The long-awaited summer is coming. And that means vacation time. Everyone wants to go to the azure seashore to enjoy the fresh air, sea views and just relax. It's no secret that on vacation we want to try all sorts of goodies, and being near the sea, of course, involves eating seafood. Almost every tourist dreams of pampering himself with a delicacy that until recently cut through the waves.
Consider what is seafood. These include:
- Seaweed
- All types of crustaceans
- Echinoderms
- shellfish
Not everyone dares to taste the jellyfish, but there are a lot of people who want to taste fried clams. The taste of shrimp or smoked fish, spicy mussels and fragrant squid - all this, of course, is insanely delicious, but for people with allergies, it can be fraught with danger.
Foods that cause allergies:
- Fish
- fish oil
- Fish seasonings
- Fish flavors
- Surimi
- Anchovies
- All types of crustaceans
- Sushi
Symptoms of the disease
The benefits of seafood have long been proven by scientists, as this food is rich in protein and minerals. In addition, shrimp are a great meat substitute. Eating shrimp is not only a good way to enrich the body with useful substances, but also to get in shape, because shrimp are low in calories.
We have discussed the positives. But our article, alas, is about the harm that shrimp do to the body.
In defense of shrimp, only one thing can be said: in most cases of allergy symptoms, unscrupulous producers are to blame, who treat their surface with chemicals for long-term storage of seafood (food additives and dyes cause allergies in 40% of cases). So try to take the product only from reliable merchants. But there are times when the body reacts to the so-called shrimp protein - tropomyosin.
Symptoms of a seafood allergy can be confused at first with food poisoning: this is vomiting, indigestion, weakness of the body. The thing is that an allergy to seafood is usually referred to as a food allergy, which means that the digestive tract is the first to react to a foreign substance.
But allergies are given out by the appearance of a terrible itch, sometimes urticaria on the arms, legs, neck, in rare cases, swelling of the throat occurs, which provokes attacks of suffocation.
An alarming bell for an allergic person may be intolerance to the smell of seafood. So the body shows the rejection of sea delicacies.
allergic reaction to fish
Do not forget on vacation also that allergies happen not only to gourmet delicacies, but also to the usual fish in any form: smoked, fried, and can even manifest itself if you eat chips with “fish and seafood” flavors.
The reaction to fish is caused by the immune system, which mistakenly recognizes the substances contained in the fish, not as a benefit, but as a harmful product that should be disposed of immediately.
To protect your body, you should undergo an examination before rest. An allergy test is carried out by applying notches to the hand. There is also a more modern technique, which consists in determining the level of specific immunoglobulin E in human blood.
Allergy is most often caused by red fish, as well as all its derivatives: fish chips, caviar, salads with flavorings and fish seasoning.
For any allergy sufferer, it is no secret that you need to take an on-duty set of medicines with you on vacation. If you are not sure about the body, do not take risks, because it is better to deny yourself the use of certain products than to spoil the rest for yourself and your family.
Treatment methods
In addition to the medications that allergy sufferers are saved, you can use the following tips:
Doctors recommend that immediately after the first symptoms of an allergy appear, start keeping a “food diary”, which will record all the foods you have eaten, as well as their volume.
It should be excluded from food not only seafood, but also the so-called "active" allergens, which most often cause a reaction in the body. These include: chocolate, nuts, eggs, honey, etc.
The list of medicines-helpers in the treatment of allergies is quite wide. Here are some of them: Suprastin is a universal remedy, but you should seek the advice of specialists before using any medication.
Also used drugs such as:
- Diazolin
- Telfast
- Erius
- Claritin
- Alleron
To help the body cleanse, it will not be superfluous to take activated charcoal. It definitely does not bring harm, but it helps a lot in cleansing the body of harmful toxic substances that can poison your body and cause a lot of trouble.
The vitamin-mineral complex will also not hurt you. Strengthen your body with useful substances. The immune system needs care and protection.
If your skin has suffered from allergies, use caring and healing products at the same time, for example, Lokoid. Its composition is hypoallergenic, it will quickly restore damaged skin.
Allergy to seafood and fish refers to reactions of immediate action, that is, symptoms appear immediately after the product enters the body.
Attention: allergies can occur both to river and sea fish!
When it comes to a child, you should be especially careful. Children of preschool age are especially resistant to allergies. Their immune system has not yet strengthened and is not able to fight the allergenic protein contained in seafood. And is it worth it to feed the baby with fish on vacation? It is not known whether this product will benefit the children's stomach.
The misconception of many is that an allergic reaction to fish is not taken seriously. It won't go away on its own! Immediate measures should be taken, because the body can also react with anaphylaxis .
There is a myth that the reaction of the body to fish is necessarily accompanied by an allergy to iodine. The emergence of such a rumor is quite understandable. After all, fish is so rich in iodine and phosphorus. But scientists have not confirmed this fact.
We will not forget to warn you that seafood may contain a large number of helminth parasites, which, unfortunately, are not 100% destroyed during heat treatment. An organism that is sensitive to foreign substances will definitely react to parasites.
Based on the foregoing, it follows that in order to avoid allergic reactions, it is necessary to follow simple precautions, and if necessary, seek advice from an allergist.
