Herbal Health

Food labels are far less complete than allergy sufferers and doctors would like. The law says that all ingredients must appear on the label, in descending order by weight. Additives such as

preservatives must be specified by name and/or E number. So far, so good. But flavourings – one of the most common causes of allergic reactions – do not have to be individually identified. As a rule, the more processed the food, the more flavourings it has, and as many as 125 chemical flavours can be used in a single processed food (40 is about average). Yet a manufacturer can list them all under the umbrella term ‘artificial flavouring’ without specifying the exact substances used.

Incidentally, it’s not unheard of for people to be allergic to natural flavourings – like cinnamon, vanillin or peppermint – as well as artificial flavourings. And that holds true for other natural additives. Papain, an enzyme derived from papayas and used to tenderize meat, has been known to trigger asthma in sensitive people. Sesame flour – widely used in cakes, breads and as a binder in meat products – may be made not only from sesame seeds but pulverized orange peel, so if you’re allergic to citrus you could react to it. Citric acid, a natural preservative, may come from corn or beet molasses, lemons or pineapple. Modified food starch may be made from wheat, corn, sorghum, arrowroot, tapioca or potatoes.

‘Food processors who do not label their products adequately place an unacceptable health burden on a rapidly growing segment of the public,’ says Joseph B. Miller, clinical associate professor at the University of Alabama Medical Center and a member of the food committee of the American College of Allergists (Annals of Allergy).

Your job will be much easier if you avoid packaged, processed food as much as possible, carefully selecting only those items which you and your family are sure to tolerate.

One last note: some people are so sensitive to plastic and the chemicals it imparts to food that they cannot tolerate food and packaged in plastic wrap or tubs. If you suspect plastic-wrapped food may give you trouble, find a butcher who sells meat in cellophane paper. Buy other foods in bulk or loose and store them in glass jars at home.

*24/65/5*

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Tags: Allergies

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 4:00 am and is filed under Allergies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.