Prevent food allergies at home and in restaurants

Allergic reactions to food can cause symptoms such as hives, skin rash, or stomach upset. Symptoms that are felt by each person are different, in fact you also don't always experience the same food allergy symptoms every time an allergic reaction occurs.

Often food allergic reactions that occur as adults cannot be eliminated, but there are several ways you can do to prevent their occurrence.

How to prevent food allergic reactions

If you have a food allergy, what must be done to prevent a reaction, of course, is not to eat foods that cause allergies, either when eating at home or eating at restaurants.

However, there are often other factors that can cause allergies, such as hidden allergens in food products or foods that are exposed to food allergens. To work around this, find out how you can do it!

1. Read food product information labels

Source: WebMD

Many food products include important information for people with allergies such as whether the product contains milk or wheat protein and whether the food is produced in a place that also processes allergens such as peanuts.

However, you must still read all the information on the label printed on the product packaging. There are times when food manufacturers make changes to the formula for the ingredients used, it could be that this change also adds ingredients that become allergens.

Therefore, reading information labels is very important to prevent allergic food reactions.

2. Pay attention to the cleanliness of cooking utensils and cutlery

Sometimes, many people fail to pay attention to the cutlery or cooking utensils they use. For example, using a jam knife that still has peanut butter left over is directly used to grease other jams without cleaning them first.

This habit is trivial, but not for people who have allergies. The remaining allergens that are still left in the food when consumed can cause reactions in sensitive people.

It is for this reason that you should regularly clean utensils after they are used to cook foods that have become allergens. When storing food ingredients, it is also advisable to separate safe foods from foods that trigger allergies to prevent cross contact between foods.

In addition, you should wash your hands before and after every meal. If necessary, use different cutlery from other people's utensils.

3. Replace allergy-causing food ingredients with other alternatives

Maybe you often find it difficult to meet your daily nutritional needs with the food allergy conditions you have. Fortunately, there are various alternative choices that can be consumed as a substitute for these foods.

For example, if you have a milk allergy, you can choose fortified soy milk (fortified). In addition, you can also get vitamin D intake from cashews, spinach, and broccoli.

This alternative can also be applied when you want to try recipes such as cakes or other foods. Especially for those of you who are allergic to eggs, these recipes often use this food as one of the ingredients. You can replace it with crushed banana or unsweetened applesauce mixed with baking powder.

Prevent food allergies when dining out

Preventing food allergies when eating out is not an easy matter. When you eat at a restaurant, you don't know exactly what ingredients are used and how the food is cooked. So here are a few things you can do to help you out.

1. Choose a restaurant that matches what you can eat

Before choosing a restaurant to visit, it's a good idea to ask family or friends who have the same food allergies for recommendations. If there are no recommendations, you can visit the site to see the menu first.

2. Select a restaurant

Individual restaurant inside franchise tend to use the same ingredients and prepare food in the same way. So, if you already know what food is safe to order at that restaurant in one branch, you can also order the same food at another branch.

3. Call the restaurant

For those of you with food allergies, booking a place before you go may be the best option to prevent an allergic reaction. That way when you contact a restaurant, you can simultaneously ask about the menu or how they prepare their dishes. Tell staff that you or your child has a food allergy.

After giving your manager or chef a list of your food allergies, tell them what you usually eat when you eat out. With this information, the chef should be able to make a menu that suits your needs.

Also know whether the food is cooked by frying or grilling. Sautéed or baked goods will minimize the use of common cooking utensils and shared utensils. Look at the list of ingredients used in your plate, including food garnishes (garnish), to ensure there are no hidden allergens.

4. Communicate with waiters

If you come directly to the restaurant, ask what ingredients are used on the menu and how to cook them. Make sure the person preparing this meal understands your food allergy and explains that cross-contact should be avoided.

There's no need to be embarrassed if you feel like you're not communicating effectively. If the staff doesn't seem to understand your situation, always trust your gut and look for another staff member or manager.

Sometimes, the safest option is to avoid eating there and order food elsewhere that you have been to frequently.

5. Choosing safe foods

If asking about ingredients in food is not possible, order a more straightforward and well-known menu, such as potatoes or grilled chicken.

Avoid fried foods. Foods that are baked and cooked in cooking oil are risky cross-contact ; It's best to avoid fried foods unless you know for sure that the food is prepared safely.

Be careful when ordering desserts, which are often a source of hidden allergens. Since many restaurants order their desserts from specialty stores, the staff may not be able to provide a complete list of ingredients. When in doubt, it's better to give up ordering dessert and make a safer version yourself at home.

6. Be prepared for allergy medication

More precisely, this step was a precaution. Especially if you have a severe allergy (anaphylaxis). Your doctor may order a food allergy medication in the form of an automatic epinephrine injection which you must carry with you at all times.

If you experience an allergic reaction, you should immediately get an injection of epinephrine in the upper thigh. To make it easier, all family members or closest friends who go with you must know how to use the drug.

After that, do not wait for symptoms to improve and seek medical attention immediately. It is also a good idea to provide more than one injection of epinephrine and place them in places where you usually work such as your desk, car, or room.

Prevent babies and children from food allergies

If the child has actually been diagnosed with allergies, the thing to do of course is to avoid giving these allergenic foods in your child's diet.

The following actions are similar to how you can prevent allergies in adults. Remember to always read the ingredients of the food products to be purchased.

Don't forget to also prepare food and drink for children with different utensils that have never been exposed to allergens. For alternative foods, you should consult your doctor about what foods are safe for your little one to eat.

If this is the case, you or your partner who has allergies are afraid that your child will experience the same thing, or if the child is at high risk, then what you can do is limit your diet by not eating foods that are generally allergens during breastfeeding.

What mothers eat everyday can be channeled in breast milk, so limiting the intake of foods that cause allergies can be one way to prevent allergies.

Make sure to feed your baby breast milk. Breast milk is generally easy to digest and can help strengthen a baby's immune system. Especially if you are exclusively breastfed for the first four to six months, this may reduce the risk of your child developing premature eczema, wheezing or cow's milk allergy.

When the time is right, you can gradually start introducing your baby to foods such as fruits, vegetables or cereals. In introducing these foods, start with the foods that are the least likely to be allergens.

Try giving it every 3-5 days, this method will help you to see if there is a reaction that will arise so that if it does occur, it will be easier for you to identify the trigger food.

If the child has no reaction to these foods, give them foods that contain ingredients that are more common to trigger allergic reactions such as milk, eggs, or nuts. Do not delay the introduction of these types of food as this will actually increase the risk of allergies in babies.