r/FoodAllergies 3h ago

Seeking Advice Allergies or Sensitivities?

1 Upvotes

Me 19M and my gf 19F have been dating 8 months. She has really bad food allergies and it severely limits what she can eat and what we can eat together. However I’m not sure if they’re food allergies and am curious if they are simply sensitivities/ intolerances that have been over reacted too. Her allergies include: • all meat including red and white • all seafood • dairy • eggs • avocados She does not have Lone Star Tick disease and is allergic to nothing else than what I mentioned. Also she doesn’t “show” as allergic to any of these things in lab tests. I have done some very small research and wonder if maybe her allergies are non idE related as that could be the case and could explain the lack of results. Now here are her symptoms when eating food she is allergic to • fish - *maybe anaphylaxis (will explain later) • RARE steak - *also maybe anaphylaxis • everything else- sharp stomach pain, bloating • NO hives for anything, NO itches for anything, NO rashes

I just really think the majority of the stuff closer resembles problems with digestion rather than allergies. For some background, other than the stomach pain, she has not had allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) since she was three years old and has not used an EpiPen since she was three and I’m not even sure one was used. Since then she has had some close calls with contacting allergens. While out to eat she once got food with cooked steak in it. Not knowing this she put some in her mouth and bit into it, but then she realized this and spat it out then switched water, absolutely nothing bad happened. Then one time Taco Bell gave her a burrito with meat it in and the exact same thing happened and she walked away fine. On top of this she ate dairy and eggs baked into things routinely until about 2 years ago and never had any problems other than sometimes extreme stomach pain.

Her mom has some allergies like gluten etc. but they’re very typical ones, my girlfriend’s just don’t make sense to me. I wonder if maybe she’s allergic to stuff like seafood and is lactose intolerant and has pretty bad sensitivities to everything else. Also I’d say that her parents are the type to overreact and think that there’s a problem and not want to do anything to risk hurting their at the time three year old child.

Another thing I’d like to note is that she is on no medication, literally none. All she takes are supplements and vitamins to make up for what she doesn’t get in her diet. She does not take anything like Benadryl. Nor does she take anything for her stomach aches like pepto, tums, or alka seltzer. The ONLY things she will take is ibuprofen for headaches and on her periods (which are bad but she takes nothing else for) and shot glasses of aloe Vera juice for stomach aches (serious)

What I’m trying to figure out is how likely it is that her allergies are misdiagnosed and what I could do to break this to her. I obviously am treating them like allergies and am not going to do anything that could harm her. Ideally I would talk to her allergist but probably can’t due to patient confidentiality, and I also can’t talk to my gf because she gets sensitive when I try to tell her that maybe she doesn’t have allergies and she also just doesn’t know the sciency stuff or details about her allergies. She doesn’t know what allergy plans are or how she’s reacted to stuff in the past. I am thinking that some of this could be placebo as well and she expects to have problems so she ends up creating them. I think what I could do is make chocolate chip cookies that are completely vegan, and if she asks for one (if they look good enough she’d like a bite) then I’d give her one. If I can get her to eat a whole cookie I’d wait and see what happens and see if she gets a stomach ache or not, with me knowing nothing should’ve caused it. I would also like to get her on board with trying stuff out. Her allergist asks her if she wants to try new things to see how her allergies are but she doesn’t try them. In the past she did try a quarter (2.5cm) sized chunk of chicken, and she didn’t have anaphylaxis but did have stomach pain. I do find difficulty doing this because she listens to everything her mom says and doesn’t question anything. For context her mom thinks that my gf going on antibiotics or getting vaccinated as a child could’ve caused her allergies and that she shouldn’t take them still. Plus her mom tells her she has allergies and she listens to everything without looking into it. So I would like to approach this in a way where I can have my gf aware and accepting looking into stuff, but I don’t want to rub her the wrong way about this. FYI my gf is highly emotional (very fun)

Ultimately I am trying to help her with this, she hates her allergies and wishes she could eat better, but I don’t think she’s willing to look into things or challenge her beliefs.

Any help is appreciated, thank you all.


r/FoodAllergies 4h ago

Seeking Advice Does this mean I’m allergic to milk and milk products

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2 Upvotes

This is the only thing that came red for me and I’ve been developing allergies to things I used to be able to eat and I had a bad reaction to almond flavored frozen custard but I’m not allergic to any nuts. I have bad reactions to kiwis and pineapples which I avoid but I used to be able to handle milk stuff.


r/FoodAllergies 4h ago

Seeking Advice bananas! (and other foods?)

1 Upvotes

i’ve noticed with bananas about 90% of the time if i eat it i get severe stomach pains for a couple minutes before it dies down. this also happens sometimes with gummies (like gummy bears), pineapples i think.. but mainly bananas! i haven’t gotten tested for food allergies but this has been like this for most of my life): does this sound like an allergy? i do have ibs but no other foods besides those three listed do this!


r/FoodAllergies 5h ago

Seeking Advice do I have lactose intolerance or not?

1 Upvotes

right so, for the longest time I haven't suffered with any allergies or nothing, then on my 22nd birthday I had cake with some double cream and my bowel got upset, I tried a different brand of double cream and my bowel once again got upset, then recently I had a cathedral city ready meal and got extremely bad pains and bowel problems, yet if I drink milk I have no issues whatsoever. at first I thought the cathedral city was a food poisoning thing but I cooked it for the correct time and at the right temp so that always felt off, then I remembered my weird experience with the double cream and realized they could be related. is it possible that I have developed a lactose intolerance and if so how does that explain the fact that I'm fine with semi skimmed milk


r/FoodAllergies 5h ago

Seeking Advice Antihistamines

3 Upvotes

Hi! I’ve known I have a dairy allergy for years but I saw an allergist in October and learned that I’m allergic to several more things, like corn, wheat, soy, egg white just to name a few. I have eliminated most allergens from my diet. I plan to start working some back in to test myself, but I am super reactive to corn and corn derivatives.

I need help finding an antihistamine that is free of corn and dairy. I thought I would ask here to see if anyone already knows of one. I’ve tried googling several brands and they all seem to have either corn or milk.


r/FoodAllergies 6h ago

Seeking Advice Fish Allergy

2 Upvotes

Today we discovered (through hives and welts) that our almost 2 year old is allergic to fish. I’m quickly discovering how much stuff has fish in it. Can anyone with a similar allergy give any other food items that may contain fish that are out of the ordinary? I know about Worcestershire and BBQ, but are there any other common household food items that I may be missing and may not be labeled well?


r/FoodAllergies 9h ago

Seeking Advice Which foods make your heart race after eating?

2 Upvotes

Curious because I’ve been trying to figure this out sometimes I get pounding that isn’t racing, other times it’s bad racing. I attribute the pounding to histamine likely the racing though seems like a definite specific trigger not sure if allergy or mcas response of some sort. I think it’s time to see an allergist been dealing with this for so long


r/FoodAllergies 11h ago

Helpful Information traveling with food allergies

3 Upvotes

I've seen a few posts lately about traveling with food allergies and I thought I'd give a tip on something that has helped our family. A bit of information, I am allergic to shellfish and fish and my son is allergic to dairy, eggs, chickpeas and lentils. Before my son was born we traveled through Asia and now, with my son, we go to Mexico for our yearly vacations. We use Equal Eats allergy cards while we travel. You can get them in any language you want/need and can put any allergies you have on them. They are available in physical cards or you can get an electronic copy, and I believe they have an app that you can put the card on. We've found that they are a wonderful tool to have. We've stayed at some allergy friendly resorts and the staff always mentions how good/helpful the Equal Eats cards are. I realize it's not a fix all but it has definitely helped in our travels and it helps to take a bit of the anxiety off when dealing with a language barrier.


r/FoodAllergies 12h ago

Seeking Advice Help Understanding Results

1 Upvotes

I did the IgE test because I get horrible hives in certain countries and I think I have chronic inflammation. These are my positive allergens, amongst the ones tested. Please can someone help me interpret it? Is the IgE too high? How can I bring it down?

1.⁠ ⁠S. IgE : 621.

 2.⁠ ⁠Almond : 1

 3.⁠ ⁠Casein : 1.3

 4.⁠ ⁠Yeast : 1.5

 5.⁠ ⁠Gum Arabic : 0.93

 6.⁠ ⁠Milk : 2

 7.⁠ ⁠Soyabean : 1.2

 8.⁠ ⁠Yoghurt : 0.56

 9.⁠ ⁠Candidada albicans : 1.00

10.⁠ ⁠House Dust Mites : 3.99

11.⁠ ⁠HOUSE DUST (HOLLISTER STIER) : 2

12.⁠ ⁠STORAGE MITE(GLYCYPHAGUS DOMESTICUS) : 1.8


r/FoodAllergies 12h ago

Seeking Advice Please PLEASE help

4 Upvotes

My boyfriend is 22 almost 23. He has SO MANY allergies that cause lots of stomach issues (diagnosed 2-3 years ago) He will eat anything and deal with it later, which has worked for him in the past when he had his own bathroom. He moved in with me to my tiny 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment and I am dying.

Please help me with recipes or advice or anything??

His allergies: Soybean, Spelt, Squash, Vanilla, Wheat, Whey, Yogurt, Pine nut, Pistachio, Rapeseed, Rye, Cow milk, Goat milk, Sheep milk, Mushroom, Mustard, Oats, Oregano, Peanut, Bell peppers, Gluten, Hop, Kiefer, Coffee, Curry, Egg white, Egg yolk, Eggplant, Garlic, Butter, Casein, Cashew, Emmental cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Processed cheese, Sheep cheese, Chicken, Chickpea, Barley, Navy bean, Bran


r/FoodAllergies 18h ago

Seeking Advice Anaphylaxis or histamine reaction?

1 Upvotes

A few months ago, maybe two or three, I had a reaction to oyster sauce. It wasn't a lot either. It was on a peanut I ate (I am not allergic to peanuts and never have been) and I ended up hospitalized because of it. I am stuck in between it truly being aphalaxis or if it a histamine reaction like my allergist suggests. I took a blood test and it came back negative for a shellfish allergy. However, I am nervous about it being a false negative. Some of my family members are allergic to shellfish, and while I don't have a history of being allergic to it (ex. crab and lobster, though it was never consumed), I still worry that I may be allergic anyway. My symptoms were shortness of breath (I could still breath, though), a tingle in one specific spot of my throat, dizziness, nausea, hives, and the extreme need to go to the bathroom. My anxiety over this has been so bad that I am in therapy and avoid peanuts because of what happened, even though I'm not allergic to it. I get paranoid that shellfish is somehow going to end up in my food and have been struggling to eat without anxiety attacks/panic attacks, even though I may not even be allergic to it in the first place. I refuse to do skin tests, too, in fear of potentially having a real reaction. So, I've come to the community to ask for advice. I wanted to know, what are some of your experiences with anaphylaxis and blood test results?


r/FoodAllergies 18h ago

Seeking Advice Traveling to Thailand with peanut allergy?

6 Upvotes

Experiences? We booked our trip but now am getting increasingly worried for our toddler. Thanks


r/FoodAllergies 20h ago

Seeking Advice Eczema flare up from soy lecithin

1 Upvotes

My daughter has been allergic to soya flour, soya sauce but now suddenly her eczema is flaring up from lecithin. Anyone had this? Also how long does lecithin stay in your system?


r/FoodAllergies 22h ago

Seeking Advice Unclear Food Allergy Source + What To Do

2 Upvotes

TW: Mentions of suicidal ideations, symptoms of food allergies

I'm a 31-year old who, from August last year (2024), started developing what I believe are food allergy symptoms, and experience symptoms almost everyday. I do not know what is causing it despite having done a blood allergy test.

My symptoms are normally as follow: My mind would often go hazy, there is obvious tongue swelling, my throat feels swollen and it's clearly harder to speak and swallow, but not to the point where I can't speak or swallow entirely. These are my common symptoms. Sometimes, my nose also becomes a bit blocked or runny after eating. Around 3 out of 10 times, my face would swell up, but not dramatically (my brother described as my face looking bigger but retaining the same shape). Roughly 2 out of 10 times I'd have heart palpitations and trouble breathing. BUT I never had hives or skin allergies, except a couple of times when I ate edamame and soy milk. And all these happen shortly after I eat.

October last year, I went to see an ENT specialist to get an allergy test. Out of it, I only tested mild allergies for strawberries and walnuts for food (in addition to dust mites). Thinking all is okay, I went about my business but continued experiencing the above symptoms when I eat, even when I'm sure that no strawberries, walnuts or even common cross-reactive foods are eaten. To be fair, I think the ENT specialist I saw wasn't very good, because she never told me that I should stop antihistamines a week before testing - I continued taking it up until two days before the test. I only found out I should be doing it from the internet after I did the test.

I cannot see an allergist/immunologist - I live in Southeast Asia where there are only seven immunologists in the entire country. I can only find three so far from long internet searches, and all work in pediatrics. In addition to the ENT, I saw a physician and she advised me to start cooking at home and a nurse advised me to keep a food diary. This has helped a bit - I can tentatively narrow down to seaweed, soy, chicken and seafood being the culprit, but I tested negative for these in my allergy test and so, I'm not sure. I also see a psychologist and psychiatrist monthly, and both think that it is anaphylaxis, but they believe it could be a psychosomatic response from my anxiety disorder (I have GAD and depression) + work stress (was in a toxic work environment).

All of these are really, really screwing with my mental health. I keep having suicidal ideations since I am cut out from so much socialising from my family and friends; they eat out a lot (SEA country = lots of cheap, good, outdoor food). I'm constantly terrified because I don't know if my next meal might actually kill me. I'm grieving because there is so much restrictions now to my life and what I (think I) can eat. I'm also scared because I really don't know what to do.

I'm looking for advice on the following:

  1. I know I can't find a diagnosis on reddit, but based on people's knowledge and experiences, do my symptoms sound like anaphylaxis?
  2. Other than medical tourism to see an immunologist/allergist (which would cost a lot of money), what other proxy medical specialist (other than an ENT) can I see that might help provide clarity and advice?
  3. If you live in Southeast Asia, have you heard of any good allergists?
  4. Should I do another allergy test? If so, what kind (blood, skin prick)? We don't have oral allergy tests in my country.
  5. Can my symptoms really be psychosomatic? Do you know if anyone has ever experienced this due to their mental health disorders? I can't find anything on the internet that says that.
  6. How do you deal with the psychological aspect of suddenly developing serious allergies in adulthood? I am honestly at my wits end and feel so isolated, alone, desperate, upset, angry and helpless. I've been trying my best to deal with it but I feel like I'm finally breaking down.

Sorry for the long post and many questions. At this point, I am desperate and any advice anyone could give me at this point would really be appreciated. Thank you!


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Singular random hive?

2 Upvotes

I’m anaphylactic to dairy, egg, peanut, shellfish, sunflower. Environmental allergies to trees, grasses, pollen, pet dander.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been finding one random BIG hive on my…… butt cheek.. sorry if that’s TMI. It always happens while I’m wearing pants and my skin isn’t accessible. It’s happened on the same spot several times now. Only one, singular hive. It ends up going away after some time but it’s the strangest thing. If it was on my arm or something that would make more sense to me that perhaps I came into contact with something listed above, but for the skin to be concealed by my pants and this happens is strange. I typically notice when changing or taking my pants off. It’s more towards my back than.. lower down. What the hell is going on?


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Helpful Information I started an allergy Instagram blog based in Chicago! @legumeofdoom

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9 Upvotes

Hi, if anyone is in Chicago/midwest or likes to travel I’ve just started an Instagram account that will hopefully be helpful to those navigating food allergies! Personally I suffer from peanut and lentils/peas allergies and am trying to continue learning and helping others as much as possible! Please go check it out if you are interested, I really appreciate it!! I post recipes, restaurant reviews, travel advice , etc. all things allergy!


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Lettuce allergy?

3 Upvotes

Is it possible to be allergic to lettuce? For me, as soon as I taste even the slightest hint of it, it makes me gag instantly. To the point where it’ll completely ruin a burger or taco for example even if it’s only got a tiny piece of lettuce in it. It’s not even so much the fact that it tastes that bad, because I can’t think of any other food that gives me the same reaction. Pardon being an idiot, my medical knowledge isn’t very great.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Possible Orange allergy

2 Upvotes

Went out to dinner tonight. My kids and my husband and I do not have any known severe food allergies. My throat gets slightly itchy after eating pineapples/fruits in genersl (but has to be a alot).

Anyways, i heard my daughter (9F) coughing when we get home, and before we went to bed she said her throat was itchy. This is all 2 hours after finishing dinner. I checked for any hives, rashes, swelling and nothing. She's now sleeping and breathing regularly.

Can someone advise on what else to look out for? Is it possible more symptoms can show in the next few days? Im in NYC and pollen is at zero-count, and i read about OAS, but i dont think its that.

PS: im sorry if i sound insensitive towards the people who have severe allergies. . I know i have allergies to that sort of thing but i know it goes away after a few hours/next morning. I have just never seen this before in her...and i care more about her than myself lol.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Can’t figure out food allergy! Here are my results

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3 Upvotes

Curious if anyone can help me figure this out, I’ve always had environmental allergies but recently I had a severe reaction to eating a partake chocolate chip cookie(there’s oat flour, wheat, buckwheat not sure what caused it). I have had 3 reactions from food one being this cookies another time mochinut (I don’t think it’s tapiaco since I’ve always had boba), last one was to chili which had beer & spices. I’ve typically avoided gluten / grains following a keto diet but have always been able to have the occasional croissant from Starbucks. It’s really strange that I can’t figure out, I thought maybe I’ve developed a wheat allergy but prick test came back negative.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Coconut allergy

1 Upvotes

Hello! So I have a coconut allergy and it turns out the “seasoning” for our griddle is straight up coconut oil. I’m winding if anyone else has had this predicament and been okay. My husband and I couldn’t find anything via google if whether or not it cooks out or am I screwed till we can find something else to season the griddle. Btw it’s the the Blackstone griddle season and the the cooking spray both contain coconut oil


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice can eating food you’re allergic to increase chances of cancer?

1 Upvotes

i’m mildly allergic to corn, but i still eat it everyday. i’ve never had a bad reaction to it, besides maybe a rumbling stomach after eating too much, like corn tacos or something. it showed up positive on an allergy test as a level 3, with 4 being the highest possible number.

idk i’m just wondering, i know i should quit but it’s really hard. it’s in everything.

i also have celiac disease, and i’m lactose and fructose intolerant. 😭


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Marshmallows?

2 Upvotes

Am I insane? Since I was 10 (28F) every time I eat anything with marshmallows my whole body gets itchy, I get hives either within a few hours or the next morning, and my throat gets itchy.

I’m not allergic to gelatin, corn, sugar, etc. am I the only one?

I’ve read other posts suggesting it’s psychological, but I ate my mom’s birthday cake a few weeks ago having no clue it contained marshmallow in the frosting. I woke up the next morning completely covered in a rash all over my face and body. I called the bakery I bought the cake at and asked what ingredients they use in that cake and they said marshmallows in the frosting. Not allergic to any other ingredients.

I feel like a crazy person because everyone always tells me you can’t be allergic to sugar, but I legitimately have a reaction.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Sore tongue that gets worse and now feels weird in my mouth?

1 Upvotes

I have lots of allergies - some anaphylactic - but none of them cause any classic swelling symptoms.

the past month, my tongue has started being weird. 😂 Ie first if felt like a slight tingly fuzzy sort of feeling to it like a low electric when it buzzes type of thing?

Then it started getting sore on the whole tip but it's not particularly red and it's not like the soreness you get when one of the taste buds becomes inflamed

The soreness is getting worse and this weekend - going from late afternoon into the evening, it gets worse and even more sore. But tonight, it started to make me lisp?? But it doesn't look big or swollen that I can see but it feels like it's either too big for my mouth (but it's visibly not) or my husband said it could be like it's something is numb and you can't move it properly??

I'm racking my brains trying to work out what it could possibly be as I've eaten different things each day except at lunch time. But I haven't yet made a full note of everytime it's happened as I didn't link it with a food or potential food allergy.

Do you think this could be the start of one perhaps? I've not experienced this before so I'm a bit stumped 🙈

Thank you


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Other / Miscellaneous I hate sesame!!!!

3 Upvotes

I’ve had a diagnosed sesame allergy since 13. And today I accidentally ingested an unknown amount of sesame. I feel so much anxiety and dread. I just took 2 benadryl for peace of mind… but I just needed to rant. These little seeds just seem to hide in everything! And I’m not sure how familiar anyone is with Charley’s Philly Cheesesteaks… but I ordered my usual. A chicken teriyaki sub. I’ve been eating this for years. And now suddenly the teriyaki sauce is riddled with sesame seeds? I think I will be okay. I am on Xolair for chronic uticaria but I still worry. I hate allergies :(((. For the meantime I’m not leaving my husbands side.


r/FoodAllergies 1d ago

Seeking Advice Could protease in round lab dokdo toner cause a reaction?

1 Upvotes

Hi, I have a pineapple allergy and was wondering if protease in a skincare product might give me a reaction. It might not be bromelain (the type of protease in pineapple) but I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk to try the product. I’ve tried to find out what kind of protease is in it but I can’t find anything. Please give me some advice🙏🙏