TOP 5 PAGES THIS MONTH

At the end of every month on Twitter I tweet about what the top 5 most searched pages were on my blog. The results are always very interesting – to me at least! Remember with this information that my site is not well ranked for the top 14 allergens, so the top searches will be for the most searched UNCOMMON food allergies. I think this is useful information especially for other allergy bloggers – you can really see what topics people are searching out.

The top 5 most popular pages in October 2024 were...

1 – Salicylates – Salicylates are natural chemicals produced by fruit and vegetables as a defence mechanism against insects and disease.

2 – Lemongrass – Lemongrass is a plant in the Poaceae family of plants. This makes is closely related to wheat, rye, oats and rice. Lemongrass essential oils contain limonene amongst other irritating compounds. These can cause contact allergic reactions.

3 – Dates – Dates contain profilin proteins, but can cause gastrointestinal problems as they are high in histamine, salicylates, sulphites and FODMAP.

4 – Durum Wheat – Durum wheat is different from common wheat and is used to make pasta and semolina. Durum wheat contains Lipid Transfer Proteins which can cause severe allergic reactions. It is a gluten containing grain.

5 – Mung Beans – Mung beans are legumes, the bean sprouts of which are eaten in salads and garnishes. Mung beans contain Seed Storage Proteins.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram so you never miss this information on the first of the month (social media information at the bottom of the page).

ABOUT THIS SITE

Thank you for visiting Allergy Resources - this website was started in 2020 as a place to keep online resources for lots of different types of food allergies with a focus to try and include as many foods as possible. I have been slowly growing it over time and now have over 250 dedicated pages. My tag line is “We do all the searching, so you don’t have to!”

Why do we have resources for all the less common foods? We have been in the same position as many of you and have been told by a GP or professional that you can’t be allergic to certain types of food and that is just not true. Uncommon food allergies are just as important as the common ones. As a parent it was very disheartening to go it alone and find out information for myself and find out more about food allergies are not in the top ten and why some allergies are linked. I was lucky that I had a set of skills where I can find useful and credible sources of information on uncommon allergens and share them in the same place.

How does the site work? On the main Food Allergy Index page each food has its own page - the more common allergies like nuts and milk have lots of resources to websites and to the most popular articles. The less common food allergies don’t have a lot of resources, but an attempt has been made to identify what allergens might be in certain foods and where you can find reliable information. New information is added all the time – so please contact me if you find information that is missing or if any of the links are broken. On each page there are sections for talking about the food, what the names of the key allergens are, if that food is linked to an allergic syndrome and what potential cross reactivity there is. At the bottom of each page is a list of websites and scientific articles which relate to that specific allergy.

This year (2023) we have developed a set of food allergy tools, these look more into cross reactivity of the allergens in each food. When you have found which foods you may be allergic to, you can visit those food pages on the Food Allergy Index, look at the allergens each one contains and then refer to the Food Allergy Tool to see which other foods contain these allergens. It's a useful tool for those with multiple allergies. There is also a Food Intolerance Tool which can be used in the same way.

What is unique about this site? There are a lot of allergy blogs with recipes and advice, but less with more detailed information on why we are suffering from allergic reactions. The information online about allergies does seem to be split in too simple or overly complicated. I have made an attempt to bridge that gap and provide information for the general public without too much unneccessary "dumbing down" or scientific jargon. The Group Index page contains information on specific allergens, like polcalcin and seed storage proteins, which are found in lots of groups of foods and can contribute to multiple allergies. This section also contains more information on allergic syndromes like Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome and LTP Syndrome. This group of pages are very useful to those who are struggling with multiple allergies and have been unable to pinpoint which foods are likely candidates against the food allergies they are already aware of.

Do you also have a blog? Yes I do, the posts are on the Blog Index. Every month I compile a list of all the latest allergy, eczema and asthma news, they are put out on the 1st day of every month - Follow Allergy Resources on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to get a reminder for this every month. (See links for social media at the bottom of this page). The Blog Index also contains information on topics which do not seem to fit in anywhere else, like more information on exercise induced anaphylaxis and non-IgE mediated allergies.

How can any of this information help me? Some of this information helped me - knowledge is power! I felt a lot more confident in talking about the less common food allergies to my GP after originally being dismissed. I made a food diary and was able to cut out foods which led to an improvement of eczema and other food allergy symptoms. There is a food diary page in the Blog Index that can help you too – FOR FREE! This information is updated regularly and it will always be free to view (though some of the scientific articles may not be unfortunately).