Is shea nut safe for nut allergy?
Shea nuts are tree nuts, obtained from the shea tree, which grows in various parts of Africa. The shea nut is found within the fruit of the tree, and it is oil rich. Widely eaten in Africa, in the…
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food allergy
Sulfite / sulphite allergy
However you spell them, sulfites / sulphites and sulfur / sulphur dioxide are not considered one of the eight key allergen groups in the US, but they are one of the 14 allergens in the UK / EU. They are…
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Celery allergy
Are you looking for celery-free foods, such as sauces, stocks and yeast extracts? Celery is one of the ‘big 14’ food allergens, which must always be labelled and highlighted in the EU, and likewise celeriac — the root of a…
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Gluten free food can contain barley and wheat
Barley or wheat listed in the ingredients of your “gluten free” food or drink? Alarmed? Confused? ANGRY? It’s probably OK. Barley and wheat (and rye and oats) are legally defined as gluten-containing cereals: as a group, one of the 14…
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Have the Vatican banned gluten free hosts?
Nothing much stirred when the Vatican issued this letter to its Bishops on June 15th about the bread that should be used for the Eucharist, but when it was reported by Vatican Radio on July 8th, things got more agitated….
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Can a tree-nut butter be peanut free?
Among the resources I’m aiming to build on for the Allergy Insight website is the list of free from foods. I want these to be quite small and modest, and feature little-known brands that allergic consumers may not know about….
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Onion allergy, kiwi allergy, garlic allergy, spice allergy, banana allergy …
When it comes to food allergies and intolerances, most of the talk is about gluten and the top 14 allergens — mainly milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soya, gluten grains and sesame. Labelling legislation requires manufacturers to emphasise (typically in bold) these…
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A century of coeliac and food allergy
I’m currently looking into IBS and its history, for a book I’m writing with dietitian Julie Thompson, and while flicking through a digitised edition of a medical manual from the 1920s – Dr William Osler’s The Principles and Practice of…
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May contain nuts – and peanuts too?
Most readers will know that tree nuts are one of the key 14 allergens, and that peanuts – a legume, botanically, not a nut – are another of the 14. Accordingly, when either is present in a food product, it…
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Coeliac and food allergy: is there an association?
I was at a talk many years ago – possibly at Gastro 2009 – where the speaker mentioned in passing that there appeared to be a slightly increased risk of coeliac disease in those with food allergy, and possibly vice…
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