Description
Book SynopsisAre you constantly worrying about what you or your loved ones eat? Is every dining experience an episode of anxiety for you? Being allergic to different types of food not only ruins the experience of eating, it can lead to dangerous, sometimes lethal, consequences. With Food Allergies for Dummies, you can feel safer about what you eat.
Trade Review"I would thoroughly recommend this book to all serious allergy sufferers" (
Women's Fitness, September 2007)
Table of ContentsForeword xxi
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Conventions Used in This Book 3
What You’re Not to Read 4
Foolish Assumptions 4
How This Book Is Organized 5
Part I: Feasting on Food Allergy Fundamentals 5
Part II: Progressing from Hives to Hope: Diagnosis and Treatment 5
Part III: Living Well with Your Food Allergies 6
Part IV: The Part of Tens 6
Appendixes: Allergy-Friendly Recipes and Other Treats 6
Icons Used in This Book 7
Where to Go from Here 7
Part I: Feasting on Food Allergy Fundamentals 9
Chapter 1: Breaking Out with Food Allergies 11
Pinning Down Food Allergy: What’s an Allergy, and What’s Not? 11
Defining food allergy 12
Identifying imposters 12
Meeting the Many Faces of Food Allergies: Signs and Symptoms 13
Investigating the Conspiracy: Allergens and Other Contributing Factors 14
Digging up the root cause of food allergy 14
Playing the blame game 14
Labeling Your Maladies with a Doctor’s Diagnosis 15
Finding a food-allergy savvy allergist 16
Navigating the diagnostic process 17
Considering food intolerances 17
Battling Back with Medications, Modifications, and Other Therapies 18
Modifying your diet 18
Muffling your symptoms with meds 19
Confronting the alternative (therapy) crowd 20
Getting the Lowdown on Potential Futuristic Cures 22
Living Large with Your Food Allergies 24
Unmasking Common Food Allergy Myths 24
Chapter 2: Turning Allergies Inside Out: Probable Causes and Common Symptoms 27
Finding Out What’s Wrong with Your Food 28
Pinpointing problematic proteins 28
Separating logic from lore 29
Finding Out What’s Wrong with You 33
Going wild: Immune systems gone wild 33
Debating the nature or nurture question 35
Triggering allergies through exposure 36
Exploring the Sudden Rise in Food Allergies 38
Examining the hygiene hypothesis 38
Investigating other possible suspects 39
Gauging Your Child’s Risk for Developing a Food Allergy 40
Following the guidelines 40
Weighing the age factor 41
Exploring Common Signs and Symptoms 42
Getting under your skin 43
Taking a breather: Respiratory reactions 46
Having a gut reaction literally 46
Uncovering anaphylaxis: The shocking story 47
Taking the focus off of food allergy 50
Chapter 3: Spotting the Usual Suspects: Wherefore Art Thou, Allergen? 51
Naming the Common Culprits 52
Condemning cow’s milk 52
Cracking open the mystery of hen’s eggs 53
Pointing the finger at peanuts 54
Censoring soy 54
Blaming the bakery: Wheat 55
Shaking the tree for tree nut allergies 55
Fishing for allergens in fish 55
Prying into shellfish allergies 56
Suspecting sesame, sunflower, and other seedy culprits 56
Ingesting Allergens with Your Food 57
Gauging how much it takes to trigger a reaction 57
Predicting the severity of an ingestion reaction 58
Calming the Fears of Contact Reactions 59
Predicting the severity of a contact reaction 60
Revealing the low risk of hidden dangers:
From library books to monkey bars 61
Refusing to let your allergies control your life 62
Clearing the Air About the Risks of Airborne Allergens 62
Recognizing the risk: When allergens take to the air 63
Predicting the severity of an inhalant reaction 65
Chapter 4: Picking On Peanuts: A Potentially Deadly Foe 67
Investigating the Allergic Nature of Peanuts 67
Probing the peanut protein connection 68
Acknowledging the deadly risk 68
Playing Find-the-Peanut on Your Plate 69
Uncovering peanut’s favorite hideouts 69
Dining out without peanuts 75
Inhaling Peanut Dust: Airborne Reactions 79
Ruling out airborne reactions in peanut butter and candy bars 79
Designating peanut-free zones 80
Spotting peanuts at bars and restaurants 81
Mixing peanuts with baseball 81
Steering Clear of the Other Nuts 81
Part II: Progressing from Hives to Hope: Diagnosis and Treatment 83
Chapter 5: Labeling Your Ailments with an Accurate Diagnosis 85
Taking a Flyover View of the Diagnostic Journey 86
Self-Screening for Food Allergies 88
Taking a Trip to Your General Practitioner 90
Why see your GP? 90
Knowing what to expect from your GP 90
Navigating the referral process 92
Avoiding quackologists 94
Seeking an Allergist’s Advice 94
Tracking down a qualified food allergist 95
Teaming up with your allergist for optimum results 97
Getting the Skinny on Allergy Workups 98
Making the most of your medical history 98
Getting physical with a physical exam 100
Poking around with skin tests 100
Hunting for IgE with RASTs 103
Weighing the pros and cons of RASTs and skin tests 105
Looking for Clues with Additional Diagnostic Tools 106
Daring a food to make you react: Food challenges 106
Discovering your allergens by avoiding them 107
Pursuing the causes of non-IgE mediated allergies 109
Avoiding the untested and unproven 110
Ruling out food intolerances 111
Chapter 6: Concocting Your Own Avoidance Diet 113
Setting Sensible Goals 114
Drawing Up Your Avoidance Diet 114
Maximizing your choices 115
Determining how strict you need to be 116
Decrypting Food Labels: Allergen-Savvy Grocery Shopping 116
Going on an egg hunt 117
Identifying the many faces of milk 117
A peanut by any other name 117
Spotting soy and soy products 118
Shaking the tree nuts out of a label 118
Recognizing wheat’s many aliases 119
Smelling the fish on a label 119
Cracking open mysterious shellfish labels 119
Sifting out hidden sesame 119
Approaching Warning Labels with Caution 120
Deciphering the “This package may contain ” warning 120
Decoding the “Produced in a facility ” warning 121
Taking warning labels seriously 122
Remaining cautious of foods you haven’t reacted to yet 122
Feeding Your Nutritional Needs 122
Attending to your infant’s needs 123
Keeping your toddler on the right track 124
Maintaining a healthy diet with children and adolescents 124
Focusing on calcium intake for adults 125
Taking Turns with a Rotation Diet 125
Knowing when a rotation diet can benefit you 126
Charting your game plan 126
Chapter 7: Making It Stop: Finding Symptomatic Relief 127
Pro-Acting and Reacting to Anaphylaxis 127
Defending yourself against anaphylactic episodes 128
Drawing up an anaphylactic treatment plan well in advance 129
Dealing with Itchy Stuff: Eczema 133
Dealing with More Itchy Stuff: Hives 134
Alleviating Gut-Retching Food Allergies 135
Treating oral allergy syndrome 135
Easing the effects of eosinophilic gastroenteritis 136
Muting the symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) 137
Checking out remedies for allergic proctitis 138
Caring for enterocolitis syndrome 138
Alleviating the symptoms of celiac disease 138
Catching Your Breath Asthma Symptoms and Treatments 139
Treating a Chronic “Cold”: Allergic Rhinitis 139
Chapter 8: Debunking Alternative Tests and Therapies 141
Exposing Meaningless Tests and Other Mumbo Jumbo 142
Polling your cellular reactions: Cytotoxic testing 142
Looking at your lymphocytes with ELISA/ACT testing 144
Unclogging your energy fields with NAET 145
Discrediting the claims of other dubious tests 145
Demystifying Homeopathy: A Little Hair of the Dog That Bit You 147
Deflating the Hype Surrounding Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs 148
Addressing the Leaky-Gut Hypothesis 149
Healing Yourself through Mind, Body, and Soul Manipulations 150
Solving Allergies through Acupuncture or Acupressure 151
Chapter 9: Exploring Cures from Mice to Man: Current Research 153
Muting Allergen Sensitivities through Immunotherapy 154
Grasping the concept of immunotherapy 154
Getting your allergy shots but not necessarily for food allergies 155
Going under the tongue with sublingual treatments 157
Chewing on oral immunotherapy 158
Battling back with modified protein vaccines 159
Going sub-cellular with DNA vaccines 162
Treating Your Allergies to an Ancient Chinese Herbal Remedy 162
Fighting Back with Anti-IgE Antibody Therapy 163
Investigating Other Futuristic Treatments 165
Immunizing with immunostimulatory sequences 165
Making the most of probiotics 166
Part III: Living Well with Your Food Allergies 167
Chapter 10: Living at Home with Your Allergies 169
Dumping the Bad Stuff or Not 169
Weighing the pros and cons of banning allergenic foods 170
Quarantining suspect substances 172
Stocking Up on the Essentials 173
Cooking and Dining Safely in the Midst of Allergies 174
Planning your meals 175
Boning up on substitutions 175
Reducing the risks of cross-contamination 175
Grounding airborne allergens 176
Cleaning the galley 177
Organizing an Information Station 179
Assembling an emergency kit 179
Bringing your sitter up to speed 180
Chapter 11: Eating Out and Traveling with Food Allergies 183
Preparing for Your Outing 183
Toting your allergy emergency kit along with you 184
Packing a safe food stash 185
Wearing a medical ID bracelet or necklace 185
Taking Your Allergies Out to Dinner 185
To eat out or not to eat out that is the question 186
Locating allergy-friendly restaurants 187
Chatting it up with the staff 188
Studying the menu for safe dishes 190
Stepping gingerly across the dessert menu 192
Traveling with Your Allergies 193
Plotting your course and itinerary 193
Planning your meals 195
Scoping out available healthcare providers 196
Flying to foreign lands: international travel 196
Flying with peanuts: avoiding peanuts on your next flight 198
Cruising for a reaction 199
Chapter 12: Conquering the Challenges of Daycare and Preschool 201
Making the Big Decision: To Send or Not to Send 202
Weighing the risks of daycare and preschool 202
Considering the benefits of daycare or preschool 203
Finding the Right Daycare Center or Preschool 203
Shopping for allergen-free schools or not 204
Assessing a facility’s knowledge and experience with food allergies 205
Gauging the size factor 207
Consulting the school nurse (or whoever’s in charge) 207
Teaming Up with Your Child’s Daycare Center or Preschool 208
Educating your child’s caregivers 209
Establishing some basic lunchroom policies 211
Making your childcare facility peanut-free 213
Planning for possible emergencies 213
Chewing on Some Snack-Time Issues 216
Keeping Parties Fun while Making Them Safe 217
Chapter 13: Sending Food Allergies Off to School: K-12 219
Selecting an Allergy-Safe Educational Environment 220
Home schooling: The ultimate in allergy safety? 221
Assessing public versus private schools 221
Making a Safe School Safer for Your Child 222
Reviewing food allergy policies 223
Pow-wowing with the nurse, administrators, and other staff 227
Dealing with medications on school grounds 229
Riding the school bus with food allergies 231
Designating peanut-free tables and other seating arrangements 232
Packing for Lunchtime: Cafeteria or Brown Bag? 234
Protecting Yourself without Becoming a Party Pooper 235
Taking Your Allergies on a Field Trip 235
Going Behind the Scenes with 504 Plans 236
Section 504 237
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 237
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 238
Citing the law to gain cooperation 238
Chapter 14: Empowering Your Adolescent or Teenager 241
Fostering an Atmosphere of Empathy 242
Acknowledging the injustice 242
Feeling the sting of teenage teasing 243
Dealing with restrictions and limitations 244
Sizing up the situation: Newly developed or long-standing allergy? 244
Empowering Your Teen to Take on More Responsibility 245
Getting a Little Help from Your Friends 247
Mastering the Art of Acceptable Risk Taking 248
Laying Down Some Safe Dating Guidelines 249
Eating out 250
Acquiring a few safe-kissing skills 250
Chapter 15: Preventing and Outgrowing a Food Allergy 253
Preventing Food Allergies: Hope or Hype? 254
Stressing early intervention 254
Focusing on baby formulas 255
Clearing the smoke from the room 255
Taking action to prevent the onset of food allergies and asthma 255
Ranking the Likelihood of Outgrowing an Allergy Food by Food 257
Charting your chances with cow’s milk 257
Outgrowing an allergy to eggs 258
Winning out against wheat and soy allergies 259
Overpowering a peanut allergy 259
Shaking a tree nut allergy 261
Surmounting a seed allergy 261
Overcoming other food allergies 261
Whipping multiple food allergies 262
Accounting for other allergic conditions 262
Speculating on the Timing 262
Prodding Your Allergy to Vacate Sooner 263
Monitoring and Managing Your Allergies 264
Safely Reintroducing the Problem Foods 266
Confronting your allergies with food challenges 266
Inviting problem foods into your home 267
Part IV: The Part of Tens 269
Chapter 16: Teaching Your Child Ten Key Food Allergy Lessons 271
Finding Comfort in Numbers: Lots of People Have Food Allergies 271
Decoding Labels and Asking Questions 272
Teaching Your Friends a Thing or Two 273
Sitting at the Cleanest Table in the Cafeteria 274
Eating Off a Plate or Napkin 274
Steering Clear of Sloppy Eaters 274
Avoiding Lunch Room Food Swaps and Food Fights 275
Stocking up on Some Healthy, Yet Yummie Snacks 275
Asking for Help Immediately when You Start Feeling Funny 276
Carrying a Health Emergency Card 276
Chapter 17: Packing Ten Key Food Allergy Tips for Camp, College, and Other Outings 279
Packing Fresh Medications 279
Taking Your Allergy Free Diet on the Road 280
Packing Emergency Information and Instructions 281
Identifying One or More Point Persons 282
Tweaking Your Emergency Plan 283
Training Counselors and Other Personnel 283
Giving Your Child a Refresher Course 284
Choosing a Food Allergy–Friendly Camp 284
Educating Bunkmates and Roommates 285
Buddying Up with a Food Allergy Savvy Pal 285
Chapter 18: Substituting Foods and Ingredients: Ten Common Dietary Substitutions 287
Discovering Peanut and Peanut Butter Alternatives 288
Replacing Milk, Ice Cream, and Yogurt 288
Discovering a Better Butter 289
Checking Out Some Cheesy Substitutes 289
Trading in Your Chocolate 290
Whipping up a Fake Egg Mixture 290
Finding a New Staple: Wheat-Free Breads 291
Breakfasting with Wheat-Free Cereals 292
Baking Your Goodies with Wheat-Free Flour 292
Discovering Safer Thickening Agents 293
Chapter 19: Exploring Ten Outstanding Food Allergy Web Sites 295
Tapping Online Resources at FAAN: Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network 295
Communing with the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics 296
Investigating the Food Allergy Initiative 297
Poking Around in the Food Allergy Kitchen 297
Visiting AAFA: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America 298
Accessing Anaphylaxis Canada 298
Dropping in on the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology 299
Attending the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology 299
Joining the Anaphylaxis Campaign 300
Gathering Additional Information at AllAllergy.net 300
Chapter 20: Responding to a Severe Reaction: Ten Do’s and Don’ts 301
Identify the Symptoms 301
Tell Someone Immediately 302
Remain As Calm As Possible 302
Respond Immediately 303
Administer Medications 303
Call 911 304
Don’t Drive Yourself 304
Call Your Doctor 304
Call Family or Friends 305
Review What Happened 305
Part V: Appendixes: Allergy-Friendly Recipes and Other Treats 307
Appendix A: Breads & Breakfasts 309
Appendix B: Main Courses 313
Appendix C: Snacks and Cookies 317
Appendix D: Cakes and Desserts 323
Appendix E: Glossary 329
Index 335
