Why am I having allergic reactions to so many foods?

[Anonymous]

First off I was told I'm born with them, I didn't develop them. My doctor explained I've always been allergic to these things, but constantly exposing myself to them (because we didn't know at the time) cause my immune system to break down it's defense towards them which is why I'm having reactions now. She said if I keep exposing myself to them I could send myself into anaphylactic shock seeing as they're only getting worse.

My main thing is it all recently started within the last year and it's confusing. It started with my tongue getting itchy from gummies and other candies before I started getting bumbs so I just stopped eating what I assumed was the red candy. One day I drank a plushie (that I've had a Million times before) and it burned my throat and my tongue burned like crazy. Which lead to me getting tested. They could only do the general stuff but we added red dye and it came back positive for a lot of stuff. Mainly because red dye is in everything.

I ate some chips last night and I was fine then at the same chips this morning and my tongue developed little marks and bumps on it. They can't test me for everything because there's so much food so my doctor said stay away from what does stuff, but it's becoming more of a common thing now and I'm not sure why.

Is there any other reason besides the possibility of my immune system breaking down or allergies just now starting to cause reactions for me to be doing this? Not all food are the same. Some just make my tongue itch, others will burn my throat, some make it harder to breathe.

[Reddr]

Welcome to the club, I've been allergic to food dyes since birth as well. Though supposedly you cannot be allergic to Red 40, but you can be intolerant of it. Red 40 usually causes digestive issues and behavioral issues (have you been diagnosed with ADHD?) Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 however can cause allergic reactions; rashes, hives, swelling, anaphylactic shock. There's also blues and such that are less common, all my knowledge is in Red 40 and Yellow 5/6 because those are my poisons.
The only thing you can do is avoid them and always have Benadryl (dye free!) On hand in case you accidently are exposed. ALWAYS CHECK LABELS you would be surprised at what that stuff is in: obviously brightly colored products but also natural looking juices, vanilla pudding, chocolates, cheese, bbq sauce, medicines, yogurt, baked goods, etc. You have to check the label (they are required to list them in ingredients) because some brands or version of products may have it when others do not. My general rule is the cheaper and more processed the product, the more likely it is to have artificial dye. I have also found "carmel color" which is listed in a lot of colas is a problem for me. There's another code word for red that starts with an A but the name escapes me. I basically have a Paleo diet by accident simply from avoiding dyes.

You are lucky in the fact that companies are starting to get away from the artificial dyes recently. Panera, Kraft, and Nestlé for instance have announced being dye free by the end of this year. They are starting to use natural dyes made from things like beets and carrots, these will not give you a problem. Most of our developed country peers banned artificial dyes years ago because of the strong evidence that links them to behavioral problems in children. With large US companies voluntarily taking it out of their products, I suspect that we have a ban coming from the FDA soon too.
There are a lot of groups that have information online about dye allergy and intolerances as well as list of products you should watch for. My allergy is severe enough I also have to avoid dye in products that touch my skin such as soaps, lotions, laundry detergent etc. I also will get cravings for products loaded with dye that are hard to fight; much like a recovering drug addict. My dad has the same issue, he also has been allergic since birth.

[BellePepper]

Booo endorphins! They seriously ruin everything :/

[Reddr]

Also at my last knowledge, there is no test to determine a red dye sensitivity because like I said, you can't have an allergic reaction to it. The sensitivity/intolerance is diagnosed by tracking symptoms during exposure and eliminating it from one's diet.

[Asker]

They had me tested a two months ago. I got a general allergy test and I was allowed to add specific foods. Red dye came back as me being allergic to it not having an intolerance. I'm lactose intolerant and I came back fine for all dairy products, because I'm not allergic to those. It did however say I WAS allergic to red dye.

[Asker]

I'm not sure if it matters, but my cousin was tested around 2012/2013 and when we talked about it we found out we weren't even tested the same way. She was poked by needles a bunch of times for an hour or so. I had my blood drawn in less than five minutes and got my results a week later. So it's obviously very different now. She was also tested for a large group of things and they had their general list of items such as basic food groups and basic outdoors things like grass and trees and common plants. They said I could add specific foods or ingredients, but I would specifically have to write it down. I could just say chips.

[BellePepper]

Welcome to the world of allergies~

As far as allergies there's nothing wrong with your immune system except it's seeing foods as like a germ when they're really not. Allergies can start at any point in your life. I didn't have problems with mine until my 20s and my allergist says he has a lady that didn't have allergies until her 70s. Pretty crazy right?

Each food can cause different reactions in your body and something that might give you like hives could make someone else throw up. That's really normal. Honestly if all your reactions were the same there'd probably be some type of cross reactivity or contamination going on.

I know it's super scary and frustrating right now, but it will get better and you will feel better. Plus, each reaction teaches you something new so you'll be better prepared next time. That's a good thing.

Does that help at all?

[Asker]

Yes and no. No in a sense that I kinda knew what you told me. Yes in the sense that you're encouraging words and the way you worded it did. It is frustrating because there's so much I can't eat without reacting that it's like my diets been cut in half twice.

[BellePepper]

Yeah, I totally get how frustrating that is and how hard it is to change everything you shop for. But, at the same time this is a really fun opportunity to find new things to eat and cook.

What all are your allergies rn?

[Asker]

Red Dye is the main one that causes issues because it's in 90% of everything
All seafood. Tuna, Clams, Salmon, Shrimp, blue mussles, crab, basically if it breathes in the water I can't have it.
All chips so far. Not sure what it is, but chips have been causing severe rashes on the roof of my mouth.
Some juices (obviously the ones with no artificial color) are being weird as well.

[BellePepper]

Red dye what or is it all red dyes?

Are you keeping a food diary? Sometimes a big picture can help you work out common threads. Like maybe there's a certain oil that the chips are fried in.

Do you have have problems with pollens or fruits?

[Reddr]

Not all salmon will have red dye, only farmed salmon contains it because the fish are pale so fed the dye to match ocean salmon. Wild caught (check the label!) Salmon is clear. I've also never heard of the dye being in tuna clams or shrimp. Shrimp naturally turn red when cooked same as lobster and crab.

[Asker]

@Reddr no I don't think you understand I am allergic to red dye, but that is not related to the seafood allergies. I'm allergic to then because they are fish not because some have red dye. My friend thought that was the problem with my allergy test and I had caught crab (I used to live in Va caught fish is common) and the crab slightly closed my airways. It was an extremely small amount.

But the fish and red dye have no correlation.

[Asker]

I'm not keeping a food diary, I kinda just remember and if it doesn't have an ingredient i know and I react to it I just start avoiding it.

Red dye and Carmine red dye
Seafood if it breathes in the water I can't eat it along with clams and blue mussles
So far all chips that I like or know of. But some I wouldn't react Monday, but eat Monday night and have reactions.
Some fruits, but no vegetables that I know of.
I drank a natural juice and reacted so I stay away from that brand, but I can drink a natural juice from a different brand.

I also haven't reacted to anything by touch. I mentioned somewhere crab makes it hard to breathe and sour patch watermelon slurries burn the hell out of my throat and tongue, but touching either of those cause no physical reaction. Just when ingested so far.

[Asker]

Outside of food I'm allergic to like 3 different types of plants, I can't remember the names, but I know what they look like. Cedar trees, and a type of grass.

[Reddr]

Ah got you. I did wonder if you were describing a seafood allergy in addition to the dyes. Though farmed salmon would be a double whammy.

[Asker]

@Reddr yea, if I was allergic to everything except red dye I wouldn't care, but red dye is even in non red things such as oatmeal cookies. I think that's what they're called the little Debbie brand

[Reddr]

Tell me about it. They've known that I am intolerant of red dye and allergic to yellow 5/6 since I was 2 years old. I was never allowed to eat anything at school or at friends' parties because it was all loaded with dye. I thought I had outgrown it at one point, but the last few years I realized it was still making sick. One of the worse things I can do to myself is mix dye and alcohol. They intensify the effects of each other. It's not a pretty sight. To top it off I've also developed a severe allergy to pine trees. Can't touch them, breathe them, or eat pine nuts.

[BellePepper]

Okay well my food diary suggestion still stands. If you've eliminated known allergens then you're either having a problem with cross contamination or an unknown allergen. Even if you can't work out what's bothering you, your allergist might be able to.

Sometimes when you're allergic to a plant you can be cross reactive to foods in a similar family. Eg. ragweed and melon so that could a clue as what you're reacting to and why.

I know that right now it feels like a huge and overwhelming chore to work out but it's better to know and feel better than to not know at all and keep feeling sick.

[Asker]

No it has nothing to do with cross contamination. I've said this multiple times that I will eat something one day and be perfectly fine, but the next it causes a reaction.

I drank the same brand of Apple juice everyday for a long time then one day I got bumps.

I was eating lemon chips for a midnight snack the other night. When I had them for breakfast the next morning my tongue burned on the sides.

That's why a food diary wouldn't help because yes common ingredients are a factor, but it's pointless because I could eat things with no reaction for months before I have one. There is no cross contamination problem. For instance I was eating a cutie (baby oranges) all my life. My mom bought a bag and I ate three for a snack. I ate some more the next morning and now they burn my tongue.

[Asker]

@Reddr mine haven't always been a thing a lot of the stuff I can't eat now are foods I've been eating regularly as a child up until recently.

[Reddr]

Look into citric acid allergy.

I know for me I will have a worse reaction if I have little or nothing else on my stomach. Other things can also increase the reaction such as alcohol. There may be something you are consuming or not consuming that cause a greater reaction.

[BellePepper]

Exactly what Reddr said. Have you ever heard of the allergy cup analogy?

[Asker]

I don't have a citric acid allergy. I can eat some citric acid things. For instance I can eat lemons and limes and oranges not certain brands of orange juice

And I don't think either of you understand anyways so never mind thanks.

[BellePepper]

We probably don't since we have different allergies and different reactions. So just like we can't understand 100% of what you deal with, you can't understand all of what we go through. But we're still trying to help through experience to give you ideas about how to approach your unique situation.

[Asker]

Thank you I appreciate it

[140597]

Every 7 years your blood replaces itself and you can develop new allergie or the allergies you have can grow stronger. This happened to my brother about two years ago just after he turned 7 actually , he was having reactions to foods he never had reaction to before. Sometime he would have a reaction then when he eats it again he might not have a reaction. You should look at the ingredients in the food your eaten and you might find a common ingredient in all the food your having reaction to, we done this for my brother turned out it was the sucralose he was allergic to.

[Asker]

I do look at the ingredients of the things I know I'm allergic to. For instance some foods I can look at and just know I can't have it by the color or because I've had it before. But I have a hard time remembering the common ingredients.

[140597]

Yeah I know what you mean, I don't know what to tell you. I just suggest staying away from foods you have had an reaction to and maybe talk to your doctor again about it.

[Asker]

I do and we're going to see if I can get an epi pen seeing as it's only getting worse and becoming a problem with so many more foods. I'm also moving back to VA so we definitely want it for that because I'll be so far away from home.

[140597]

Best of luck I hope you find the answer to what's causing this soon.

[Asker]

Thank you, most people keep saying G that it's common ingredients, but but fail to realize that I can eat on food one day and be perfectly then eat the exact same food prepared the exact same way the next and break out with a rash in my mouth. So it's not necessarily the ingredients (technically it is) but it's that my body is fine one day then decides it no longer likes that food.

[CurlyyB]

Could be celiac disease which is when you're gluten intolerant but I don't know

[Asker]

Thank you for the advice, but I do fine with bread or at least I haven't had any problems with it as far as I know.

[CurlyyB]

Oh but some people have it and don't know it. Also gluten is in a lot more foods besides bread. I was diagnosed with celiac when I was 14. Everytime I ate something I would get sick a lot.

[Asker]

I understand, but I'm sure it's not Celiac. I said somewhere that I was tested and I'm fine with it. I also know Gluten is in a lot more than bread, but I stated bread because it's mainly in that one. Majority of the food I'm reacting to is gluten free. I'm lactose intolerant so when I eat dairy I get sick, but with what I'm mentioning I'm not getting sick I'm having reactions. 100% sure it's not gluten though.