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Nov

18

Shellfish Allergy: Prevention Tips

Filed Under Eczema Treatment, Eczema Prevention, Food Allergy

My eczema starts to flareup whenever I eat shellfish. Hence I no longer enjoy going to seafood restaurants as much as before when I was unaware that I had shellfish allergy. Fortunately, shellfish is easier to avoid, compared to nuts and soy. So I am thankful for that. However, a shellfish allergy can potentially lead to life-threatening reactions so I need to be constantly mindful not to give in to my cravings. I have read that shellfish allergy can produce anaphylaxis if I am not careful.

I no longer eat or serve shellfish at home. In fact, I suspect that my daughters will not take to this food well. I would much rather err on the side of caution.

In a restaurant, there is always the risk of cross contamination. So if you have a severe shellfish allergy, you must let the cook know before hand about potential problems while ordering your meal. Shellfish can be used as an ingredient for soups, gravies and sauces; so you need to keep a lookout for these as well.

Other types of restaurants in the high risk group include Cajan and Chinese ones. Many of their dishes are centered on shellfish such as shrimp, lobster and crab. It sounds prohibitive and that you cannot order freely what you would like to eat. However, avoiding shellfish when you have an allergy to it is by far the best prevention method. It really pays to be careful, in the light of the eczema skin reactions that you can possibly come down with.