Food Allergy or Intolerance?

The job of the body’s immune system is to identify and destroy any micro organisms capable of harming the body or causing illness. Food allergy results when the immune system mistakenly targets a harmless food protein, an allergen, as a threat and attacks it. As a result the immune system produces excess amounts of an antibody called immunoglobulin E that fights the “enemy” food by releasing histamine and other chemicals, which trigger the symptoms of an allergic reaction.  One in every 17 children, under the age of three, has a food allergy.

Many people who think they are allergic to a food may actually be intolerant to it; intolerance more common than allergy. Food intolerance is a non immunoglobulin E mediated food hypersensitivity; this means people with food intolerance suffer symptoms after eating certain foods even when they are not producing antibodies against them. The onset of symptoms is usually slower and may be delayed by many hours after eating the ‘enemy’ food.  Symptoms of intolerance may last for several hours or even days.

With intolerance, some people can tolerate a reasonable amount of the food, but if they eat too much or too often they get symptoms because their body can only tolerate small amounts. In allergy, one cannot tolerate even a small amount of the food without suffering symptoms, it only takes a tiny amount to cause a response from the immune system, which makes it very easy to diagnose. A child with an allergy must avoid the allergic food whereas a child with intolerance may be able to eat small quantities without a problem.

Food allergies are more common in people who are atopic, those who have inherited a tendency to have allergic conditions. Such people are more likely to have asthma, various allergies and a skin condition called atopic dermatitis. Asthma can make a reaction to a food more severe. Early introduction of solids to children younger than 6months could increase the risk of allergic disease because the immune system is not fully matured. Smoking or being around second-hand smoke while pregnant increases the unborn child’s risk of developing allergic reactions. Exposing your baby to second-hand smoke after birth also increases the risk.

Children often outgrow the food allergy during early childhood. It is estimated that 80% to 90% of egg, milk, wheat and soy allergies go away by the age of five years. Food allergies are not easy to manage because children react differently, severity also varies from child to child. Some children might react with minor symptoms such as a rash or itching while other children experience severe reactions that if not treated right away, can be life threatening. It is hard to know or predict what type of allergic reaction a child may experience.

The most common symptoms of a food-allergy reaction include: hives, itchy rash, vomiting, itching, abdominal cramps, tingling or swelling of the lips, tongue, or mouth, swelling and diarrhea. However there are some severe symptoms that are not very common that include: wheezing, a drop in blood pressure, trouble breathing, coughing and loss of consciousness

The best way to manage food allergies is through prevention with strict avoidance of the problem foods. Work with a pediatrician to develop a personalized food allergy and anaphylaxis emergency care plan, ensure your child is wearing emergency medical identification at all times e.g. a bracelet or neck piece. Always make sure that the care giver or your child carries their medication wherever they go, give or teach them to take their medicine at the first sign of a reaction. Reading food labels during grocery shopping is also an important task required in preventing food allergies.

Yum Yum! Fruit Salad or whole fruit?

People have become more aware of their health and, over time, investing in healthy diets has become part of life. It is no wonder that fruit vendors can be found all over town, within the estate and along major roads. They have gone a step further and made it easy for their customers by introducing ‘dial a delivery’. Most of these vendors sell pre prepared fruits in open places. The only thing the customer need say is the kind of mix they want. Question is, how much of the nutrients are you getting from these fruits?

A colorful bowl of fruit salad is not only appealing, but also loaded with essential nutrients. But when improperly stored, cut or when exposed to light and heat, fruits can lose much of their nutritional value. One natural chemical process that harms the nutrient in fruits is oxidation, the same process that turns an apple brown when cut or exposed to air. Oxidation starts when peeling, slicing or rough handling causes cell membranes within the fruit to rupture and allow in oxygen. Heat, water and oxidation are three major enemies of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C and the fat-soluble vitamins A and E are particularly prone to oxidation, and are lost over a relatively short period of time. The longer a fruit is exposed to air and light, the fewer vitamins it will have.

Nutrients including vitamins, carotenoids, flavonoids and fiber are more concentrated in the skin than inside the fruit. Thus, the simple peeling and cutting of fruits and vegetables can get rid of considerable amounts and significantly reduce the levels of these substances. Nutrients are naturally protected in plant tissue. Cutting, chopping, blending and juicing of fruits destroys this protection, increases exposure to oxygen and releases enzymes that catalyze their degradation.

It is difficult to tell how long fruits have been standing in direct light at the vendors, when they were cut or when that delicious juice was blended. Bottom line is, as long as they are not being prepared and consumed on the spot, a lot of vitamins and phytonutrients have already been lost. You end up getting a raw deal. Losses are inevitable to some extent, you can’t get 100% of the nutrients in every food unless you get down on all fours and eat plants right out of the soil they grow in. But this doesn’t mean that these fruits are devoid of nutrients or unhealthy.

To get optimal benefit from fruits, buy whole/uncut fruits from the market and where possible from the garden they are grown. Low temperatures delay the oxidation of vitamins hence storing fruits refrigerated protects them from exposure to light and slows the rate of nutrient loss. Frozen fruits retain their nutrient content much longer than fresh but slow thawing may be detrimental. If you buy fresh fruit, it is best to consume it within a few days of purchase to realize the most nutritional value, or freeze it for later use. Store raw fruits intact and keep storage time short. Avoid peeling fruits when the peel is edible. Wash fruits before peeling or cutting, not after and avoid cutting them into very small pieces and consume them immediately after peeling.