Food for thought: 4 foods with hidden allergens

9th August 2023

Food for thought: 4 foods with hidden allergens

Food allergies can feel like you’re navigating a minefield. When you have one, you realise just how common your allergen is, making food shopping, dining out, and even going to a friend’s a more complicated task than it needs to be. But even foods you would never expect to be hazardous can be a danger.

It’s why you should always read the ingredients label and find out what’s in your food. We wanted to do a bit of an experiment: what seemingly innocuous foods actually contain allergens? In our research, we found some surprising examples…

Sauces

There are certain sauces you might expect to contain allergens. Something described as a “creamy” sauce is likely to contain milk or eggs. That’s a given. But what about barbecue sauce? We found a couple of examples that had peanuts in them – including one popular jerk BBQ brand.

It didn’t end there. Many other sauces – be they for barbecue, burgers, or kebabs – frequently contained eggs and soya. Even your run-of-the-mill tomato ketchup can contain celery. So it’s not always the ingredients you expect in such a simple condiment.

Salad dressings

Dressings are similar. Again, you probably expect it from a Caesar dressing, but not necessarily from a vinaigrette. We found dressings that contained celery and mustard, and many vinaigrettes contained sulphur dioxide or sulphites. While these alone might now cause allergies, they have been shown to aggravate people’s asthma symptoms.

The main issue here is when you’re dining out. A simple salad at a restaurant might sound nice, but if you don’t know what dressing they’re using, you can’t be sure what you’re being exposed to.

Hot dogs

For this, we’re referring to the kind you find preserved with something like brine in a glass jar. Classic hot dogs that you can cook up in five minutes. We found one brand that contains celery, soya, and mustard all in one pork package. So it got us thinking about other processed meats.

Allergens can be quite prevalent in canned, tinned, or even sandwich meats. We found ham with wheat in it. Spam with milk. Even normal sausages use eggs as a binding agent. Saying that, we did find sandwich meats that were free from most common allergens, so there are safer options available.

Pet food

This is an odd one, we know. But something you might not consider is what your dog or cat eats and how that can affect you. For example, let’s say you give them a treat that contains peanut butter. If they come over to give you some affection – maybe even a lick – there could now be trace amounts of that peanut butter on your skin, causing a reaction.

We found examples that contained everything from wheat and dairy to more specific fruit and vegetable allergens. Is the amount so low that a reaction is unlikely? Probably. But it’s adding risk into your life that doesn’t need to be there.

There’s no doubt that, if you’re a seasoned pro with your allergies, that you’re used to looking at labels and picking out examples like these. But you still have to be vigilant. If you ever get complacent and don’t think twice about that hot dog you’re eating, it could cause unexpected (and unnecessary) discomfort. So keep these in mind – and keep your eyes open.

Navigating allergies is a constant battle, and we understand how that can beat you down over time. But you don’t have to deal with it alone. Our allergy specialists are experts in guiding you through your allergies and giving you the peace of mind to live your life without compromise. To register as a new patient, click here. Or call us on 02031 433 449.

20 shocking allergy statistics you need to know

27th October 2021

20 shocking allergy statistics you need to know

Whether we realise it or not, allergies are all around us. Friends, family, coworkers, and even random strangers you pass in the street could have their own allergy they’re dealing with. It could be a food allergy, a touch of hay fever, or something life-threatening.

You can never be too careful with them. In our blog, we’re always citing interesting statistics that shed light on this common condition. So we thought we’d compile some of them in one handy list! Here are some amazing and shocking allergy statistics you may not know about…

General allergy statistics

Let’s start with how common allergies can be:

• 44% of adults and 50% of children in the UK have one or more allergies.
• The number of people with allergies is rising by about 5% every year.
• Allergies cost the NHS around £900 million each year, mostly through prescriptions. This makes up 10% of GP’s prescription budget.
• Over 200,000 people have emergency adrenaline prescriptions (such as an EpiPen) for their allergies.

Food allergy statistics

Food allergies might be the most common ones you see in the news as they can unfortunately lead to death. They’re not to be taken lightly. Here are some stats you need to know:

• Roughly 2% of adults and 8% of children in the UK have a food allergy.
• In children, the most common fatal food allergy is cow’s milk. It can, in the worst cases, cause anaphylaxis.
• When it comes to cow’s milk allergies, it’s more prevalent in the UK than anywhere else in Europe.
• You don’t have to have the allergy yourself to suffer. Parents of children with food allergies reported being more stressed, anxious, and depressed than parents of children without a food allergy.

Allergic rhinitis statistics

Allergic rhinitis is the aggravation and inflammation of your nose from allergens. Hay fever and animal allergies are common examples of this.

• Allergic rhinitis is the most common form of rhinitis, affecting up to 40% of adults and 40% of children.
• 1 in 4 people in the UK has hay fever (around 16 million people).
• The number of people diagnosed with allergic rhinitis has trebled over the last 30 years.
• Up to 57% of adults and 88% of children with allergic rhinitis have reported having sleep problems as a result.

Skin condition statistics

With some allergies, symptoms appear on the skin in the form of rashes, hives, and multiple other signs. Here are some statistics about this common condition:

• There are 8 million people in the UK who suffer from some sort of skin condition.
• Up to 10% of adults and 20% of children suffer from eczema at some point in their lives.
• Speaking of eczema, it affects both sexes equally. You’ll likely notice it starting to flare up in the first few months of life.
• About 50% of children who have eczema in the first few months of life go on to develop another allergy by the age of 2.

Anaphylaxis statistics

Anaphylaxis is the worst-case scenario when it comes to allergies. It is often fatal. Here’s what you need to know about it:

• When it comes to anaphylaxis, the rate of hospital admissions is rising. In 2015-16, there were 4,479 admissions, compared to the 5,497 in 2018-19.
• Despite this increase, studies suggest that food-induced anaphylaxis deaths are falling.
• 1 in 5 people with allergies live in fear of death due to an anaphylactic shock.
• The prevalence of anaphylaxis-related deaths has led to some legal changes in the UK. The recently enacted Natasha’s Law introduces new rules for businesses selling pre-packaged food.

These statistics are just a small glimpse into the world of allergies and what it’s like to live with them. It isn’t all doom and gloom – it just means we should all be a little more careful in our lives. If you have any allergy concerns, it’s always best to speak to your GP or an allergy specialist.

When you have questions about your allergies, get in touch with one of the experts at the London Allergy and Immunology Centre. You can register as a new patient here or call us on 02031 433 449.

Three tips for dealing with allergies at work

11th September 2019

Three tips for dealing with allergies at work

With so many potential allergens out there, it’s not surprising that allergies are so common. To be precise, around 21 million adults in the UK have at least one allergy. While you can set up an allergy-free, safe haven for yourself at home, at work you can find yourself stuck. 

In some cases, you’ll be in your office every day and may have little to no control over your surroundings. So regardless of whether it’s hay fever, food allergies, or some wildcard allergen, what are some things you can do to make your work life more breezy and a little less sneezy?

Educate

You can’t expect your coworkers to be considerate of your allergy if they don’t even know it exists. Make an effort to let people know you’re struggling and why. This way, they’ll be able to help you out and prevent making it worse. 

You might be surprised by how understanding people are, and how willing they’ll be to make your life easier. You just have to educate and ask. 

Prepare

While you might be unable to completely change your work environment, you can prepare yourself to better tackle the working day. If you suffer from hay fever, routinely take your antihistamines from the beginning of hay fever season onwards. This way you reduce the potential of being blindsided by streaming eyes and a fit of sneezes during the Monday morning meeting. Similarly, come equipped with tissues, eye drops, or anything else you know will bring relief. 

If your allergy is more severe, always have any emergency treatment like epinephrine on hand, and plans in place should the worst-case scenario happen. The more you prepare yourself and those around you, the easier things will be. 

Change

Almost a third of allergy sufferers have to change their lifestyles to reduce reactions, and work doesn’t have to be any different. If you’re a hay fever sufferer but sit near a window, ask if you can swap with someone else. You can also rearrange your desk space so that any allergy essentials are nearby, and handy at all times. If there’s a ‘bring your dog to work’ day but you know you’re allergic, ask if you can work from home that day.

If you suffer from allergies, work can seem like a daily struggle. It’s not your space and you can’t keep it free of all potential allergens. But by communicating with your co-workers, preparing yourself, and changing your surroundings to make the best of it, you can make your work life that little bit easier. Reserve stresses and sleepless nights for getting that promotion, not worrying about your eyes tearing up during a massive deadline. 

If you want more tips for dealing with your allergies or want to book an allergy test, call us on 02031 433 499.