The view from the honeymoon suite

When we set out to select a location for our first vacation in more than two years, we had some very specific parameters.

We live in Pennsylvania and our goal was to escape the cold wintery weather, so our destination had to be a place which had beach-friendly temperatures during spring break, and also had access to an ocean.

In the past we had visited Mexico or Aruba, but when my now 16-year-old daughter’s anaphylactic food allergies (milk, shellfish, egg, walnuts, potato, tomato, eggplant and pepper – including spices from peppers) made it too risky for her to eat food prepared by anyone but us, we stopped taking vacations altogether.

After two years of vacation hiatus, we were seriously craving some beach time. We wanted to find a destination within 20 minutes of a hospital – preferably a North American hospital – and in close proximity to a grocery store that would have a variety of foods my daughter could eat and prepare easily. And we had to be able to read the food ingredient labels – familiar brands would be easiest.

Because she or I cook every breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day of the year, we also didn’t want to spend a lot of time preparing meals. Part of our need for a vacation came from the magician-like skill we had to apply every day in making delicious food that both she and the rest of the family could enjoy. She is very experienced at bringing her own food to restaurants, so that’s what we planned to do on vacation.

We started by checking temperatures. No beach location in the U.S. offered the consistent mid-80′s of the Caribbean. Southeastern Florida seemed to be the warmest beach location we could find.

The next important consideration for us was that we wanted to be right on the beach – not across highway A1A from the beach. There are probably a lot of places where we could have rented a house or a condo, but we’re not experienced with the ins and outs of private rentals.

Also, there didn’t seem to be any resort that offered condos on a beach that would be warm enough during spring break. Amelia Island, near Jacksonville, Florida, has great condos that are in close proximity to groceries and are on the beach, but it’s not 80 degrees there in March.

There were other locations on the West coast of Florida that offered condos, but again they were not as warm or easy to get to, or weren’t reasonably priced during spring break. We eventually settled on Fort Lauderdale.

Next page: The ideal location found

“With the constantly increasing use of spices in the American diet and a variety of cosmetics, we anticipate more and more Americans will develop this allergy,” says Bahna, who is chief of allergy and immunology at Louisiana State University.

Due to the wide use of spice in makeups, lotions and fragrances, Bahna says that women are more likely to develop spice allergy.

Spice allergy has no treatment except for avoidance, which is challenging. In the U.S., food manufacturers are allowed to use a category term in their ingredients list if the item takes up less than 2 percent of the product’s total weight and is not one of the top food allergens. Because of this, manufacturers tend to simply use the word ‘spices’, without any explanation of which spices are used or how much of each is used.

Bahna told Allergic Living that companies should be required to list all ingredients used (with quantities), but he says there is resistance from the food industry.

Adding to the difficulty of avoidance, spices such as curry are actually blends of several spices – and the ingredients in these blends can vary. As Bahna notes: “The name of a spice may mean more than one thing.”

Spice allergy is also difficult to diagnose. There are no tests designed for spice allergy and “when a patient gets symptoms after eating a certain meal, we don’t suspect the spice,” he says.

Bahna says it is important to spread awareness of spice allergy both to the food industry to change current labeling practices, and to the medical community in order to develop testing and treatment options. “Most allergists test for 20 to 40 foods, but there are hundreds of spices,” says Bahna. “The difficulty in identifying spice allergies is remarkable.”

Allergen

Where It Hides

Alternate Names

Other Foods

• alcohol
• artificial flavorings and sweeteners (like aspartame and xylitol)
• baking powder
• confectioner’s sugar (corn starch)
• margarine
• Olestra/Olean cooking oil

• acetic acid
• citric acid
• alpha tocopherol
• ascorbates
• ascorbic acid
• dextrose (also found in IV solutions in hospitals)
• fumaric acid
• gluconate
• glucose
• glycerol
• xantham gum
• MSG
• Saccharin
• maltodextrin
• maize (this is another name for corn)

• broth/bouillon
• sauces
• products containing meat flavoring
• imitation meat products
• soups
• tomato sauces

• soup mixes
• prepared soups
• dips
• chips
• crackers
• sauces
• prepared meat products like sausages
• spice mixes

• most likely these will be hidden under “spices” or “flavoring”

• juices
• syrups
• spirits
• fruit shakes
• fruit cocktails
• mixed dried fruits
• ice cream
• yogurt
• pudding
• breakfast flakes
• energy bars
• flavoring powders or essences
• fruit sauces
• candy

• Chinese gooseberry

Sources:
-ImmunoCAP
-Canadian Food Inspection Agency

A less severe form of food allergy, called oral allergy syndrome, is a reaction to proteins in common raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. It’s called “oral allergy” syndrome or OAS because its symptoms are usually limited to the lips, mouth, tongue and throat.

Estimated to affect about one-third of pollen allergy sufferers*, oral allergy sydrome (sometimes called pollen allergy syndrome) is more widespread than the higher profile – and more dangerous – allergies to peanuts, dairy and eggs.

If you have oral allergy syndrome, chances are that you also have allergies to pollen from trees such as birch and alder, and/or to pollens from ragweed and grass.

Think of it as an allergy by association – or a cross-reaction – because your immune system, already primed to attack tree, plant and grass pollens, does not recognize the subtle differences between their proteins and those contained in foods as basic as an apple.

Not Usually Life-Threatening

One reason for oral allergy syndrome’s lower profile is that, unlike other food allergies, its symptoms are not usually life-threatening. Another is that it is relatively easy to avoid.

“You may eat something that contains traces of peanut, dairy or egg, but you aren’t going to unknowingly bite into a raw apple,” notes Dr. Antony Ham Pong, an allergist and based in Ottawa.

High Incidence of Oral Allergy Syndrome

About 10 per cent of the population**, or roughly one-third of North Americans with pollen-related allergies, are thought to be affected by OAS.

Ham Pong says he usually first sees patients when they’re between 8 to 10 years old. It’s not clear, however, why no more than one-third of hay fever sufferers are affected.

Next: More Serious Oral Allergy Symptoms