This is a kind of 'warning' tip. I've noticed that many recipes have garlic in them, garlic cloves, minced garlic etc. It might not be well known but many of us are allergic to garlic, including me. I only get upset stomach and headache, but have a friend who is so allergic to garlic she goes into anaphylactic shock if ever she should accidentally eat it, and has to always carry an antidote injection with her. So please, if you are cooking for a church supper, or any crowd thing, always warn that there is garlic in the food, and perhaps have another non garlic option available.
What is the difference between food allergy and food intolerance?
Many people think the terms food allergy and food intolerance mean the same thing; however, they do not. A food intolerance is an adverse food-induced reaction that does not involve the immune system. Lactose intolerance is one example of a food intolerance. A person with lactose intolerance lacks an enzyme that is needed to digest milk sugar. When the person eats milk products, symptoms such as gas, bloating, and abdominal pain may occur.
A food allergy occurs when the immune system reacts to a certain food. The most common form of an immune system reaction occurs when the body creates immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to the food. When these IgE antibodies react with the food, histamine and other chemicals (called "mediators") are released, causing hives, asthma, or other symptoms of an allergic reaction.
I'm the original poster, and thank you for your feedback. However, garlic lurks in unexpected places! Once I went out to lunch at a shopping mall with my daughter. We had salad rolls, all fine there, then ordered icecream, just plain vanilla icecream. I tasted mine, then announced to my daughter that my icecream tasted like garlic! She laughed (mad mother!( but then she tasted mine and said 'You're right. The icecream does taste of garlic" Weird! We can only assume that a food handler had handled garlic, and then somehow the flavor had got into the icecream. Needless to say I didn't eat it.
Fortunately I am not allergic to garlic; but, I do have a lot of other food allergies and my reactions run the gamut from headaches, rashes, and hives all the way up to anaphylaxis.
If every cook took every food allergy into account; there would be nothing left to serve. Someone out there is allergic to EVERY single food ingrediant.
It is easier for the person with the allergies to take a few simple precautions.
If it is an actual allergy and not an intolerence (lactose and gluten), take an antihistamine approx 1 hour before you plan to eat out; avoid foods which obviously contain items which cause an allergic reaction; and take small "test portions".
If you have an extreme food allergy which causes anaphylaxis, you should be carrying an epi-pen anyway; and, you might want to ask a hostess whether any of the food being served contains the allergen (that is not possible at a pot-luck).
These simple precautions have saved the day for me many times (my mother-in-law very "conveniently forgets" what I am and am not allergic to and she is "offended" if I do not at least sample the food she serves).
Sorry to hear about you and your friends garlic allergy :-(
It's good for all of us to be aware of food allergies but people are allergic to gluten, lactose products, peanuts, onions, etc, etc, too.
If you know you're allergic to something you most likely already know which foods/recipes could probably contain them so if something looks yummy and you're in doubt ask your host/hostess or avoid that particular goodie altogether.
It really isn't fair to ask the food preparer, unless it's a restuarant, to have to worry about the ingredients of all the possible food allergies that exist in a dish they are sharing at multiple person functions.
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