Food allergies, intolerances, aversions and imagined problems

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apicius9

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A friend of mine just posted on FB that she needed a snack for kids that was wheat, gluten, dairy, and nut free. I never heard of such a thing when I went to school. Am not sure if this is just a skewed perception, and I have not done a lit reasearch on that (yet), but somehow it seems to me that those issues are not only much more common in the US than in Europe but they have also exploded in the US since I have been coming here in the early nineties? So, why is that? It's almost like you are an outcast if you can eat everything these days. Are those really all serious conditions? Heard about severe nut allergies, but recently people on a plane were not allowed to eat nuts in the rows surrounding an affected person. Seriously? This all seems very strange to me.. Any thoughts or experinces? And as a restaurateur, this must drive you crazy f you have to accmodate all these issues.

Stefan
 
I read recently that some of this comes from the over use of antibiotics and not enough probiotics in the diet. The imbalance of the microflora in the gut causes food allergies and restoring the proper microflora can eliminate food allergies. I guess it's back to fruit as a snack.

Hoss
 
I don't mean to offend..........Chemical Baby's is my theory.I know a lot of people that had trouble making a baby the natural way and there children that they "made" have heath issues,at least the majority of them that I know.
 
I don't mean to offend..........Chemical Baby's is my theory.I know a lot of people that had trouble making a baby the natural way and there children that they "made" have heath issues,at least the majority of them that I know.

something tells me you aren't an epidemiologist.
 
If I smell Brussel Sprouts it stimulates my gag reflex.

Just teasing.
My wife recently had to take antibiotics.
The pharmacist suggested a supplement that restores the balance of the intestinal flora.
Within a day it had noticeable, beneficial effects.
 
I'm just going to guess that awareness is a big factor. Nut allergies are pretty common and reactions are severe, but, as far as I know, the symptoms of the others are pretty mild so they were probably ignored for quite a long time. I'm just hypothesizing here, but I think that it's possible that people have been feeding allergic kids gluten/wheat/dairy regardless and the kids were eventually immunologically desensitized to the substances. I don't think desensitization is well understood at a molecular level, but the general gist of it (according to wiki) is that it changes the production of IgE (type of antibody heavily involved in mast+basophil degranulation and ergo allergic reactions) specific to the allergen. These changes induce tolerance to the antigen and decrease or eliminate the response to it.

Just a cool note - we have tons of antibodies in our bodies and we tailor and optimize (via purposeful mutation) each antibody to a specific antigen.
 
It also seems that a lot of people fall for the latest health gimmick. While there are legitimate cases of the "disease of the week", people jump on the bandwagon and decide that it's the cause of all their problems. How many kids were diagnosed with ADD when they just needed to get out and run around every day instead of sitting in front of the TV/computer?

I have a great deal of sympathy for people with legitimate issues, but you have to wonder how many people are misdiagnosed. Especially when we're bombarded with commercials touting the latest drug..."Does it stink when you pass wind? You might have XYZ syndrome, and our drug can help! Ask your doctor!" I know sooooo many people who say "My doctor says it's a cold and I don't need antibiotics, but I insisted that he give me some anyway!"
 
It's from not playing outside and too much air conditioning.

I'm married to a pediatrician and have been well schooled on this topic, I could go on and on and on. But I will say, a lot of it is all in the mind.

-AJ
 
well as a chef, I see this a lot. Many of the people who are displaying these allergies and sensitivities are not genetically predisposed to digesting these foods. Celiac's disease used to be only a first world disease, It didn't exist in any of the emerging or third world countries as, they started to get exposed to Western diets and exported wheat, they started to develop gluten allergies. The same thing is happening here with soy and corn. Europeans weren't designed to eat corn or soy. Most Asians don't get soy allergies and most Native Americans don't get corn allergies. As for peanut allergies because of cross breeding for better yield, disease and insect resistance we developed strains that when consumed by some folks it can be fatal. The original wild strains of peanuts actually can be consumed by people with peanut allergies because they naturally lack the allergen.
We in the west subsidize our farmers to grow and over abundance of foodstuffs more than we really can ever use. To justify this we add these ingredients to processed foods as flavoring agents, bulk filler, stabilizers and a myriad of other things, that you would never know was made from wheat, corn, soy and so on and so forth. We put it in everything (why do you need high fructose corn syrup in tomato sauce, bread or pasta?) because we gotta put it somewhere and its cheap, filling and highly addictive. All of these things are the perfect firestorm for allergies, intolerance and disease. We feed antibiotics and steroids to livestock because, we feed cattle corn and other grains. We do this because it's cheap, the problem is cattle did not evolve to eat corn or grain they are grazers, they eat grass. Grass fed cattle are healthier for you , they are low in cholesterol, high in omega3 and beta carotene and studies show you are less likely to develop coronary artery disease from eating it. Eating grain fed beef, you are more likely to develop, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and dozen other things including hormonal imbalances and antibiotic resistance. ( you don't hear about those reports to often, can't mess with big business).

The other contributing factor to the allergen problem is we are to clean as a society. The development of an efficient sewer system and sanitation system has doomed the western world to allergies. We no longer have a natural resistance to allergens and infections because, we are no longer exposed to these things on a regular basis as our ancestors were. A little bit of crap in the water makes you healthier , too much and Montezuma's revenge. I told my sister when here first Son was born to let him play in the dirt and stick things in his mouth (within reason and he will stay healthy. She put him in a sterile environment and he was sick all the time. The second kid, she followed my advice and he hasn't been sick yet. He is much more robust and filled with vigor than his old brother with the sniffles. Why is it the people who are always sick are the ones with the bottle of hand sanitizer? Ask yourself that question.

My rant is now over and I'm sure it made no sense and I may have wandered off topic. This whole thing is a quick fix. Eat better and roll around in the dirt . Drink a little crap in your water and you'll be fine.
 
I've spent significant time reading about and dealing with allergies, experimenting on my kids, and talking with allergists. The main conclusion I've reached is I don't know much and neither do the doctors. It's been frustrating to say the least.
 
I've run into my share of these:

bubble_boy_2-7543792.jpg
 
After working at a place who's standard "Consuming raw or undercooked meat, seafood or eggs may pose a risk to your health." went on to read "any special requests will be polity declined.", I now work at a sushi restaurant where I get soy and fish allergy tickets everyday.

I am happy to help customers make safe decisions about a life threatening acute disorder, but if you want me to redesign the menu to maximize your energy levels, mineral uptake, and gastrointestinal regularity, get the **** out.
 
I don't mean to offend..........Chemical Baby's is my theory.I know a lot of people that had trouble making a baby the natural way and there children that they "made" have heath issues,at least the majority of them that I know.

If you need to start a post with "I don't mean to offend" you're probably about to say something offensive. It's like people who say things like "I'm not racist BUT... [insert racist comment here]"

My two yr old son has a couple of intolerances and allergies - soy, dairy, eggs and kiwi fruit - and he was certainly conceived and 'made naturally' .

There has been a huge rise in intolerance and allergies over the last fifteen to twenty years.

Hoss is right to a certain extent, encouraging the proper gut microflora can help for intolerances and digestion difficulty, but proper allergy, especially an anaphylactic reaction, the symptoms are an immune mediated response, not digestive

The reason for the rise in intolerance is still not really known - the modern cleanliness hygeine hypothesis is one idea, the rise of processed foods is another, genetic predisposition is also a contributing factor.

None of these seem to account for my son's allergies - we like to play in the dirt, grow and eat organic food, and are certainly not the cleanest family in the world...

Dealing with allergies in a restaurant is a piece of cake - try doing it at a kids first birthday party!!!

Also AJ: For many, allergies are not all in the mind at all. You clearly haven't seen a toddlers face swell up because they have a mouthful of the wrong fruit.

Both as a chef and father I spend a lot of time dealing with allergy and intolerance - not only is it a PITA, but it can also cause pain and frustration.

That said, last night at work we had "No coriander please, I'm allergic to coriander." I wanted to jump over the pass, and scream ''BULLSH**! NO-ONE IS ALLERGIC TO CORIANDER*!!! YOU JUST DON'T LIKE IT!!!" ;)
 
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I am happy to help customers make safe decisions about a life threatening acute disorder, but if you want me to redesign the menu to maximize your energy levels, mineral uptake, and gastrointestinal regularity, get the **** out.

Yes!!!

That pretty much sums it up in restaurants.
 
Where I work there's been a load of weird allergies. I think a lot of them are in their head. Another one that pisses me off is people who say "I can't have xxx because I'm a celiac" yet they order something that clearly contains gluten
 
Where I work there's been a load of weird allergies. I think a lot of them are in their head. Another one that pisses me off is people who say "I can't have xxx because I'm a celiac" yet they order something that clearly contains gluten

This is EXACTLY my point. Dusty I didn't say people with allergies are faking it. I am saying that people like my mom who stopped eating wheat doesn't have Celiac. Or the woman I created a lactose free menu for because she has a milk allergy doesn't really because she loves ice cream and cheese. Add to that that allergies are protein based, that means that A) if it doesn't have a protein you can't be allergic to it and B) lactose intolerance and milk allergies are NOT the same thing. Milk allergies are much rarer. Yeah you eat shrimp and swell up and get hives, you've got an allergy. You probably even had a doctor tell you that, maybe even got a prescription for an Epipen. If you gave up corn because your friend did and you now feel better, that doesnt mean you had a corn allergy. Or if you eat something and feel queasy get the shits or just feel funny you dont have a food allergy. Don't run around telling people you have a food allergy and expecting others to accommodate you. Cause you don't.
 
IM(rant)O the explosion has something to do with the hyper-parenting of today, and there have been a handful of studies in the last few years where they have found that adults way over-estimate their allergies. This NYTimes article says that 30% of adults report allergies, but only 5% actually have them. That means there is an 85% allergy fantasyland out there.

And that peanut allergy is extremely rare -- but has somehow become the poster child of 'potential death' by eating that can come at any time to any child. The hyper-parenting to prevent 'food death' often extends into wild exaggeration once the kids hit school because the parents can no longer control every bit of food that enters their kids' mouths. By exaggerating allergy issues, they hope to get the school and others to take their fears seriously and 'takeover' their worrying job -- now that they have less control. Kids are sensitive creatures and get rashes and body dysfunctions for numerous reasons, and I have seen parents casually attribute it to a food. That myth may then be perpetuated into later years and possibly adulthood.

It also doesn't help that parenting books have this regime of introducing foods to kids in the US. According to best-selling parenting books, you must introduce foods one at a time over a period of days to monitor for 'allergies' and continue this food by food for months. You can't even mix foods, because then you won't know which food created the allergy. Many parents are being trained in allergy awareness to the extent that it breeds food fear. And god forbid that kid every get diarrhea, a rash, or spit up when you introduce bread -- the hyper parent will probably label that kid celiac for years to come.

That is just my opinion, and I don't mean to downplay real food allergies. A neighbor of mine has a kid that is allergic to corn and gets sick all the time. Think about how many foods have corn syrup in it, keeping a kid away from candy is not easy.

k.
 
I get the impression people often say they have an allergy when they actually just don't like something. I'll leave things out if I can either way. Why are people afraid to express a preference but have no problem fabricating a serious health issue?

Example- I'll have the turkey burger with a gluten free bun, I'm a celiac.
There are bread crumbs in the turkey burger pattie.
That's fine, but I still want the gluten free bun.

I'll never understand it.
 
I am happy to help customers make safe decisions about a life threatening acute disorder, but if you want me to redesign the menu to maximize your energy levels, mineral uptake, and gastrointestinal regularity, get the **** out.

Not all, but I think some of these "allergies" fall right into this. I imagine that the placebo effect is pretty powerful in cases of so-called gluten allergy, for example. Something along the lines of, "Gluten is bad, and would you look at that, I feel better when I don't eat it!" (placebo) or "Wow, I feel so much lighter when I don't eat those 12 slices of bread, I must be allergic to gluten!" (stupidity). Then again, I could be totally wrong. I've just noticed similar things in my life where I was convinced that foods were supposed to make me bloaty/heavy, etc. and they did. I revisited those foods at other times and didn't and don't have the same reactions. It could be a million things, but my mind first went to placebo.
 
my favorite: a lady walks into my restaurant and say's " I am deathly allergic to onions but, My favorite dish is onion soup, can you strain out the onions for me? It will be alright my parents do it this way all the time." I say," get the hell out of here and don't come back", " If I ever see your parents I'm going to slap both of them!"
 
I did have a 32 year old white male from the midwest eat at my Thai restaurant and died at the table. apparently he had a peanut allergy and never new it. How can you grow up in America and never eat peanut butter? You go to a Thai restaurant for the first time in your life order Pad Thai noodles and Die at the table. poor bastard. The Thai customers response, keep eating.
 
I'm allergic to all foods. When I eat them I swell up, or maybe that's just fat.

Hoss
 

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