Red Meat Allergy - Are You Allergic to Red Meat?

Red Meat Allergy - Are You Allergic to Red Meat?
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Common Food Allergies

Food allergies seem to be a growing problem among adults. It is estimated that twelve million Americans of the adult population are allergic to shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, wheat, soy and cow’s milk.

One allergen that is getting more attention as more people are watching out for their bodies reaction to certain foods is that of red meat.

Red Meat Allergy and Symptoms

Red meat in essence, is not fully digestible by the human body. When eating red meat, the body has to work harder to digest what it can of the meat by producing more hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

When the body develops an allergy to red meat, the issue goes beyond digestion due to the body having an immune system reaction to the red meat. The body’s immune system will respond to the induction of the red meat by overproducing the antibody immunoglobulin E, this can cause the immune system to become overworked and unable to correctly respond to the allergen of red meat when the body works to try and digest it.

We can obtain learn protein and iron from eating red meat but there are some people who have digestive systems that will not process red meat efficiently and that can lead to the development of a food allergy over time.

Having an allergy to red meat can both be either obvious in that hives appear upon the first few bites of meat, or symptoms can show as in mild lip or mouth itching. Red meat allergy symptoms may include the following:

  • Mild lip, tongue and or throat itching
  • Eyes, nose and skin itching
  • Constipation followed by diarrhea
  • Hives
  • Non-localized rash
  • Sweating
  • Weight gain
  • Insomnia
  • Headache
  • Tingling in the mouth
  • Breathing problems
  • Diarrhea

How to Treat a Red Meat Allergy

The only definitive way to learn if you are indeed allergic to red meat is to be tested by your doctor but there are some things that you can do at home to gauge your bodies reaction to eating red meat. Try limiting your red meat intake for two weeks and keep a food journal of your bodies reactions to discuss with your doctor. Keep in mind that when you undertake a period of limiting and or cutting red meat out of your diet to reintroduce the meat slowly when you begin eat it again to limit any adverse reactions that your body could have.

To learn more about food allergy testing, see the article Types of Food Allergy Testing which can help you discuss forms of allergy testing with your doctor.

Should you be diagnosed with an allergy to red meat, there are some things that you can do to change up your diet while still enjoying some form of meat. Focus more on other animal meats such as pork, chicken, turkey, lamb and fish. Another great way to get healthy and still enjoy protien is by trying out various vegitarian meat substitutes like tofu or even Quorn, which is a meat substitute that is created from a mycoprotein in the mushroom plant family. You can learn more about healthy read meat alternatives through, Top 5 Healthy & Tasty Meat Substitutes.