allergy or just sensitive?

[lph]

As far as I know I'm not allergic to any foodstuffs, but I've gradually developed an over-sensitivity to milk since I drink it so seldom (my dh is allergic, my son doesn't like it much). Cheese, yoghurt and lactose-reduced milk is fine, but the real thing in any sizeable amount makes my throat thicken up and gives me a mild stomach cramp.

But I've noticed recently that I must be reacting to something else. I eat salad at work for lunch every day, but every now and then my throat just goes inexplicably completely thick and I spend the next 20 minutes coughing and snorting and talking funny .... Salad is usually raw vegetables, plenty of beans and peas, no cheese, but some mixes with grilled vegetables, rice and couscous. Oil-type salad dressing.

What should I be looking for? What's the most likely allergen, and is this a real allergy or just a sensitivity to something? It's getting a little annoying since I can't pinpoint it. Any starter tips?

Oh, and it's not nuts (I think). I eat them by the handful at home and feel nothing.

[ny biker]

I think I've developed a sensitivity to cooked tomatoes. My symptoms were all digestive-rated -- nausea and diarrhea. There did not seem to be any histamine-related symptoms, like hives, sneezing, or difficulty breathing.

I googled food sensitivity and found some good sites that explained things.

Regarding the salads, you might try eliminating ingredients one at a time to see what causes the problem. Although since it's not a regular occurrence that might not work.

I used to have a similar problem with salads and it turned out the problem was the Newman's Own Italian dressing. I don't know exactly what ingredient caused the problem.

[Crankin]

There could be sulfites in the salad dressing. Do you have the same reaction when you eat salad at home?
I woke up one day last week feeling like my throat was closing. I took a Claritin and a Zantac and then tried to figure out what it was. My skin was slightly red and my scalp was itchy. So, the best I could come up with was that I had worn wool 2 days in a row. I bought 2 new merino sweaters, not from Ibex, more fashion type sweaters. One seems very itchy. I also had worn my Shak around this time. Last March I seemed to develop the same type of thing, but even worse, so I took Claritin for a couple of weeks, and then eventually it got warmer, so I was wearing less wool. Since I am not giving up my wool, I now know to give my body a break from the wool that seem to set me off more than others. I also was not feeling well, in general, so it might have just been my usual strange response to illness.

[OakLeaf]

Sulfites would be my guess too. Do you react to wine?

Sulfites would most likely have been used to treat the vegetables - not in the dressing.

[Owlie]

At some point I developed the itchy-throat thing with raw carrots and celery, so it could well be one of the veggies.

[lph]

Sulfites! I'd never heard of reacting to sulfites - and am not quite sure what they are Down for some reading.

No digestive issues, and no hives or scratching, just that I suddenly feel like I'm on the tail-end of a cold, the back of my throat and nose fills up. Gone after 20 minutes, so it's minor. I'll try with just plain olive oil as salad dressing for a week and see if that helps. No reaction at home (except once in a while a mild reaction to beer) but I don't drink much wine because it makes me very drowsy. Actually there might be something there.

As for the itchy thing - I once, and only once, got awful hives on my torso from something and spent an infuriated 2 or 3 weeks scratching myself, re-washing all my clothes in hypoallergenic washing powder, wearing just cotton, the lot. Gradually faded away and never came back.

[Crankin]

OK, well I actually had to stop drinking wine for about 15 years . It started when I was in a particularly sensitive period, with asthma, etc. That definitely was sulfites. I also realized they were the cause of an asthma attack/allergic reaction every time I had the soup at my school lunch; there must have been sulfites in the mix. So the "sleepy" feeling in wine could be the sulfites. Now, you can buy sulfite free wine. However, I got sick of always drinking beer, so one year at Passover, I decided to test out my body by partaking in the wine drinking part of the ritual meal. I was fine. Since that was in 1996, I guess my allergy has gone away.

[OakLeaf]

It turns out that in the US anyway, sulfites on salad bar vegetables have been banned for oh, just the last 24 years. I don't know about the EU, but I'd be a little surprised if your regulations were less restrictive.

Dressings could still contain sulfites - although I rarely buy pre-packaged salad dressing, I can't remember seeing sulfites on any label - but from what I'm reading, it's possible.

[pll]

If it is sulfites, they could be in the vinegar (if made of wine). My favorite dressing is simply lemon juice and olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix some mustard or mustard seeds in it every now and then...

[KnottedYet]

How about gluten?

Couscous is wheat.

Just licking an envelope (whose glue is made from wheat gluten) will give me the same reaction you describe.

How are you with bread and pastries?
(There's gluten in beer, too, of course. And gluten is often used to thicken salad dressings.)

Gluten sensitivity (inability to digest gluten) and lactose sensitivity (inability to digest lactose) often go together. My doc said that the gut repairs the lactose problem when allowed time to heal without gluten, but I've not found that to be true.

[lph]

I do react a bit to beer, but I eat bread daily without any trouble that I've noticed. So I doubt it's gluten unless a gluten insensitivity can vary a lot. I'll keep it in mind, though, thanks.

Vinegar is a good point. At home we use balsamico 95% of the time, but at work it could be wine vinegar.

(Just fell for the temptation to add a little cream (leftover from baking) to a milk-free hot chocolate mix two hours ago, and am still regretting it. Blorp. But no thick throat though.)

[marni]

the other thing that I watch out for is to wash my beggies, lettuce etc. thoroughly because I have been known to react to inproperly cleaned veggies due to the stuff they spray on it for insects and to clean them in processing.

You need to be aware that sensitivities can be, although they aren't always, precursors and or warnings about potential allergies, which can or might eventually lead to more serious life threatening situations.

Hope you find out what it is so you know how to avoid it.

[lph]

Eggs. I do believe it's eggs. The salad bar at work started offering sliced boiled eggs at some point, and I love that so I started adding them to just about every salad.

And this morning I was at a hotel, and on purpose left my very small serving og scrambled eggs until last. No thick throat, I ate the eggs, and after maybe 5 minutes started thickening up.

Blast - I love eggs!

Maybe it's just because I'm eating a bit too many at the moment.

[ny biker]

Eggs. I do believe it's eggs. The salad bar at work started offering sliced boiled eggs at some point, and I love that so I started adding them to just about every salad.

And this morning I was at a hotel, and on purpose left my very small serving og scrambled eggs until last. No thick throat, I ate the eggs, and after maybe 5 minutes started thickening up.

Blast - I love eggs!

Maybe it's just because I'm eating a bit too many at the moment.

It's a bittersweet moment. Good to know what's causing the problem, not good to know you can no longer eat something that you enjoy.