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What should you do if you’re eating lunch in the Skyhawk Café or in the UTM Food Court, and suddenly your tongue starts feeling funny or your throat feels really scratchy?
You should seek medical attention right away, because you could be experiencing an allergic reaction. Reactions to food sensitivities can range from minor discomfort to fatality. Knowing more about food sensitivities can possibly improve your health and might even save your life.
The first thing you should know about food sensitivities is that food allergies and food intolerances are very different. A food allergy will usually cause a reaction within the first two hours after eating a problematic food. However, it is not uncommon to have an immediate reaction.
According to Rick Ansorge’s book Allergy Free Naturally: 1,000 Nondrug Solutions for More Than 50 Allergy-Related Problems you could start experiencing a variety of symptoms after ingesting even a small amount of food. You could experience a tingling of the lips, palate, tongue or throat. Other symptoms include hoarseness, nausea, vomiting, cramping or even diarrhea.
He also lists hives, eczema, itching, flushing, chest tightness, wheezing and shortness of breath as possibilities. Additionally, you could experience nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, drop in blood pressure or you might even lose consciousness.
Unlike the symptoms of food allergy reactions that are easily identified because they occur within a short period after ingesting the problematic food, food intolerance reactions are much harder to identify because they develop much slower. Since the reactions occur so slow you may not recognize symptoms that you are experiencing as reactions to food intolerances.
According to Dr. Rudy Rivera and Roger Deutsch’s book Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat: the ALCAT Food Sensitivities Weight Loss Breakthrough, if you are currently experiencing health issues, then they may be connected to food intolerances. Some of the health issues most commonly linked to food intolerances are obesity, acne, angio-edema, arthritis, asthma, bacterial infections and cellulite.
Additionally the health issues related to diabetes, eczema, gastrointestinal reflux disease, gastrointestinal problems, hay fever, hiatal hernia, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome have been linked to food intolerances. Finally, Rivera and Deutsch list migraine headaches, pancreatic insufficiency, parasitic infections, peptic ulcer diseases, pyloric stenosis, sinusitis, urticaria and viral infections as other possible health issues linked to food intolerances.
If you are experiencing any food allergy symptoms or any of the health issues listed, you might want to be tested for food sensitivities. Most doctors agree that the first step in diagnosing food sensitivities is to do a thorough workup of your family history. After the workup, the testing method of choice differs by physician and the individual case. Some of the most common tests used for diagnosis are: the ALCAT test, the RAST test or a skin-prick test. If you have either the ALCAT or RAST test, a sample of your blood will be checked to determine any problematic foods. If you have a skin-prick test, your doctor will make small scratches on your back. He will then place concentrated serums of possible problematic foods and allergens onto the scratches while monitoring you for reactions.
After you find out what your problematic foods are you will want to eliminate them from your diet. Some foods are easier to eliminate from the diet than others. Wheat and soy are two that are in most processed foods. When you eliminate the problematic foods, you will want to be sure and maintain proper nutrition. If this proves to be difficult you can seek help from a nutritionist. Nutrition consult require a physician’s referral.
There are three hospitals close to the Martin area that currently offer nutrition consults, the Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin, Dyersburg Regional Medical Center in Dyersburg and Regional Hospital in Jackson.
After eliminating the problematic foods from your diet, you may find that eating out can especially be challenging. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, FAAN, website recommends when eating out, it is best to provide the chef with a food allergy card listing all the foods you need to avoid. They provide an interactive card that can be completed online and then printed to take with you.
With your safety in mind, Sodexo developed its own food allergy card to be used on campus. You can list all the foods you need to avoid on the card and then turn in to Banquet Chef Ross Ratkowski in the Skyhawk Cafeteria. Chef Ratkowski will meet with you personally to go over your individual needs to assure your safety while eating on campus. Sodexo will keep your card on file for future reference regarding your meal preparations.
Filling out your card will make things much simpler if you are ever scheduled to attend a university function where food will be served. You should notify the organizer of the event as soon as possible in order to allow Sodexo adequate time to accommodate your needs.
Additional tools for living with food sensitivities such as dietary reference cards, information regarding foods that have hidden allergens, instructions on how to use an Epi-Pen and food substitution suggestions can be found at www.foodallergy.org. For additional information regarding on-campus dining, go to www.utmdining.com.
