I am Dr. Monique May, Board-certified Family Physician and Founder of Physician in the Kitchen™. Through my videos and best-selling book, MealMasters: Your Simple Guide to Modern Day Meal Planning, I help busy households enjoy healthy eating without impacting their hectic schedules. Can you believe we have made it to May? In this weird new reality that COIVD-19 has brought us into, the days have become weeks and weeks have become months as we are sheltering in place. But across the country, some states have lifted their stay-at-home orders, and some are doing it in phases. For example, in North Carolina where I happen to live, we are in Phase 1 as of May 8th, where some non-essential businesses and parks are opening. However, restaurants are still closed for dine-in options for another two weeks. The next few weeks will be very telling as we wait to see what the spikes in the number of new infections will be as people start to reassemble across the country.
As people start to venture out and perhaps start to visit restaurants more, keep in mind that May 10-16, 2020 is Food Allergy Awareness Week. According to foodallergy.com, 32 million Americans, including almost 6 million children under the age of 18, have food allergies. A food allergy is the result of the body’s response when it is triggered by a protein in the food. This abnormal reaction of the immune system can be mild (an itchy mouth or skin rash, for example) to severe and life-threatening (anaphylaxis or throat-tightening, tongue swelling, and difficulty breathing).
Common foods that can cause allergic reactions include:
- Milk
- Egg
- Fish (including crustacean shellfish such as crab, lobster, or shrimp)
- Tree nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
- Wheat
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
Even though there are more than 170 foods that can trigger a reaction, these foods cause 90% of allergic reactions in this country. Interestingly, some allergies can be outgrown while some allergies develop in adulthood.
Typical food allergy symptoms include:
- Hives or itching
- Abdominal or belly cramping
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Tongue, face, lip or throat swelling
- Stuffy nose
- Wheezing
- Feeling lightheaded
Symptoms of a severe reaction, or life-threatening anaphylaxis, are swelling and tightening of the airways, wheezing, a very fast heartbeat, and dangerously low blood pressure. People may also pass out or faint. Any of these symptoms should be evaluated in the emergency department. Each year over 200,000 people need emergency medical treatment for their food allergies.
Food allergy symptoms can develop from just a few minutes after exposure to up to 2-3 hours after eating the offending food. Rarely, they may even resolve only to recur or rebound after 1-4 hours. Again, they can be mild and resolve on their own or with antihistamines such as diphenhydramine. More severe life-threatening symptoms will need epinephrine injections and steroids. Epinephrine is the only medicine that can counteract the life-threatening symptoms of anaphylaxis. If there is wheezing, albuterol, an inhaled medicine that relaxes the airways of the lungs, may be needed as well. If you have been prescribed an injector pen try to have multiple pens available in different locations, such as on your person (purse, backpack, etc), school or work. A word of caution however: try to avoid storing them in your car, because temperature extremes (i.e. too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter) can make the medicine less effective. If you have an allergic reaction and have to use the epinephrine injector, you need to call 911, tell them that you used epinephrine, and then be monitored in the emergency department to make sure your symptoms do not return.
In order to prevent allergies to peanuts, it is thought that giving kids peanut-containing foods at an early age may lower the risk of developing a peanut allergy. Once allergies have developed, be sure to wear a medical alert bracelet if you have had severe reactions or anaphylaxis. Since just small amounts of allergens can cause a reaction, it is important that your food is prepared in a kitchen where there is not cross-contamination. This is crucial whether you are eating at home or in a restaurant.
If you think you or your child suffers from food allergies, be sure to see an allergist (a doctor who specializes in allergy and immune problems) for skin and blood testing to make the correct diagnosis. He or she will then be able to work with you on developing an action plan to avoid triggers and treat allergic reactions.
For more information on food allergies, click here.
Click here for an easy and delicious recipe for pesto. However, if you are allergic to nuts, use sunflower seeds instead. Even if you are not allergic, sunflower seeds are a lot cheaper than pine nuts so they make a nice alternative for those on a budget.
Please remember that just because some states are lifting the stay-at-home orders for economic reasons, that DOES NOT mean that the coronavirus has been vanquished. We still need to wash our hands for 20 seconds frequently, stay 6 feet away from others, and wear masks in public. If you develop symptoms such as a cough, fever, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell, self-quarantine for 14 days and call your doctor.
