More Info on our Allergy Free Marshmellows

Dairy and egg

• Cows milk is made up of 3 proteins, whey, albumin and casein. These three proteins are recognised as dangerous and the body reacts in a defensive manner if a person has a dairy allergy. Depending on how severe a persons allergy is, there are different ranges of how dangerous consuming dairy can be. This can be from serious digestive/dermatological manifestations like diarrhoea, rashes and eczema to life threatening anaphylaxis or inflamation. Most people tend to treat this by eliminating cows milk and anything that may contain cows milk, i.e. dairy products out of their diet.

• Eggs allergies are very similar to dairy. The body reacts from a few minutes to a few hours after consumption. Foods containing eggs may cause the body to react and may cause redness of the skin, rashes, nasal congestion, nausea, vomiting and digestive issues. It is very rare to suffer an anaphylactic shock due to an egg allergy. Like a soy allergy, most children will grow out of their egg allergy though some do carry it to adulthood.

Dairy intolerance

Dairy intolerance is caused by the inability to digest lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in animals milk, for example, cows, sheep and goats. People who are lactose intolerant are unable to break down the lactose sugar and digest it. The body makes an enzyme in the gut called lactase, if the lactase isn’t present in the gut the lactose will then cause inflammation. Although not as severe as an allergy, having an intolerance to dairy may cause digestive and skin issues, bloating and discomfort. Again, another treatment for this is to cut out all dairy products from their diets.

Gluten

• Gluten free- A gluten-free diet is a diet that strongly eliminates gluten. Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in wheat and other grains, including barley, rye, oat and other varieties. Gluten may cause many health problems such as coeliac disease, gluten ataxia and wheat allergies. People suffering from any of these gluten related problems normally restrict any kind of gluten from their diets and in most cases acts as an effective treatment. Although many people try to cut out gluten from their diets, there are a few who still suffer due to lack of knowledge of what a gluten-free diet is and what foods they can and cant have.

• A gluten-free diet should be mainly based on naturally gluten-free foods containing the right essential nutrients such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products, nuts, fruits, vegetables, potatoes and rice.

• Freedom mallows are suitable for those who follow a gluten-free diet. Being gluten-free, fat free, dairy and egg free, soy free, nut free, and GMO free ensures those with any type of gluten related problem can still enjoy our melt in the mouth mallows!

Wheat allergy

• A wheat allergy is extremely similar to coeliac disease. If a person is allergic to wheat and consumes foods that may contain it, it becomes extremely uncomfortable for them. Although a reaction mainly comes from consuming wheat, sufferers can also sometimes react when exposed and inhaling wheat flour. Although similar to coeliac disease the difference is that a coeliac sufferer reacts to a certain protein in foods which is gluten while a wheat allergy transpires when the body produces antibodies to wheat proteins. Symptoms of a wheat allergy are headaches, nausea, nasal congestion, swelling and itching.

• Like soy, it is hard to find foods that do not contain wheat and medication may be prescribed to help with reactions.

Gluten ataxia

Gluten ataxia is an autoimmune disease triggered by the ingestion of gluten. The damages of gluten ataxia disturbs the balance of the centre of the brain. This controls your coordination and complex movements such as talking, walking, swallowing and movement of the limbs giving them impaired muscle use. Gluten ataxia sufferers usually have a ‘gait abnormality’ this is an abnormality in how they walk and they may suffer from shakes or trembles of the upper limbs.

Coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is mainly an intestinal process that occurs when a person ingests compounds such as wheat, rye, cereals and barley. Although it is predominantly gastrointestinal, other organs can also be affected and in many cases can become asymptomatic. Coeliac disease can sometimes be undetected and could potentially cause other health problems such as growth restrictions, iron deficiencies, still or premature births and can even reduce life expectancy. In other cases, people may suffer with severe symptoms like nausea, vomiting, recurrent stomach pain and anaemia yet it may take a while for them to be diagnosed as extensive testing may be carried out.

Nut and peanut

• Allergies are caused when the body mistakes the proteins in certain foods as danger. The body then works overtime and releases chemicals which normally are to fight infections and this is what causes the symptoms of an allergic reaction or an anaphylactic shock.

• Peanuts are not in the nut family but are instead a legume. This is in the same family as lentils and peas but possess the same proteins as tree nut, pistachios, cashews and Brazil nuts. Symptoms of a nut allergies are coughing, wheezing, throat tightness, trouble breathing, itchy or watery eyes/throat and swelling. Some nut allergies like all allergies can be fatal, someone with a severe nut allergy may be set off by even the smallest amount of peanut or nut protein.

• An effective treatment for this is for sufferers to always carry around an epinephrine pen. This is an easy to use pen containing a medicine that will counteract the chemical causing the allergic reaction and in most cases stop it. Avoiding all foods that may contain nuts or peanuts or made in an environment that may contain nuts is essential. Although some food packaging does not state this, it is important for people with a peanut or nut allergy to be extremely vigilant when consuming commercial foods.

Soy

• Soy is a product of soybeans. Along with peanuts, soy is a legume mostly found in East Asia. It is a significant protein source and is used in many packaged foods. Most soy allergies are detected in infancy as many baby milk formulas contain it. Though in most cases, babies and children will grow out of their allergy to soy and very few carry it into childhood.

• Like in most allergies, there can be serious circumstances where a person may go into anaphylactic shock though a soy allergy for most people is not serious. The symptoms of this are quite uncomfortable for sufferers such as abdominal pain, tingling in the mouth, face and tongue swelling., difficulty breathing and itchy skin. An effective treatment for this is to try to eliminate foods containing soy. This can be difficult as most foods do contain soy such as baked goods, chocolate, cereals and meat.

Egg

• Eggs are one of the most common allergy-causing foods for children.

• Egg allergy symptoms usually occur a few minutes to a few hours after eating eggs or foods containing eggs. Signs and symptoms range from mild to severe and can include skin rashes, hives, nasal congestion, and vomiting or other digestive problems. Rarely, egg allergy can cause anaphylaxis — a life-threatening reaction.

• Egg allergy can occur as early as infancy. Most children, but not all, outgrow their egg allergy before adolescence.

• Symptoms