Gute Gesundheit!

November 6, 2005

 “On liquid diet fad: The powder is mixed with water and tastes exactly like powder mixed with water.”

– Art Buchwald

 

    G AND I EAT OUT A LOT.  Even tho she’s allergic to a number of things – I think the only thing she isn’t potentially allergic to are apples and turkey – sometimes we forget to check into the foods she is about to partake. An allergic reaction to food is not only more than a rare occurrence, sometimes it can be fatal. G is extremely allergic to cilantro and certain kinds of nuts, particularly walnuts and pistachios. My good friend, Michael Floorwax, is deathly allergic to MSG.  Don’t confuse an allergy with intolerance. Many of us can’t drink milk, or eat white breads, but that is intolerance. A food-allergic reaction occurs “when the immune system mistakenly believes that a harmless substance, in this case a food item, is harmful. In its attempt to protect the body, it creates specific IgE antibodies to that food. The next time the individual eats that food, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals and histamines in order to protect the body. These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system… peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, cashews, etc.), shellfish, fish, milk, and eggs commonly cause anaphylactic reactions. Only a trace amount of a problem food can cause a reaction in some individuals.  G carries Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), commonly known as an “EpiPen”. It is used for severe reactions and is a self-injectable device cuz time is of the essence in a severe reaction. Often there isn’t time to get a person to a hospital   Michael doesn’t carry any such device, but he’s usually careful about what he eats. I’ve been with him many times where he’s pumped the waiter about certain foods, sometimes going so far as to request the chef to come out from the kitchen. Both G and Michael have made trips to the Emergency Room to deal with reactions to foods when they didn’t know that they were eating something they were allergic to. MSG is found in all soup mixes, prepared salad dressings, and many other things that you wouldn’t expect to find it. Most of us are not allergic to it. But it can kill some people.

 

Nuts are found in lots of dishes, even without being visible to the naked eye. It can be ground up in a salad or other dish, or just the dish that was used to mix it can retain the oils from the nuts and pass along to someone who is allergic to it. Many folks are allergic to not only the nuts but also the oils from the nuts, and peanut oil is used in many dishes. Shellfish can be your worst enemy. There are stories of folks who have died or almost died from a single instance of eating shellfish. They may have never had a problem til the one time they ate something that turned on them violently and perhaps deadly. Unfortunately, some people quit eating shellfish cuz of the one instance, and they may not need to. If you haven’t visited the website of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (http://www.foodallergy.org) I suggest that each and every one of you that is in the food service business do it. If you or someone you know has allergies to any foods, visit the FAAN website. According to FAAN, there are no cures for allergies. There are no perfect treatments. The only way to be sure to not have the problem is to not eat or come into contact with the foods you are allergic to. According to FAAN

 Over the years I have identified several different problems. 

  1. Many people have allergies they don’t know about and wind up getting very sick or even dying because they didn’t know until it was too late. 
  1. There are thousands of people who think they are allergic to foods but really aren’t, so they don’t dine out. They also stay away from anything they think they may be allergic to but don’t really know.
  1. There are thousands more who are allergic to certain foods and rather than deal with it, don’t dine out at all. And they avoid lots of foods they don’t need to.

 But folks, we can stop the problem, or at least reduce the risk.  Food service establishments (not just restaurants) ignore the problem. There are some basic things they can do to help alleviate the problem. Those of us who have allergies can do quite a few things that will avoid serious problems. Let’s start with us. If you have allergies, or think you have allergies, get tested. There are very thorough tests that can tell you precisely what foods (as well as things like cats and dogs and furs) that you are allergic to and the degree to which you are allergic. Your health insurance may even cover the cost of these tests.  If you know you are allergic to something, make sure you don’t come in contact with it.  Read the labels on products that you buy. We’ve all seen menus in some restaurants or on some labels that have a statement, “may contain peanuts”. My first reaction was to ask, “Don’t these idiots know?” They could put on the label, “May contain arsenic” if they want to be really careful. But I realized that it really is possible for items like peanuts to get into or come in contact with another food item without it being intentional. When dining out, ask the waiter to check with the chef about your menu selection. Of course G and I found out that doesn’t always work cuz chefs don’t always know and don’t take the time to check. Read on. I think the biggest problem is restaurants. And that’s the easiest place to avoid the problem in the first place. Here’s a few thoughts: 

  1. Post a list of ingredients in the kitchen for every dish so that any employee can read it if needed.
  1. Train cooks to be aware of the most common ingredients that can cause allergic reactions. Like nuts.
  1. Have a supply of anti-histamines on hand at all times. Make sure they are effective and not expired.
  1. Wait staff should inquire if any one has any food allergies when taking the order. Is that so hard to do?
  1. Try to have menus reflect the ingredients that may cause allergic reactions. Many restaurants do that know, but not always with all the items on the menu.

 This is just a partial list. I’m sure that there are lots more that restaurant staff and we diners can do to avoid the problem. Check out FAAN’s website for more information. G and I recently ate at what is considered a very good, upscale eatery. G ordered a seafood dish. When it came, she saw a walnut. Uh Oh. When the W came, G asked about it. The W went and asked the chef. The W returned and sed that the chef sed, “There is absolutely no walnuts in that dish.” Duh? G showed W the walnut. W left with the dish. She came back and apologized profusely. Not the W’s fault, but why did the chef deny there were walnuts in the dish? Did he not know? If he didn’t know, why didn’t he find out? Like looking at the dish? The general manager came by and apologized again, and comped both of our entrees (including my ordered rare, served very well done pork) but the incident should never have happened in the first place. This wasn’t Casa Bonita! G and I attended a banquet at the Adams Mark Hotel. I don’t care if I piss them off cuz they ought to be shut down. We were in a dark banquet hall. The salads came – no mention of nuts on the menu – and G ate a salad with tiny bits of walnuts in it. She started to break out in an allergic reaction. I summoned the W who summoned a manager who summoned a higher manager who summoned the chef who determined that there were no anti-histamines on the premises. Not even the gift shop had any in stock. How can a facility that serves thousands of meals a day not have a supply of anti-histamines in the very likely event someone will have a reaction?  Michael Floorwax and I ate lunch at a very well known sangie shop that serves Spicy Pickle Subs – I don’t want to mention the real name of this chain with a store on Union Blvd in Lakewood. GGGS. I asked the counter man if any of the Boar’s Head meat (I don’t like them either) had MSG. He looked at the meats and sed no. I looked at the label of the (I think it was the) roast beef and read where one of the listed ingredients was monosodium glutamate (MSG). I asked him if he had bothered to read any of the labels or just answered “no” automatically. He gave me the “Gee, I must have screwed up” blank look. I ordered ham. I could tellya a dozen more stories, but we’re outta time. You got the picture. 

   Cya.

In his real life Jay Fox is a CPA. He offers all kinds of good tax planning advice, financial calculators and the latest in tax news at his website: www.jayfoxcpa.com. He just writes this column for the money.