Food allergy is a fairly common phenomenon in the modern world. It is manifested by swelling of the mucous membranes, skin rash, hives, swelling of the skin. Also, the general condition of a person worsens after contact with an allergenic substance. A hypoallergenic diet will help maintain normal health and not provoke allergy attacks, which is also effective in the fight against excess weight, if any.
Hypoallergenic diet: the basics of nutrition.
In childhood, allergies most often occur to foods such as chicken eggs (yolk), whole cow's milk, walnuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish, as well as wheat (more precisely, gluten included ). In adulthood, food allergies are most common to peanuts, shellfish, chocolate, and honey. If you have a food allergy, you need to carefully study the composition of the dishes and adjust your menu. It is especially important to review your menu if an allergy episode occurs, such as a rash, swelling, or other signs. Often just changing your diet can significantly improve your health.
The main task facing a hypoallergenic diet for food allergies is to quickly establish the productive work of the stomach and normalize the intestinal microflora. Thick vegetable cream soups and liquid milk soups, as well as a variety of vegetable purees, can help this process. But soups prepared on the basis of concentrated fish and meat broths should not be consumed during the diet.
Nutrition with a hypoallergenic diet five times a day is recommended. This means that the total amount of food should be divided into three main meals and two snacks in between. Most people do not experience any discomfort with this way of eating, as they do with a strict diet, for example.
A hypoallergenic diet helps the body recover faster from the stress that has caused an allergy attack. It is very important not to stop dieting, even if the external signs of allergies have disappeared, so that the body can recover and cope with the allergen.
It is recommended to follow a diet and consume mainly hypoallergenic products for a long time. Such nutrition can last from 2-3 weeks to 4-6 months. Any serious case of food allergy requires the consideration of a doctor who will give you precise recommendations on what to eat and what to avoid.
Hypoallergenic diet: foods that are forbidden to eat
The main goal of the diet is to detoxify the body and then improve the functioning of the digestive tract. The choice of products must be made taking into account their division into three large groups: hypoallergenic, moderately allergenic and highly allergenic. It should be used exclusively hypoallergenic, and moderately allergenic should be limited in quantity. As for highly allergenic foods, of course, they should be completely excluded from the menu. A hypoallergenic diet, the products of which on the menu are allowed, is well tolerated and sufficiently saturates the body with all the necessary vitamins.
Therefore, for the duration of the diet, you need to exclude from the menu products that carry an allergic threat. These include:
- caviar from any fish;
- sausages - boiled, smoked, dry-cured;
- any hard cheese;
- smoked meats;
- Dear;
- brightly colored fruits and vegetables (red, orange, yellow, crimson);
- any preservation;
- citrus.
Also, it is forbidden to eat a variety of sweets, confectionery, cocoa, chocolate and drink alcohol. Nuts are also prohibited for consumption, as they are among the most allergenic foods. This was confirmed by experts from the University of Porto (Portugal). The symptoms of a nut allergy are usually quite severe and anaphylaxis is very likely to develop, which, if left untreated, is often fatal.
Foods that are among the moderately allergenic should be used with caution in limited quantities and only after consulting a doctor. These products include:
- corn flour and products made from it;
- blueberries and cranberries;
- wheat semolina and porridge;
- vegetables;
- fatty meat;
- fatty fish;
- bananas, both fresh and dried;
- apricots and peaches.
Fruit and black tea, as well as herbal decoctions, should be used with caution.
What is allowed to eat on a hypoallergenic diet?
The use of permitted products helps to eliminate all manifestations of allergies as soon as possible. These products include:
- homemade yogurt made with fresh milk without additives;
- medium fat kefir;
- sweet cherries of light varieties, pears;
- cottage cheese of any fat content;
- buckwheat;
- semolina;
- rice;
- lean fish and lean meats;
- oatmeal;
- pearl barley;
- any dried fruit
It is also allowed to eat green vegetables, namely cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, light yellow or green apples, low-fat cakes prepared without yeast, crackers and cereals with milk, as well as cauliflower, which is rich in fiber, which it is very good for health. According to research from the Department of Food Engineering at Ege University Faculty of Engineering in Izmir, Turkey, fiber feeds healthy bacteria in the intestines, which helps reduce inflammation in the intestines and normalizes digestion.
As part of a hypoallergenic diet, it is quite possible to follow a kefir or buckwheat diet for weight loss, as well as protein diets, only eggs and poultry meat should be replaced with beef and cottage cheese. The most accurate recommendations regarding diet, a list of permitted and prohibited foods should be provided by a doctor, that is, an allergist.
Example hypoallergenic diet menu: lose weight
In general terms, the menu of this diet consists of simple recipes to prepare healthy meals. The main cooking methods are baking in the oven or microwave, boiling and steaming. The menu could look like this:
- for breakfast eat buckwheat porridge, which is cooked in water and seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon of butter, cottage cheese casserole, tea with or without sugar (to taste);
- as a first snack, two baked apples are suitable;
- for lunch, an excellent option would be vegetable puree soup with carrots, cauliflower and potatoes, steamed meatballs, uzvar;
- for a second snack, stock up on plain yogurt and a banana;
- you can have dinner with porridge, for example, millet, a portion of vegetable stew, and a steamed protein omelet with tea.
If suddenly hunger does not let you sleep, you can sit another baked apple. The extra fiber will do no harm, it will act as a prebiotic and help the beneficial bacteria in your gut to actively proliferate. This has been proven by the research of the Nutrition and Nutrigenomics Group, Department of Quality and Nutrition, Center for Research and Innovation, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Trento (Italy).
The above menu can be used to normalize the condition after an episode of allergy in both adults and children. In addition, it is suitable for pregnant and lactating women and the elderly.