According to a study published in the Journal of the Indian Medical Association, peanuts are the most common food allergen in India, followed by, chocolate (cocoa), fish, coconut and cashews. Dals, soya, dairy products, wheat, lemon, chicken, meat and eggs are other allergens that are common in India.
A tiny amount of the allergen, for instance used as garnishing, is often enough to cause allergy attack. In many cases, even cross contamination from residue left behind on plates or vessels can trigger a serious attack.
These are tips to help you know what foods you should avoid for the following allergens:
- Peanuts (groundnuts): Baked products including cakes and biscuits, chocolates, ice-creams, snacks including farsan, marzipan, nougat, and foods containing peanut butter. Reused oil in which food with peanuts has been cooked can cause a reaction. Refined peanut oil is usually safe, but cold-pressed or extruded oil should be avoided.
- Chocolate: Foods containing cocoa chocolates, cakes, biscuits, ice creams or milkshakes.
- Fish: Packaged sauces containing fish products apart from fish dishes.
- Shellfish: Packaged foods containing shellfish apart from dishes containing shellfish.
- Coconut: Raw coconut, cooked foods with coconut such as curries and chutneys, cakes, biscuits, farsan and desserts including sweetmeats.
- Tree nuts: Cakes biscuits, chocolates, foods garnished with nuts, farsan, fudges, chikkis and marzipan.
- Dals: Cooked dals as also snacks and sweetmeats made using besan or chickpea flour.
- Soya: Soya bean in any form including soya milk, tofu or soya flour. Foods containing minor amounts of soya protein, such as soya oil or soya lecithin, are usually safe.
- Milk: Milk in any form including butter, ghee, cheese and curd in cooked preparations, baked products, ice cream, sweetmeats, chocolates, etc.
- Wheat: Wheat flour, semolina, daliya (broken wheat), wheat bran or wheat starch in breads, rotis, chapattis, packaged baked products, cereals, pasta and some noodles.
- Eggs: Any part of egg, including egg white, egg yolk or egg powder used in cooking, cakes and other baked items, creamed foods, mayonnaise, marshmallows and ice creams.
More fiber= Better health
|
