“Class 2 Food Allergy”; Oral Allergy Syndrome

It is that time of year again. Fresh fruits and vegetables are in abundance; customers come in and must avoid certain raw fruits and veggies.  Last year I posted in our newsletter, blog and facebook page about Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) and decided it is time to post it again after I saw this great chart (at bottom) in an Allergic Living Magazine article. (written by Colleen Seto).  Oral allergy syndrome is also known as Pollen Food Syndrome and is considered a class 2 food allergy because it is linked to specific raw fruits and vegetables, spices, and even nuts or seeds.

It effects those who have allergies to trees, grass and ragweed. Basically the immune system will recognize the protein from these certain fruits and veggies as being the pollen protein and then a reaction will occur. It starts by being allergic to pollen and upon inhaling it; then progresses when they body starts reacting to foods that share similar proteins with the pollen. Making the food allergy secondary to the actual pollen allergy.

I have many environmental allergies and had to take allergy shots for a few years when I was younger. I definitely notice mild OAS when I eat things like raw bananas, strawberries and some apples. (I also notice an issue when I consume Stevia; a sweetener from the leaves of the Stevia plant, part of the sunflower family.)  According to the article; the reaction is usually immediate and it can start with itchy lips, tongue, throat, and can cause swelling.  It usually is mild and subsides when the offending food is in the digestive system where the proteins are broken down. However, cooking the food thoroughly will break down the protein so ingesting is not a problem.

OAS can be hard to diagnose because a reaction to a ripe fruit is more severe than to an unripened fruit.  Between 30 and 70% of the population with a birch pollen allergy have OAS, however, most have only mild reactions. Some can experience vomiting, cramps and diarrhea while only 2% have an anaphylactic reaction like swelling of the throat, hives and trouble breathing. (Nuts, celery, peaches and apples tend to be linked to the more serious reactions)

See chart below and Click Here to Read Full Article

 

Which Spices are Safe to Use?

One of the most common questions I get from newly diagnosed customers with food allergies or Celiac Disease is “Which Spices Are Safe To Use?”  I always encourage everyone to do their own due diligence. However, back in the fall of 2014 and the middle of 2015 there was a huge panic in the food allergy community. Rightfully so; especially for those with life threatening Peanut Allergies.  It seems that a huge supply of Cumin was highly contaminated with peanuts.  Many companies were recalling and a few were not!

Here at ODC, we us McCormick Spices when we need dried spices, otherwise we use fresh. McCormick assured me that they were not affected.  Why weren’t they affected?  Because they have good manufacturing practices.

I was thrilled to see a follow up article by Allergic Living Magazine.  They put out requests for information to 10 different spice companies. However, only 3 companies responded. It is not surprising that the 3 who responded are the companies that I and most of our customers use when we need spices. They are: McCormick, Frontier Co-Op and Spicely Organics.  The following link is to the section of the article that shows you what each had to say and some information to help you find safe spices; Click Here

To see the big list of recalled spices during the cumin recall; Click Here

To read the entire Allergic Living article with all links; Click Here For Full Article

Be safe out there gang!