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What are the rarest food allergies?

Wine is one of the rarest food allergies

Some food allergies are so common in Canada that manufacturers are legally required to label products that contain them. Eggs, cow’s milk, and nuts, for example, are all known to trigger physical symptoms like severe abdominal pain, a skin rash (hives), shortness of breath, and nausea. However, there are some more of the rarest food allergies that you might not have heard of, but they can be just as dangerous.

Avocados

Smashed avocado is a breakfast trend that has gained popularity in recent years, but it’s also the cause of some more unusual food allergies. Interestingly, the proteins found in avocados have a structure similar to those found in latex, so these two allergies are closely linked. Avocados also contain histamines, which are the source of some food allergies and can provoke a physical reaction.

Red meat

A sugar found in meat called alpha-galactose can occasionally trigger an autoimmune response. This can lead to an allergy to red meats like beef, lamb, and pork, causing symptoms such as congestion, diarrhea, breathlessness, and an itchy rash. If you suffer from this uncommon food allergy, you may find that you’re also unable to eat poultry, as it can sometimes be injected with beef to enhance its flavour.

Dried fruit

Sulfites, such as sulphur dioxide, are used to preserve foods, prevent browning, and prolong their colour. Despite being commonly used in baked goods, snacks, and dried fruit, they are known to trigger allergic reactions. For this reason, food manufacturers have a legal obligation to list sulphates on food labels if they are included in a product as a preservative or enhancer.

Marshmallows

A marshmallow allergy is unusual, but gelatin is the most likely culprit if you experience severe symptoms after eating this sweet treat. This protein is derived from the collagen taken from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of cows and pigs that have been processed. It’s commonly added to sweets, desserts, and even some sauces, which means many of these are not suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Wine is one of the rarest food allergies

Yes, despite being one of the rarest food allergies, some people have the misfortune of being allergic to wine, likely due to the enzymes it contains. An alcohol allergy is also known to exacerbate other reactions to food. For example, you may find that you’re not allergic to a particular ingredient, but combining it with alcohol brings on symptoms you wouldn’t experience otherwise.

How can I determine if I have one of the rarest food allergies?

Having a food allergy is not the same as having a food intolerance, but it’s easy to confuse the two. While food intolerance symptoms are unpleasant, they are not as severe as those associated with food allergies and do not require immediate medical attention. You can find out whether you have a food intolerance by taking one of our tests that will determine whether your digestive system is sensitive to specific ingredients. If you suspect you have a food allergy, on the other hand, it’s best to speak to your family doctor, who can refer you for the necessary tests.

Contact Canada Food Intolerance to enhance your health and wellbeing

If you would like to learn more about our food intolerance tests, please visit our website or FAQs page. You can also send any questions you have to [email protected] or fill out our contact form. Please remember that while we are happy to address your concerns, our advice should never replace that of healthcare professionals, and you should consult with your doctor if you have health concerns.

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Wheat Intolerance Advice and Guidance

Wheat Intolerance

Wheat is found in items using wheat flour or the wheat grain itself such as bread and bread products, pasta, biscuits, crackers, cereal, cakes and pastry products. It is also often
used as a thickener so can be found in soups, sauces, stews and processed meals. It can also be found in beer, ale and lager.

Wheat-free is often confused with gluten-free. Wheat does contain the protein gluten, but removing just wheat from the diet is less restrictive than the removal of gluten as grains such as barley, rye and oats can still be eaten.

There are a number of different types of wheat; wheat berries, durum wheat, bulgur wheat, kamut, emmer or farro, khorosan, einkorn and spelt. All of which should be avoided if a person has celiac disease or allergy to wheat, however with wheat sensitivity often less-common varieties of wheat are more readily and easily digested. These include einkorn, emmer, spelt and khorosan wheat. The fermentation of wheat in sourdough can also aid digestion for some.

The removal of wheat from the daily diet has been greatly facilitated by the wide range of wheat-free grains, which are produced for manufacturing and available in grocery stores and online. There are many excellent alternatives to those products traditionally made with wheat like bread, pasta, cookies and biscuits, crackers and cereals. There is also a plethora of wheat-free recipes in specialist cookbooks and on the Internet.

  • Wheat-free grains
    Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Corn (or maize), Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Rice, Rye, Sorghum
  • Wheat-free products
    Almond, Arrowroot, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Coconut, Cornmeal (maize), Garbanzo, Millet, Oat, Potato, Rye, Sorghum, Teff
  • Bread and bread products
    Almond, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Rye, White rice
  • Cereals
    Cornflakes, Oatmeal, Granola
  • Pasta
    Buckwheat, Chickpea, Quinoa, Red lentil, Rice

Nutrition

Whole wheat is a nutritious grain containing vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, copper and iron. It is also rich in dietary fibre.

However the nutrient value of wheat does depend upon the type you eat and the soil it was grown in. Whole wheat for example offers far greater nutrient value than bleached white flour. To produce bleached white wheat flour as much as 40% of the original grain is removed, including the bran and germ of the wheat, which are the most nutrient-rich parts. This means the loss of over half the vitamin B1, B2, B3, folic acid, vitamin E, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron and fibre.

Replacing key nutrients when eliminating wheat

When eliminating items from the diet whether for the short term when implementing an elimination diet or for the long term, it is important to know alternative items that can be introduced into the diet to maintain nutrient balance.

When looking to replace nutrients you may choose to substitute a grain with a grain or look at other food groups. Below are the richest sources of each nutrient.

  • B Vitamins
    Oats (gluten-free), buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa, peanuts, mushrooms, soybean flour and soybeans, split peas, pecans, sunflower seeds, lentils, cashews, chickpeas, broccoli, hazelnuts, peppers
  • Vitamin E
    Spinach, kale, broccoli, Swiss chard, turnip greens, collards, avocado, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, sunflowers seeds, prawn/shrimp, crayfish, salmon, smoked salmon, swordfish, herring, trout, olive oil, sunflower oil, sweet potato, squashes, kiwi, mango, peach, nectarines, apricots, guava, raspberries, blackberries
  • Calcium
    Watercress, kale, broccoli, low fat mozzarella, low fat cheddar, yogurt, pak choi, tofu, sugar snap peas, almonds, tinned sardines in oil with bones, tinned pink salmon
  • Magnesium
    Buckwheat, millet, brown rice, quinoa, kelp, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, peanuts, walnuts, tofu, coconut, soya beans, figs, apricots, dates, prawns, corn, avocado, spinach, kale, broccoli Swiss chard, turnip greens, collards
  • Manganese
    Oats (gluten-free), brown rice, quinoa, mussels, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans, lima beans, chickpeas, aduki beans, lentils, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pineapple, spinach, kale, tofu, soybeans, sweet potato, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
  • Zinc
    Oats (gluten-free), spinach, beef, lamb, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, pork, chicken, chickpeas, mushrooms
  • Iron
    Oats (gluten-free), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chicken liver, oysters, mussels, clams, cashews, pine nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds, beef, lamb, lentils, white beans, soybeans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lima beans, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, dark chocolate
  • Selenium
    Brown rice, brazil nuts, mushrooms, shrimp, sardines, oysters, tuna, sunflower seeds, liver, eggs, beef, turkey, cottage cheese
  • Copper
    Oats (gluten-free), sesame seeds, cashews, soybeans, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, tempeh, garbanzo beans, lentils, walnuts, lima beans, liver, spirulina, dark chocolate, collard greens, Swiss chard, spinach, kale
  • Phosphorus
    Oats (gluten-free), brown rice, quinoa, chicken, turkey, pork, liver, sardines, scallops, salmon, mackerel, crab, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews