps with orientation. It stipulates that the 14 most frequent triggers of allergies and non-allergic food intolerances must be indicated on packaging when added as an ingredient:

  • Cereals containing gluten: wheat, spelt, Khorasan wheat (kamut), rye, barley, oats
  • Crustaceans and crustacean products
  • Eggs and egg products
  • Fish and fish products
  • Peanuts and peanut products
  • Soy and soy products
  • Milk and milk products (including lactose - although this is not an allergen in the gut, because the reactions are particularly frequent.)
  • Nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, Queensland nuts, and the products derived from them
  • Celery and celery products
  • Mustard and mustard products
  • Sesame seeds and sesame seed products
  • Mollusks (snails, squid, mussels and oysters) and mollusk products
  • Sweet lupin and sweet lupin products
  • Sulfur dioxide and sulphites (at a concentration of at least 10 mg / kg or liter)

For allergy sufferers it is aggravating that, in the extreme case, traces of the allergen can trigger an anaphylactic shock. Such traces can, for example, enter a food when they are processed in the same room with a food containing the allergen. Perhaps the smallest traces of the allergen reach a food, even without the allergen as an ingredient. References to the possibility of such traces, the so-called trace markings, are not a legal obligation and take place voluntarily. However, most food manufacturers are rather cautious here and point to allergens, even if the risk of contamination is more theoretical.
The warning on a bar of milk chocolate "May contain traces of soy and peanut" is thus more likely a sign of caution on the part of the manufacturer than a statement as to whether the product actually contains traces of soy and peanut. If you suffer from a severe allergy and have strong symptoms even in the smallest quantities, take the warning "may contain traces of" very seriously, and, in the absence of such warning, ask the manufacturer. In the case of mild allergies, however, which only manifest themselves when larger quantities of the allergen are consumed, the indication "traces of" can be disregarded.

Do medications for food allergies exist?

The underlying causes of a food allergy cannot yet be treated. If, however, symptoms occur, treatment with emergency medicines may be appropriate. Allergy sufferers can buy antihistamines as drops or tablets. These drugs increase the effect of the messenger histamine. Individuals can also take cortisone as suppositories or fluids. It acts as a decongestant and anti-allergen. If food allergy sufferers have already had to deal with problems breathing, an asthma spray can be helpful. In the event of an accident, the individual may have an injection with adrenaline, which is injected into the thigh in an emergency. The prerequisite for successful treatment with an emergency kit is, however, that affected persons and relatives know how to use it appropriately.

Please see also:

Food allergies and their symptoms

Causes of food allergies

Preventing food allergies

Diagnosing food allergies