Recently in Allergies Category
I'm allergic to all shellfish except for crab. I've been tested multiple times (RAST), so it's not bad shrimp, or expired clams. This post is for anyone who prepares food, thinks they might have an allergy, or wants to know about allergies in food. seafood allergies are one of the more common types, they can cross into shellfish and scaled fish, but there is more prominence of shellfish allergies. I'm allergic to bivalve molluscs (clams, abalone, oysters, octopus, squid (calamari)) and almost all crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, crayfish, prawns). But I can have crab. My doctor was puzzled by this one, so he did some more intensive testing.. not allergic to crab.
You might have noticed restaurants now display warnings on their menus. Chili's fries their shrimp in the same oil as their fries, chicken, onion rings, and anything else that is fried. Well, for someone with allergies that is a BIG problem. Some of the proteins that causes the allergic reaction (tropomyosin, tropomyosins) cannot be destroyed by heat. Eating anything that has come in contact with these proteins, or a number of other heat resistant proteins can start an allergic cascade. If you ever eat something that has been deep fried after fish or shrimp, you can usually taste the flavor of the seafood in them.
There is a large amount of cross contamination in restaurants and grocery stores when it comes to seafood. At our local Fresh Market it is common to see shrimp in the top tray, with scallops under it, and tuna at the bottom. If you are buying seafood from a counter that has shellfish in the same area, ask to get stuff from the back.
Problems when eating out... I love sushi, but I have to inform the wait staff that I am allergic to shellfish. Most restaurants will pull out a clean cutting board and clean their knives, but they all don't. When you eat at any Asian restaurants, you have to request a allergy menu. Almost everything at a good Chinese restaurant seems to have oyster sauce in it. Fried Rice, Orange beef, Orange Chicken, General Tso's, and the list goes on and on. Eggrolls, if you haven't witnessed this -- you order the vegetable rolls, take a bite out of it, and you have a tiny little shrimp.
What is an allergic cascade? This is the process of the body realizing that it has ingested/touched/smelled something it is allergic to. It varies from person to person. The body identifies a protein it thinks is dangerous. the body releases antibodies into the bloodstream, those interact with your red bloodcells and release copious amounts of histamine. The histamines are the real problem. Hives, rashes, nausea, breathing problems, low blood pressure, and possibly anaphylactic shock.
If you have to serve someone with allergies, please clean your knives, cook in separate pans, wash your hands often, do not cross contaminate, and inform them ahead of time. Everyone reacts differently, and those with allergies know what to do to prevent a reaction.
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