Are you allergic?

Food Allergies you might get from Maja Blanca’s Ingredients

By: Angel Bert Encoy

Photo credit: www.thisoldhouse.com

We Filipinos are fond of eating. We love to eat different kinds of delicious foods. But there are foods that would give us allergies. Some of the most common food allergens are: cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, fish, shell fish, tree nuts, soy and wheat. The most common food allergy signs and symptoms are: tingling or itching in the mouth, face, tongue and throat or other parts of the body, wheezing, nasal congestion or breathing difficulty, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheaded, or fainting. If you have allergy on some of these foods mentioned above, you must take extra precaution on your foods.

One examples of the food recipe that may have food allergens is the most popular Filipino Dessert, Maja Blanca. It is usually served during Fiesta and Holidays. Maja Blanca has coconut milk which may trigger some food allergies. Peanuts and Tree nuts are relatively common and is estimated to occur in around 1:1000 infants and 1:200 to 1:500 adults. By contrast, allergic reactions to coconuts are relatively rare. It may be rare, but you still have to manage what you’re eating if you’re allergic to any food that has coconut. The most common symptoms of coconut allergy are: abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, itching of the mouth, throat, eyes, and skin, difficulty in swallowing, nasal congestion and shortness of breath.

Photo Credit: northshorekids.com

Another ingredient of Maja that may cause allergy is corn. This may be difficult to manage because of the high number of food product contained in various forms of corn such as, Corn Starch, Modified Food Starch, Vinegar and Vanilla Extract. However, it is an allergen that often goes unrecognized. Its symptoms include hives or skin rashes, nausea, stomach cramps, indigestion, vomiting or diarrhea, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, headaches, asthma and Anaphylaxis- a potentially life- threatening reaction that impairs breathing and can send the body into a shock.

Food allergies are really difficult to manage because a few of them are used in making different products that are also used in cooking different recipes. If you are not careful enough of what you eat, you might be one of the victims of food allergy. It may not be severe but for other people, an allergic food reaction can be frightening and can even pose a threat to one’s life. So be responsible and extra careful of the food that you ingest.