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.

What you need to know about soy allergies

21st September 2022

What you need to know about soy allergies

Soy is one of those ingredients you don’t realise is as popular as it is. But take a look in your food cupboard and you might be surprised. Obviously, you have something like soy sauce. Then you also have lots of Asian cuisine that uses it, soy milk is an incredibly popular choice for those with lactose intolerance, and plenty of meat alternatives use it too.

It’s also one of the most common allergens out there. In fact, it’s part of what some call the “Big Eight” – eight ingredients that account for 90% of all food allergies. So considering how likely you are to come across it, what do you need to know about soy allergies?

Symptoms of soy allergies

As a reaction to soy is a food allergy, you’re going to see a lot of the same symptoms. At the milder end of the scale, this might include:

• Hives
• Stomach cramps
• Swelling around the tongue and/or lips
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea

But, as with many other food allergies, reactions can also be quite severe and – in the worst cases – life-threatening. Symptoms to look out for in this case are:

• Difficulty breathing
• Closing throat
• Dizziness
• Anaphylaxis

With that last one, you’ll also notice a weak pulse as an anaphylactic shock causes a person’s blood pressure to drop dangerously low. If this ever occurs, seek medical attention immediately.

What to avoid

We mentioned a few foods earlier that you need to avoid, but the list can grow quite long. Here are some of the most common places you’ll find it:

• Soy sauce, milk, oil, and other such products with “soy” in the name
• Edamame
• Miso
• Tofu and other meat alternatives

This is particularly risky for vegetarians and vegans, as soy is often used in foods made for this market. Though we stress it’s important to check ingredients no matter the food. Soy can be in various canned goods, biscuits, meat, sauces, and even soaps. So it pays to be vigilant.

How to treat

If you suspect you have a soy allergy, it’s better to be safe than sorry and avoid anything with soy in it. At least until you can get a proper confirmation. If there’s a risk of anaphylaxis, you may have to start carrying an EpiPen with you to treat the reaction.

Soy allergies are prevalent in children, but some evidence suggests that roughly 50% of them will outgrow it by age 7. And 70% will by age 10. If you have the condition as an adult, the chances of it disappearing might be low. The ultimate way to treat a soy allergy? Get tested. An allergy test will clarify the issue quickly.

It’s important to work with an allergy specialist, as they will be best equipped at tackling your condition. They will be able to carry out the appropriate tests and give you the advice you need to live a happier and healthier life.

Don’t let your allergies bring you down. Our allergists work day in, day out with people just like you, and help them manage their allergies better. To find out more, you can always call us on 02031 433 449. Or you can register as a new patient here.

New labels from the Food Standards Agency could save lives

15th May 2019

New labels from the Food Standards Agency could save lives

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been tightening the rules and regulations on listing ingredients for a while. After a few preventable deaths, notably Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who died after eating a sandwich from Pret A Manger, the FSA is now calling on food outlets to provide thorough ingredient labels.

As it stands, food prepared and sold on-site doesn’t legally require warning labels about any potential allergens. Instead, it’s down to those purchasing the food to ask staff. The flaws in this process are clear, and can ultimately lead to deaths. What if the staff members knowledge is lacking? What if the sellers don’t note any cross-contamination? The what-ifs go on, but hopefully they will soon be put to rest.

Recently, the FSA discussed options to tackle this problem including promoting best practice in the food industry and introducing mandatory labels listing the 14 major allergens. This includes nuts, eggs, and milk. However, it’s the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs who will have the final say over this.

Is this plausible?

While there have been small amounts of opposition from businesses worried about the costs and resources involved in such a scheme, this mostly stems from misunderstanding.

The FSA chairwoman Heather Hancock said, “We are not talking about every fresh sandwich being made in a sandwich shop.”

It’s more plausible that the regulations will be for pre-packaged foods rather than each sandwich you may get at a subway for example, whose list of allergen should already be made available. The aim is to make eating a risk-free experience for people with allergies.

Ultimately, this issue threatens the lives of allergy sufferers across the UK, so we need to do something soon. How the government will implement these life-saving changes is yet to be determined but we have high hopes for positive changes coming our way.

If you have symptoms you can’t explain, you may have an allergy. Finding out has never been easier. Just book an appointment with one of our consultants, and they can test you for over 100 allergies at once.