Allergies - Nutrition

Allergies are one of the most common diseases today, and no one is insured. They affect men and women engaged in mental and physical labor, the elderly and the elderly, children and even babies.

Allergy is an increased sensitivity of the body to certain substances (which are called allergens), which manifests itself in the form of various reactions upon contact with these substances.

The most common allergens are:

• air allergens: contained in the air in the form of fine dust or gases;
• food allergens: substances in products that cause food allergies;
• skin allergens: cause allergic reactions in direct contact with the skin;
• drug allergens: drug allergy can develop when taking various medications.

There are allergies caused by insect bites, woolen tissues, the smell of pets, mites and many, many others.

A hypoallergenic diet is necessary, regardless of the type of allergy, but undoubtedly, it is of the greatest importance in food. In this case, the diet performs two functions - diagnostic and therapeutic, excluding from the menu those products that may be the cause of the reaction.

Highly allergenic foods include all those that most often cause allergic reactions. These are:

• many types of fish, caviar (black and red), seafood;
• cow's milk, whole milk products, cheese;
• hens (and other) eggs;
• smoked (especially raw smoked) and semi-smoked products: fish, meat, sausages;
• marinated and canned foods;
• spicy, salty, spicy products and spices, sauces;
• some vegetables: red peppers, tomatoes, beets, carrots, sauerkraut, sorrel, eggplant, celery;
• many fruits (including forest), mainly with red and orange flowers: red apples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, persimmon, pomegranate, cherry, plum, melon, pineapple;
• all citrus fruits;
• fruit and carbonated waters, flavored yogurts, chewing gum;
• many dried fruits: raisins, apricots, figs, dates;
• honey, all mushrooms, nuts;
• marmalade, caramel, chocolate and chocolate products;
• juices, compotes, jellies and other beverages and products of the aforesaid fruits, vegetables, berries;
• cafe, cocoa;
• alcoholic beverages;
• all products containing food additives (colors, flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives);
• all products that are exotic to you (uncharacteristic of the area in which you live): turtle meat, avocado, mango, pineapple, etc.

Products with medium activity in terms of causing allergic reactions:

• some cereals (primarily wheat, rarely rye);
• corn, buckwheat;
• meat: pork (especially fatty), horse, lamb, rabbit, turkey;
• fruits (and berries) - peaches, apricots, red and black currants, blueberries, bananas, watermelon;
• vegetables - green peppers, potatoes, peas, legumes;
• herbal decoctions;

Low allergenic products:

• sour milk products;
• lean pork and beef (cooked or stewed), chicken;
• some fish species;
• by-products - liver, kidneys, tongue;
• bread (mainly corn, buckwheat, rice);
• vegetables - cabbage (white, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, parsley, dill, lettuce, zucchini, squash, turnips;
• cereals - oats, rice, barley, semolina;
• sunflower oil, olive oil;
• oil;
• green apples, pears, gooseberries, white currants, white cherries;
• dried fruits - apples, pears, prunes;
• apple compotes, pears, rosehip decoction;
• weak tea;
• non-carbonated mineral water;

The first thing to do is to exclude highly allergenic products from the menu, to stop or limit the intake of those with a medium level of allergenic activity. This is the essence of the hypoallergenic diet, which is recommended for sufferers of non-food allergies, it is also the first step in determining an individual diet for food allergies .

It should be noted that when buying food from stores, it is especially important to pay attention to their composition, because many products contain highly allergenic ingredients. For example, in the manufacture of confectionery, eggs and artificial food additives are used: leavening agents, colors, flavors; almost all cooked sausages contain sodium nitrite, which gives them a pleasant pink color. And more and more ...

The main difficulty in determining an appropriate diet is that an allergic reaction in any person can cause products that are characterized as low allergenic. Therefore, the hypoallergenic diet should be strictly individual and followed under medical supervision.

A non-specific hypoallergenic diet for food allergies should be continued in adults for 2-3 weeks, and in children 7 to 10 days are sufficient. If improvement occurs during this period, then the products that have been stopped for consumption are again included in the menu smoothly and gradually, one by one - at least every 3 days (not more often), watching whether the allergic reaction will not resume. . If the symptoms of the allergy reappear 3 days after taking the respective food, then this is the desired allergen.

If there is no significant improvement, the exclusion from the menu of products continues, starting with the most highly allergenic. In addition, the patient's condition should be closely monitored and any of the excluded products should be included in the first stage.

It is this first stage of the preparation of the diet that is the most complicated, because there is a real risk that after the removal of some products, the diet will become incomplete and unbalanced, and this requires medical advice and monitoring.

Rules that are good to adhere to, following a hypoallergenic diet:

1. Do not overeat.

2. Maximum variety of the menu, of course, within the allowed limits. In the best case, allergen products should not be used more than once every 3 days. It is explained by the fact that allergic reactions can occur when a certain amount of allergens accumulate in the body.

If a breastfed baby suffers from allergies , then all restrictions associated with a hypoallergenic diet should be borne by the mother. If the child is fed artificially, special treatment and treatment-and-prophylactic mixtures based on partially or highly hydrolyzed protein are used. Only a doctor can determine and prescribe the most appropriate combination for your child.