Food Allergies: 32M Americans Affected & Types of Allergies - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the modern world, people are having different kinds of allergies that result in them to altogether avoid or reduce the intake of some products. Research indicates that about 32 million Americans have food allergies, with children making up to about 5.6 million of the allergic reactions. Part of the population that is allergic is allergic to more than one type of food, while others have allergic reactions to various types. Food allergies vary and may be of different types, including milk allergy, fish allergy, corn allergy, and egg allergy. Individuals with different types of allergies react differently to the products they are allergic to. In this piece of work, we focus on gluten allergy, commonly referred to as celiac.

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Celiac is a condition where an individual cannot consume foods containing gluten as it will damage their small intestines leading to other abdominal complications. Gluten is a protein that is derived from grains, including wheat, rye, and barley (Green, Cellier 2007). Once an individual who has celiac contains food with gluten, the stomach immediately reacts by causing damage to the small intestine. The symptoms of the disease, however, vary with different individuals.While some may experience some symptoms such as irritability and depression, others experience stomach upset and may even diarrhea.

Other common symptoms of the disease that may be evident include weight loss, fatigue, anemia, and depression. One may also experience an itchy rash that consists of bumps and blisters, commonly referred to as Dermatitis Herpetifomis (DH) (Fasano, Catassi 2012). The symptoms in children are also similar to those experienced by adults. The severity of the symptoms, however, differs depending on factors such as the amount of gluten that one takes, age, and the intensity to which the small intestines have been damaged.

The cause of the disease has been identified to be genetic. It is believed to be hereditary, and individuals who have first-class relatives that suffer from the disease are at a very high risk of also suffering from it (Catassi, Fasano 2008). The condition can develop at any age as long as one is consuming foods containing gluten and are not aware of the allergic reaction that their body has towards gluten. Diagnosis of the condition is given by physical examination whereby several blood tests are administered to the patient. People with Dermatitis Herpetifomis (DH) can, however, are easily diagnosed without running the various blood tests. In such a case, the medical officer may opt to conduct a skin biopsy where he will quickly diagnose the condition.

Once diagnosed with the disease, the surest way to treat the disease is by taking a gluten-free meal. Doctors will often advise patients diagnosed with celiac disease to partake in food that have very low gluten content or no content at all. Minimizing or doing away with gluten in the diet will allow the small intestines to heal, and the villi will absorb nutrients properly. By so doing, symptoms of the disease will easily be done with, and the patient will lead a healthy life as long as they follow the prescribed diet from the physician.

The disease has become prevalent among individuals across the globe. According to research carried out by the National institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases (NIDDK), about 1 in every 141 Americans take a gluten-free diet as they suffer from the celiac disorder (Kyle et al.,2009). Some have been diagnosed with the condition while others conduct a self-diagnosis and opt to live a gluten-free life. It is, however, advisable that an individual goes for testing before ruling out that they are suffering from the condition.

A healthy diet forms an integral part in doing away with celiac disease among individuals. A gluten-free diet is mainly achieved by doing away with plant proteins in grains. The diet has only been proven to be most useful to individuals with celiac disease, making it essential that one goes for tests before turning to intake of the gluten-free diet. The diet manages the symptoms caused by the celiac disorder, therefore, enabling the patient to lead their healthy lives again.

Following the huge increase in people suffering from the condition, it is important to come up with diets that are gluten-free and very nutritious at the same time. Many recipes have been brought forward, including for main course meals, desserts, and even salads. In this piece of work, we shall focus on making gluten-free pancakes for breakfast. Most people invest their time in making delicious lunch and dinner but do not focus on making nutritious breakfast, which is the first meal of the day that a person takes to energize him for the day. In this experimental recipe, we shall make gluten-free pancakes suitable for celiac patients.

In this experimental recipe, we make pancakes devoid of any plant protein where instead of using wheat flour, we shall use gluten-free flour either rice or millet flour fruit for improved taste then add a. The list of ingredients together with the procedure of making the pancakes is as follows:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups millet or rice flour1/2 cup potato starch or tapioca starch1/2 tsp. xanthan gum1 Tbsp sugar4 tsp baking powder1 tsp salt1 1/2 cups water1/4 cup oil4 1/2 Tbsp. water4 1/2 Tbsp. oil1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 mashed banana (to improve the taste)

Directions

• Make the egg replacement by mixing 4 1/2 Tbsp water, 4 1/2 Tbsp oil, and 1 Tbsp baking powder
• Mix all the dry ingredients ( including the mashed banana)
• Add the egg replacement and mix well
• Place small portions on a hot pan and cook on both sides under minimal heat.

Note; Mix 4 tsp baking powder with dry ingredients and 1 Tbsp to make the egg replacer.

In this procedure, the pancakes are made using rice flour, and a mashed banana is added to the ingredients to help in improving the flavor. The recipe above is free of some of the FDA 8 recognized allergens, including milk, gluten, egg, fish, and peanut.This not only makes it suitable for celiac patients but also recommendable for consumption by other individuals who have various food allergies.

The main aim of this project is to come up with a nutritious and gluten-free breakfast for individuals diagnosed with celiac. To meet the conditions of being gluten-free, rice flour is used. In addition, the recipe does not include milk but uses a lot of water and oil to mix the contents that will be used in the preparation of the pancakes. The final product will be not only nutritious but also very sweet. After preparation of the pancakes, several observations can be made, including; the appearance of the gluten-free pancakes and those that contain gluten is not different. The main difference in the two types of pancakes is in the nutritional content. While pancakes cooked with wheat contain plant proteins, those prepared using rice flour are free of the proteins.

Another significant observation made is that in adding bananas, they should be wholly mashed or most preferably whisked. The final mixture required in the preparation of pancakes should be smooth, and while using bananas, to achieve the smoothness, one has to mash them or whisk thoroughly. One may also opt to add half a cup of apple sauce in the place of a banana or also consume them plainly without adding the flavors. It is upon an individual to decide what kind of flavoring they will use for their pancakes, depending on their preferences.

The main objective of the project was to come up with a nutritious gluten-free recipe for individuals diagnosed with celiac. The outcome of the project was absolute sweetness and nutritional value, which is gluten-free. The banana flavor gave it a complimentary taste, which would make it a perfect meal to begin the day with. The pancakes can be taken with a hot cup of tea, coffee, cocoa, or even juice, and it will make your day be a great one having started with a great breakfast.

References

Catassi, C., & Fasano, A. (2008). Celiac disease. In Gluten-free cereal products and beverages (pp. 1-I). Academic Press.

DePaola, T., Fusco, E., & Noren, C. (1978). Pancakes for breakfast. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Fasano, A., & Catassi, C. (2012). Celiac disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(25), 2419-2426.

Green, P. H., & Cellier, C. (2007). Celiac disease. New England journal of medicine, 357(17), 1731-1743.

Rubio-Tapia, A., Kyle, R. A., Kaplan, E. L., Johnson, D. R., Page, W., Erdtmann, F., ... & Zinsmeister, A. R. (2009). Increased prevalence and mortality in undiagnosed celiac disease. Gastroenterology, 137(1), 88-93.