Allergy Relief Expert

Shellfish allergies are considered the most common cause of severe allergies in adults throughout the world. In addition, shellfish allergies is the primary allergy known to manifest for the first time at anytime during adulthood.

Shellfish and Iodine

Although many shellfish species may be rich in iodine, there is no scientific evidence that shellfish allergies raise the risk of developing or having an iodine allergy. Furthermore, it has never been proven that people with shellfish allergies need to take precautions to avoid iodine when undergoing medical tests.  Iodine is not related to the protein that causes shellfish allergies. However, some persons feel that they may have an iodine relative; because they are allergic to shellfish or are known to have an fish allergy.

Avoiding Shellfish

Simply avoiding shellfish is really the only method to prevent a allergic reaction. Having a health professional diagnose the exact type of shellfish you are allergic to will help you to plan your seafood diet. Otherwise, shellfish should be avoided completely since the allergic reactions can be severe.

Examples of shellfish:

• Abalone
• Clams
• Cockle, sea urchin
• Crab
• Crawfish, crayfish
• Lobster
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Scallops
• Shrimp

Shellfish restaurant dishes to avoid

Here a a few dishes and their common names to keep an eye out for when examining restaurant menus:

• Paella
• Bouillabaisse
• Seafood gumbos
• Frito misto (a mixed fried fish dish from the Mediterranean coast)
• Fruits de mer (seafood)
• Surimi (a processed seafood product)
• Anchovies (pizza topping)
• Caponata
• Kedgeree
• Fish sauces (Nuoc Mam and Nam Pla)
• Patum Peperium
• Menhaden
• Be aware that some oriental food tends to contain lots of different kinds of fish and are hard to detect unless you ask ahead

Related Post: Food Allergies and Fish Allergy.

About the Author:
Carlton Smith is a food critic in North Carolina and writes about fine dining experiences in various cuisine publications.

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Medical Conditions & Treatments : Symptoms of Shellfish Allergies

When can I stop feeding my baby a new food at a time to see if allergies?

My son is 10 months old and quickly made the change to table food. He is beginning to eat what we eat more and more.  Should I introduce a new food every few days to wait and see if he is allergic.  If after a few months after he has had a variety of food and has had no allergic reaction, it is safe to proceed with new foods at a faster pace? Thank you!

Yes it is.  As long as you keep in mind thatyou should not combine ingredients.  There are some additional things you may want to do …. keep a good log with dates, time and food given  so if you do have a reaction, you may have some idea what caused it.

Introduce new food categories gradually if you feel he is showing any signs of a possible reaction.  For example, fish is an entirely new category of food and is known to be a possible food allergen.  Go slow and at some point you can other known food allergens such as walnuts or strawberries.  It is best not to give known allergy causing foods all together but to space them out gradually.  Dairy, wheat, fruits and nuts are the four primary foods which may cause baby food allergies.

It is important to remember that you should test the same food multiple times before assuming that a child is not allergic to a particular food.  Additional care should be taken if severe food allergies run in the family since most allergies are hereditary.

Related Posts: Toddler Allergies and Toddlers Asthma.

About the author: Donna West is a San Diego, CA nutritional consultant specializing in children and family holistic health services.

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