Are You Allergic To Chocolate? The Answer Is Surprising
Chances are, you are allergic to one or more of the ingredients of cocoa that is used in chocolate. Getting to the bottom of your allergy means finding out what's in the chocolate you eat.
Do you suffer from a chocolate allergy? If you eat chocolate and you experience acne, eczema, headaches, sneezing, heartburn, or hives, you probably believe that you are allergic to chocolate. Would it surprise you to know that an allergy to chocolate is actually extremely rare?
These may not be signs of true food allergy, but may be due to a food intolerance or sensitivity.
Chances are, you are allergic to one or more of the ingredients of cocoa that is used in chocolate. Getting to the bottom of your allergy means finding out what's in the chocolate you eat.
This is not as easy as it may seem. Scientists have discovered that dark chocolate contains tannin which binds with proteins and renders the detection of allergens in the structure more difficult.
Pure Chocolate bars contain more than 65% Cacao. The only ingredients in a good Chocolate bar usually are: cacao paste, sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin, and vanilla. The only absolutely necessary ingredients are cacao paste and cocoa butter. Cocoa Butter is the flavorless fat squeezed out during "Dutch processing", which creates powdered cocoa.
Therefore, one option is to eat pure chocolate bars, or, to make your own chocolate candy using pure chocolate and only ingredients and additives that do not trigger allergic reactions.
The ingredients of cocoa can include milk, nuts, caffeine, corn syrup, soy lecithin, phenylethylamine, theobromine, dyes, gluten, villin (an artificial flavoring that is widely know to cause migraines) and oxalates.
Sometimes, a chocolate allergy can also cause asthma if you are sensitive to more than one ingredient of the chocolate. In severely allergic people, chocolate allergy may trigger anaphylaxis.
Reactions can be assessed, as with any food allergy, by completely eliminating the food from the diet for at least two weeks, a month would be preferred, then slowly reintroducing the food item.
One way to determine if you are allergic to an additive is to eat only the purest forms of chocolate. If you still have allergic reactions, then visit your doctor and have tests done. If you find that you are allergic to cocoa, the only treatment may be to completely avoid eating chocolate products.
Since complete avoidance of foods which contain cocoa is not always possible, you can use medications to treat the symptoms associated with chocolate allergy. These include antihistamines, topical creams, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, or epinephrine.
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Do you suffer from a chocolate allergy? If you eat chocolate and you experience acne, eczema, headaches, sneezing, heartburn, or hives, you probably believe that you are allergic to chocolate. Would it surprise you to know that an allergy to chocolate is actually extremely rare?
