Do I need a diet for allergies

Allergy startsAllergies / Mayo Clinicwhen the immune system mistakes a normally harmless substance for a dangerous invader. Because of this, antibodies are produced. As soon as the allergen enters the body again, they will signal the cells to release mediators such as histamine. The latter help a person fight the "poison", causing allergy symptoms.

Most often, the immune system reacts:

• on air irritants: pollen, animal dander, dust mites and mold;
• stings of insects, such as bees or wasps;
• drugs, especially penicillin or antibiotics based on it;
• latex or other substances you touch;
• some food.

Why Foods Can Cause Allergic Reactions

Even if a person seasonal allergies, he is still not immune from reactions to food. This happens for several reasons.

Because the foods themselves are allergens

Unpleasant symptoms will occur if you eat something that causes you allergies. But this is not the only option. Food allergens can hitFood Allergies Treatment & Management / Medscape

into the body through skin contact or inhalation. Especially when cooking - for example, when frying fish. Also, triggers can be in drugs and cosmetics.

Because they look like allergens

Different allergens - pollen, food, drugs, insect venoms, and so on - may have the same structure of protein fragments. Therefore, the body is able to make mistakes and take one substance for another. So arisesCross‑Reactivity Defined / American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology cross allergy.

As a rule, she it happensPollen Food Allergy Syndrome/ACAAI only for raw foods. The fact is that during cooking, the structure of the protein changes and then the body no longer recognizes it as an enemy.

Interestingly, cross-allergy does not usually occur in young children. children and, only when they grow up, they may develop a negative reaction to foods that did not cause problems before.

Because they increase histamine levels

Some Products makeL. Maintz, N.Novak. Histamine and histamine intolerance / The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition cells throw out histamine, contain it or enzymes that prevent it from being destroyed. Histamine causes symptoms allergies. Therefore, when its level rises, a person becomes worse.

Why do you need a diet for allergies

Allergists recommend it in two cases.

To relieve the aggravation

According to the allergist-immunologist Ekaterina Zinchenko, a constant strict diet does not make sense, but in case of an acute course, causally significant allergens must be excluded. That is, those products that cause an exacerbation. It is enough to limit histamine liberators, because you can always choose a well-tolerated dose.

Such food calledFood Allergies Treatment & Management / Medscape elimination. It's better than strict diets, because there is no risk of not getting any useful substances. The plan is made by the allergist, based on the needs of the patient.

For the diet to show results, requiredWhy and How To Start an Elimination Diet / Cleveland Clinic time. This is usually 4-8 weeks until the allergy symptoms subside. During this period, doctors recommend keeping a food diary and note everything you eat in it.

To find out what you're allergic to

Usually this specialist appointsAllergies / Mayo Clinic a skin test or determines the content of immune response proteins in the blood - class E immunoglobulins (IgE). But during an exacerbation, skin tests give an indistinct result, and taking immunoglobulins for all allergens is expensive, and not always realistic.

It is very important not to rush and introduce products in turn. So you will immediately notice what will cause reactionand you won't have to re-diet.

What products should you be careful with?

In order not to cause a sensitization reaction or aggravate the condition, follow the diet.

With allergens

90% of food allergies causeWhy and How To Start an Elimination Diet / Cleveland Clinic:

• eggs;
• fish;
• milk;
• peanut;
• seafood;
• soy;
• nuts, in particular pecans, almonds and walnuts;
• wheat.

But hypersensitivity may be associated with any product. That's why it's so important to include everything you eat in your food diary. You may not be reacting to some typical allergen, but you cannot tolerate spinach, honey, or a certain spice.

With cross allergens

According to Ekaterina Zinchenko, the following products are most often crossed:

With foods that increase histamine

As we have said, in certain foods containedL. Maintz, N.Novak. Histamine and histamine intolerance / The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition histamine. It usually accumulates during fermentation, freezing and canning, especially in long-term storage of meat and fish. For example, they are rich in:

• smoked, salted and frozen fish: mackerel, herring, tuna;
• cheese: parmesan, camembert, emmental, gouda;
• sausage;
• canned food;
• sauerkraut;
• champagne and other wines.

There are also foods that cause cells to produce histamine. This is:

• citruses;
• nuts;
• spinach;
• tomatoes;
• strawberry.

Products that contain an enzyme that prevents the destruction of histamine are very rare. For example, it is black and green tea. However, many have this effect. medicines: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetylsalicylic acid, ambroxol, acetylcysteine ​​and others.