Protein Allergy Alternative Foods

There is no universal substitute food that can suit all allergic people and 100% match the nutritional structure of allergens. However, as long as you combine your own allergy type and nutritional needs accurately, you can achieve no nutritional gap after substitution, and even have a healthier diet than before the allergy.

Two months ago, I met a third-grade patient with an allergy to egg and milk proteins. His parents had read on the Internet that plant protein could replace all animal proteins. They stewed tofu and made soy milk for the baby every day. After eating it for two months, the baby always had leg cramps in the middle of the night. During the physical examination, he was deficient in vitamin D and B12. He was half a head shorter than his classmates. When he came to me for consultation, the parents had red eyes and said that they would have known better and would not have changed the baby randomly.

In fact, there have been two different practical ideas in the nutrition circle for the replacement of protein allergies, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, and each has its applicable groups.

One is to try to find hypoallergenic homologous foods of the same category. For example, if you are allergic to cow's milk protein, choose camel milk or donkey milk, which have lower homology with cow's milk protein. If you are allergic to eggs, try quail eggs or pigeon eggs. The advantage is that the nutritional structure and allergens are almost the same, so you don't need to supplement too many other nutrients, and they taste good. It's convenient, but controversial - I've seen no fewer than ten babies who are allergic to cow's milk and still get hives after drinking camel milk. After all, it is animal dairy, and the probability of cross-allergy can be more than 30%. If it is an IgE-mediated immediate allergy, if it is not used correctly, it may even induce laryngeal edema. The cost of trial and error is too high.

Another idea is to directly look for allogeneic substitutes across major categories. If you are allergic to animal protein, replace it with plant proteins such as soybeans, peas, and chickpeas. If you are also allergic to soybeans, there are also niche complete nutritional protein sources such as quinoa and hemp seeds. The advantage of these is that the probability of cross-allergy is extremely low, and most people will not have any reaction after eating them. , but the problem is obvious: the amino acids of plant proteins generally lack lysine and methionine, and have high phytic acid content, which will affect the absorption of calcium and iron. If you are like those parents who only eat tofu every day, you will be deficient in nutrients sooner or later. Generally, you have to add some multivitamins or isolated essential amino acid supplements.

I previously helped a friend who is a bodybuilder to adjust his diet. He was severely allergic to whey protein and initially switched to soy protein isolate. As a result, he had high uric acid and developed gout after taking it for half a month. He was in so much pain that he could not even walk. Later I gave him The mixture is pea protein isolate and a small amount of hydrolyzed silkworm chrysalis powder, which is just enough to supplement the branched chain amino acids he needs. After practicing for three months, he has not lost any muscle mass and has dropped two points of body fat. Now when he meets people, he says that he can train well without drinking whey.

To be honest, allergies vary greatly from person to person. I have seen people eat hard-boiled eggs and be fine, but take a mouthful of raw egg liquid and go straight to the emergency room. There are also people who have been diagnosed with a grade three milk allergy and have no reaction after taking two sips of room-temperature yogurt. There really is no one who can give you a pat on the chest and say, "You will be fine if you just eat this instead." All alternatives have to be tried slowly by yourself.

Oh, yes, there is another voice saying that there is no need to find a substitute for mild protein allergy. It is enough to slowly do oral tolerance training. That is, start with a few milligrams of the allergen, slowly increase the amount, and slowly let the body adapt. After half a year, many people can eat the things they are allergic to normally. I have a patient who is allergic to shrimp. He used to get a rash all over his body after eating a shrimp tail. He was so greedy for spicy crayfish that he tolerated it for eight months under the supervision of an allergist. Now he can occasionally eat two or three to relieve his addiction, and he is very happy. However, this method is also very controversial. If you are a person with severe immediate allergies, it is very easy to be dangerous if you try it blindly. You must have a professional doctor follow you throughout the process. Ordinary people must not do it at home.

In fact, what I say most to people who come for consultation is that finding a substitute for protein allergy is never about finding a "substitute" that is exactly the same as the allergen, but about setting up a new and comfortable framework for your diet. You don’t have to stare at the inedible milk and eggs. Maybe you try it and find that oatmeal with coconut milk tastes better than milk, and fried chickpea pancakes are more fragrant than egg pancakes? Of course, the core premise is to check your allergy spectrum before switching. When trying, start with a small dose. Don't show off a big bowl. If you feel really uncomfortable, go to the hospital as soon as possible. This is better than anything else.