Are you constantly worrying about what you or your loved ones eat?
Is every dining experience an episode of anxiety for you? Being
allergic to different types of food not only ruins the experience
of eating, it can lead to dangerous, sometimes lethal,
consequences.
With Food Allergies for Dummies, you can feel safer about
what you eat. This concise guide shows you how to identify and
avoid food that triggers reactions. This guide covers how to care
for a child with food allergies, such as getting involved with
his/her school's allergy policies, packing safe lunches, and
empowering him/her to take responsibility for his allergy. You will
also discover:
* The signs and symptoms of food allergies
* How to determine the severity of your allergy
* Ways to eat out and travel with allergies
* How to create your own avoidance diet
* Ways to enjoy your meal without allergic symptoms
* How to prevent food allergies from affecting your child
* The latest research being done to treat food allergies
Food Allergies for Dummies also provides an in-depth
chapter on peanut allergy and how to spot traces of peanut in your
food. With this book, you will feel safer and more comfortable
while you eat. And, with plenty of helpful resources such as Web
sites and allergy-friendly recipes, you'll hardly have to
worry about your diet!
Autorentext
Robert A. Wood, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics and International Health and Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, he completed his residency in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed an allergy and immunology fellowship. Dr. Wood is an internationally recognized expert in food allergy and childhood asthma and has published over 100 manuscripts in scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Pediatrics, and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, as well as two books and numerous book chapters. He is Deputy Editor of the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, was Associate Editor of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He is on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. He personally cares for over 4,000 patients with food allergy and has a special interest in this topic as someone with a severe, lifelong peanut allergy.
Joe Kraynak is a freelance author who has written and co-authored dozens of books on topics ranging from slam poetry to computer basics. Joe teamed up with Dr. Candida Fink to write his first book in the For Dummies series, Bipolar Disorder For Dummies, where he showcased his talent for translating the parlance of psychiatry into plain-spoken practical advice. He then tackled Flipping Houses For Dummies with legendary real estate pro Ralph Roberts to produce the ultimate guide for real estate rehabbers. In Food Allergies For Dummies, Joe returns to the doctor's office with world-renowned allergist, Robert Wood, MD, to pen the definitive guide to living well with food allergies.
Klappentext
Includes over 25 allergen-free recipes!
Covers peanut allergy and the new labeling guidelines
Anxious about food allergies in your family? This no-nonsense, plain-English guide gives you expert guidance in identifying and avoiding the foods that trigger your reactions. You'll learn how to spot hidden ingredients on food labels and menu items, treat reactions effectively, and manage your diet without feeling deprived.
Discover how to:
- Eliminate problem foods
- Find a qualified food allergist
- Handle mild and severe reactions
- Manage allergies at home, school, and work
- Treat your child's allergies
- Build your own allergy emergency kit
Inhalt
Foreword xxi
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Conventions Used in This Book 3
What You're Not to Read 4
Foolish Assumptions 4
How This Book Is Organized 5
Part I: Feasting on Food Allergy Fundamentals 5
Part II: Progressing from Hives to Hope: Diagnosis and Treatment 5
Part III: Living Well with Your Food Allergies 6
Part IV: The Part of Tens 6
Appendixes: Allergy-Friendly Recipes and Other Treats 6
Icons Used in This Book 7
Where to Go from Here 7
Part I: Feasting on Food Allergy Fundamentals 9
Chapter 1: Breaking Out with Food Allergies 11
Pinning Down Food Allergy: What's an Allergy, and What's Not? 11
Defining food allergy 12
Identifying imposters 12
Meeting the Many Faces of Food Allergies: Signs and Symptoms 13
Investigating the Conspiracy: Allergens and Other Contributing Factors 14
Digging up the root cause of food allergy 14
Playing the blame game 14
Labeling Your Maladies with a Doctor's Diagnosis 15
Finding a food-allergy savvy allergist 16
Navigating the diagnostic process 17
Considering food intolerances 17
Battling Back with Medications, Modifications, and Other Therapies 18
Modifying your diet 18
Muffling your symptoms with meds 19
Confronting the alternative (therapy) crowd 20
Getting the Lowdown on Potential Futuristic Cures 22
Living Large with Your Food Allergies 24
Unmasking Common Food Allergy Myths 24
Chapter 2: Turning Allergies Inside Out: Probable Causes and Common Symptoms 27
Finding Out What's Wrong with Your Food 28
Pinpointing problematic proteins 28
Separating logic from lore 29
Finding Out What's Wrong with You 33
Going wild: Immune systems gone wild 33
Debating the nature or nurture question 35
Triggering allergies through exposure 36
Exploring the Sudden Rise in Food Allergies 38
Examining the hygiene hypothesis 38
Investigating other possible suspects 39
Gauging Your Child's Risk for Developing a Food Allergy 40
Following the guidelines 40
Weighing the age factor 41
Exploring Common Signs and Symptoms 42
Getting under your skin 43
Taking a breather: Respiratory reactions 46
Having a gut reaction literally 46
Uncovering anaphylaxis: The shocking story 47
Taking the focus off of food allergy 50
Chapter 3: Spotting the Usual Suspects: Wherefore Art Thou, Allergen? 51
Naming the Common Culprits 52
Condemning cow's milk 52
Cracking open the mystery of hen's eggs 53
Pointing the finger at peanuts 54
Censoring soy 54
Blaming the bakery: Wheat 55
Shaking the tree for tree nut allergies 55
Fishing for allergens in fish 55
Prying into shellfish allergies 56
Suspecting sesame, sunflower, and other seedy culprits 56
Ingesting Allergens with Your Food 57
Gauging how much it takes to trigger a reaction 57
Predicting the severity of an ingestion reaction 58
Calming the Fears of Contact Reactions 59
Predicting the severity of a contact reaction 60
Revealing the low risk of hidden dangers:
From library books to monkey bars 61
Refusing to let your allergies control your life 62
Clearing the Air About the Risks of Airborne Allergens 62
Recognizing the risk: When allergens take to the air 63
Predicting the severity of an inhalant reaction 65
Chapter 4: Picking On Peanuts: A Potentially Deadly Foe 67
Investigating the Allergic Nature of Pe…