A varied and balanced diet is the best thing we can do for our bodies. We are getting all necessary vitamins and minerals that are important for proper functioning from a diet. But what if some part of food must be excluded? Currently, almost every second person suffers from allergies and, in the recent years, the food allergies are on the rise. Some foods that cause us difficulties can be easily eliminated from our diet and replaced by something else (e.g. some fruits and vegetables). It is more difficult in the situation when there is an allergy on the food that has a high proportion of calcium. There are not many foods that have a high source of calcium and thus to find a suitable replacement may not be easy at all. The most important source of calcium is milk and dairy products. They are also rich plant resources of calcium such as poppy seeds, hazelnuts, walnuts and soybeans, and even some mineral waters.
Lactose intolerance
People with lactose intolerance lack an enzyme that breaks down sugar called lactose. Lactose is contained in milk and dairy products. Consumption of such products, in case of lactose intolerance, leads to diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Furthermore, people with lactose intolerance have insufficient calcium absorption and thus forced consumption of milk and dairy products has no justification. Some people with lactose intolerance do not have difficulty with consuming the sour milk products such as yogurt and cheese. However if body does not tolerate even such products, it is advisable to try plant sources of calcium, such as poppy seeds, hazelnuts, walnuts, soybeans, or substitute the daily dose of calcium by nutritional supplement, ideally in combination of calcium taken in the evening and vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 taken in the morning.
Allergy to cow’s milk and beef
People often mistakenly believe that lactose intolerance and allergy to cow’s milk is the same thing. Intolerance is the inability to cleave lactose and allergy is an allergic reaction induced by cow’s milk protein. People who suffer from allergy should therefore completely exclude milk and dairy products from their diet. Typical symptoms of allergy are digestive problems including diarrhea and vomiting, skin problems, respiratory problems, and in some cases also overall health problems or anemia. Because milk and dairy products are the most important source of calcium, it is advisable to try fermented products like yogurt and cheese, which consumption may not be associated with difficulties. Otherwise, it is important to focus on vegetable sources of calcium, such as poppy seeds, hazelnuts, walnuts, soybeans or replace the daily dose of calcium with nutritional supplement, preferably the combination of calcium, vitamin K2 and vitamin D3.
People allergic to cow’s milk may inappropriately react in case of consumption of beef meat. It is a rare reaction which occurs mainly when eating raw meat (steak tartare). Heat processing of meat reduces the likelihood of difficulties caused by its consumption.
Nut allergies
Peanuts are considered to be the strongest allergen, even when peanuts are not nuts but legumes. We are most commonly allergic to walnuts and hazelnuts. Allergy to nuts is essentially an allergy to proteins that are the part of the nuts and thus one person can be allergic to different types of nuts, like peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia and pecans. An allergic reaction caused by nuts can have different manifestations, from skin reactions, indigestion to difficulty breathing or dizziness, fainting and loss of consciousness. In the worst scenarios it can lead to an anaphylactic shock, which is a life-threatening condition with a need of immediate therapy. As with all types of allergies, the best thing is to avoid the contact with the allergen and substitute such food with another appropriate food.
