Allergy to food is a fairly common phenomenon in the modern world. It is manifested by swelling of the mucous membranes, a rash on the skin, urticaria, swelling of the skin. In addition, the general condition of a person worsens after contact with an allergen substance. A hypoallergenic diet will help maintain normal health and not provoke allergy attacks, which is also effective in the fight against excess weight, if any.
Hypoallergenic diet: the basics of nutrition
In childhood, allergies most often occur on foods such as chicken eggs (yolk), whole cow's milk, walnuts, peanuts, fish and seafood, as well as wheat (more precisely, gluten included in it). In adulthood, food allergies are most common to peanuts, seafood, chocolate, and honey. If you have a food allergy, you have to carefully study the composition of the dishes and adjust your menu. It is especially important to review your menu if an allergy episode does occur, a rash, swelling, or other signs appear. Often only by changing your diet can significantly improve health.
The main task facing a hypoallergenic diet for food allergies is to quickly establish the productive work of the stomach and normalize the intestinal microflora. Thick vegetable cream soups and liquid milk soups, as well as a variety of vegetable purees, can contribute to this process. But soups prepared on the basis of concentrated fish and meat broths should not be consumed during the diet.
Nutrition with a hypoallergenic diet is recommended five times a day. This means that the entire amount of food should be divided into three main meals and two intermediate snacks. Most people do not experience any discomfort with this mode of eating, as with a strict diet, for example.
A hypoallergenic diet helps the body recover faster from the stress that an allergy attack has caused it. It is very important not to stop dieting, even if the external signs of allergies have disappeared, so that the body can recover and cope with the allergen.
It is recommended to follow a diet and consume mainly hypoallergenic products for a long time. Such nutrition can last from 2-3 weeks to 4-6 months. Every serious case of food allergy requires the consideration of a doctor who will give precise recommendations on what to eat and what to avoid.
Hypoallergenic diet: foods that are forbidden to eat
The main goal of the diet is to detoxify the body and then improve the functioning of the digestive tract. The choice of products should be carried out taking into account their division into three main groups: hypoallergenic, moderately allergenic and highly allergenic. It should be used exclusively hypoallergenic, and moderately allergenic should be limited in quantity. As for highly allergenic foods, they, of course, should be completely excluded from the menu. A hypoallergenic diet, the products on the menu of which are allowed, is well tolerated and sufficiently saturates the body with all the necessary vitamins.
So, for the duration of the diet, you need to exclude from the menu products that carry an allergic threat. These include:
- caviar of any fish;
- sausages - boiled, smoked, dry-cured;
- any hard cheeses;
- smoked meats;
- honey;
- brightly colored fruits and vegetables (red, orange, yellow, crimson);
- any conservation;
- citrus.
In addition, it is forbidden to eat a variety of sweets, confectionery, cocoa, chocolate and drink alcohol. Walnuts are also banned from consumption, as they are among the most allergenic foods. This was confirmed by experts from the University of Porto (Portugal). Symptoms of a walnut allergy are usually quite severe, and anaphylaxis is highly likely to develop, which, if not treated, is often fatal.
Foods that are among the moderately allergenic should be used with caution in limited quantities and only after consulting a doctor. These products include:
- cornmeal and products made from it;
- cranberries and blueberries;
- wheat groats and porridge from it;
- legumes;
- fat meat;
- fatty fish;
- bananas, both fresh and dried;
- apricots and peaches.
Fruit and black tea, as well as herbal decoctions, should be used with caution.
What is allowed to eat on a hypoallergenic diet?
The use of permitted products helps to eliminate all manifestations of allergies as soon as possible. These products include:
- homemade yogurt made from fresh milk without any additives;
- medium fat kefir;
- sweet cherries of light varieties, pears;
- cottage cheese of any fat content;
- buckwheat;
- semolina;
- rice;
- lean fish and lean meats;
- oatmeal;
- pearl barley;
- any dried fruit.
It is also allowed to eat green vegetables, namely cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, light yellow or green apples, low-fat pastries prepared without yeast, biscuits and cereals with milk, as well as cauliflower, which is rich in fiber, which is very good for health. According to research by the Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University in Izmir (Turkey), fiber feeds healthy bacteria in the intestines, thereby helping to reduce inflammation in the intestines and normalizes digestion.
As part of a hypoallergenic diet, it is quite possible to follow a kefir or buckwheat diet for weight loss, as well as protein diets, only eggs and poultry meat should be replaced with veal and cottage cheese. The most accurate recommendations regarding the diet, a list of allowed and prohibited foods should be provided by a doctor, namely an allergist.
Sample hypoallergenic diet menu: lose weight
In general terms, the menu of this diet is made up of simple recipes for preparing healthy meals. The main methods of cooking are baking in the oven or microwave, boiling and steaming. The menu might look like this:
- for breakfast, eat buckwheat porridge, which is cooked in water and seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon of butter, cottage cheese casserole, tea with or without sugar (to taste);
- as a first snack, two oven-baked apples are suitable;
- for lunch, an excellent option would be vegetable puree soup with carrots, cauliflower and potatoes, steamed beef meatballs, uzvar;
- for a second snack, stock up on natural yogurt and a banana;
- you can have dinner with porridge, for example, millet, a portion of vegetable stew, and a steam protein omelet with tea.
If suddenly hunger will not let you sleep, you can sit down another baked apple. The extra fiber will not hurt, it will act as a prebiotic and help the beneficial bacteria in the intestine to actively proliferate. This has been proven by research by the Nutrition and Nutrigenomics Group, Department of Quality and Nutrition, Center for Research and Innovation, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Trento (Italy).
The menu above can be used to normalize the condition after an allergy episode by both adults and children. In addition, it is suitable for pregnant and lactating women and the elderly.