STEAM
Food Allergies On a Rise - Food Standard Agency Announce
By Ieva Rakojedaite
More than 21 million adults suffer from at least one type of allergy in the UK, with more than ten million of them suffering from more than two allergies, the Food Standards Agency announced recently. Most of the allergies are food products like nuts, milk, eggs and etc.
Not only adults suffer from the allergies, 5-8 % of children do too, with the most common an allergy for peanuts. Usually, it is passed down from their parents, but allergies can develop on their own as well.
"We definitely get more children patients with symptoms of an allergy than ten years ago. Different chemical elements in food causes the allergy before the child is born," said general practitioner Dr Sarah Walson, who works in Poplar.
According to the food standards agency since 1999, the number of children that have allergy has increased by 700%. It means that at least 1 in 10 children have an allergy. Usually, parents think that their child will grow out of the allergy, but that is not the case. Allergies develop in DNA and can not be completely cured according to NHS .
A healthy banana pancake recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tbl spoon of coconut oil
2 tbl spoons of sugar
3 medium bananas
1 large egg
Method:
Peel bananas and slice them into halves. Then using a blender or a fork smash them into one consistent mass.
Add an egg and mix it up until there is no sign of egg. Add sugar and do it again.
Heat 1 tbl spoon of coconut oil and add the mixture with a soup spoon.
Make the pancakes small because otherwise they will not cook inside and will burn outside.
Eat it with sour cream or jam.
ENJOY!
But when it comes to the question why are numbers of allergies rising, there is no answer. Scientists are speculating that it can be caused by different elements in food that are now being used or even by air pollution, but all are just guesses.
"My child has been allergic to peanuts since he was born, it is very hard sometimes to double check every food before letting him eat it," said shop assistant Maria Nevora, 32, a mother of a 10-year-old boy.
Food intolerance is another way that an organism can react to unacceptable food products. It can occur after few hours or even in the morning after a dinner and show symptoms of blown up stomach and sickness. Even though it also happens after eating certain products it shouldn't be confused with an allergy as they are felt and dealt with differently.
The reaction to an allergy can occur in different ways. It could be a rash, itchy tongue, mouth or skin. For some, it can cause more dangerous consequences vomiting, fainting, dizziness or even shock. It all depends on how strong the allergy to certain products is.
As the numbers of people with allergies are increasing, people are advised to check with their doctor if they have any type of allergy, so they could prepare in case of the sudden reaction. As the food standards agency announces most of the people think they can diagnose the allergy and the cause by themselves, but that is a myth.
"The sooner we find the cause for an allergy the better we can treat a reaction to it. Sometimes people ignore it until it reaches critical/condition," said Doctor Walson.
With more allergies developing, cafes and restaurants are providing more information about the ingredients and nutrition content of dishes. On some packages the note of "food may contain nuts" or that they have lactose included, as for some it is just a note for others it helps to maintain their health.
As specialists say there is no cure for allergies yet, people can only avoid the products they are allergic to and weaken the reaction to them with medicine.
