Attention: Chocolate Lovers

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Chocolate can be said as one of the most delicious foods that are made ever. Not all may have a sweet tooth but many people, from kids to adults, definitely love sweets especially, chocolates. They are perfectly chocolate lovers.

Sad to say, for those who believe they have chocolate allergy, they cannot enjoy bites of the delightful chocolate bars. But before you get depressed about it, it is necessary to get informed about chocolate allergy as well as its diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and possible treatments.

You may be avoiding the food without you really having enough knowledge of what really causes your adverse body reactions. As a result, you still get allergic reactions from eating foods you are unaware of containing allergens.

Here are the facts that you should know about chocolate and chocolate allergy.

Potential Causes of Chocolate Allergy

The primary ingredient of chocolate is the cocoa. Cocoa is made by fermenting, roasting, and then grinding seeds from the cocoa tree. It is in rarely cases wherein a person gets allergic reactions because of cocoa. Many people believe they are allergic to chocolate but not to its main ingredient but to the other ingredients or food additives in it.

Chocolate allergies are more commonly caused by sensitivity to another ingredient often found in chocolate. Several of the most common triggers of food allergies are common ingredients in chocolate products. They include:

Cow’s milk (including components such as casein and whey)
Corn (including corn syrup)
Soybeans including components such as soy lecithin. Soy lecithin is an additive in many lower quality chocolates.
Nuts. In some chocolate products, both peanuts and other tree nuts are found.
Wheat or gluten. These are added to mass-produced chocolate-based products. Generally, these products are sold as “candies” and not as premium chocolate. Wheat is a common food allergen and gluten is a major source of food intolerance.

People can have sensitivities to particular food additives as well. These food additives are substances added to foods that are not part of its basic ingredients. They are used to achieve better preservation, texture, taste, color, or nutrition. Cases of additive sensitivities are less common than whole food allergies.

A number of chemicals can also be found in chocolate products. There are different side effects of chocolates reported such as headaches. Others suspect it as an allergic reaction to chocolate but it is not. It may only be caused by reaction to one or more of these chemicals. Chemicals often found in chocolate products that may cause reactions include caffeine (causes anxiety, sleep problems restlessness, and heartburn), theobromine and tyramine (may cause headaches), and phenylethylamine (causes mood swings).

Signs and Symptoms of Chocolate Allergy

A variety of different symptoms and reactions to chocolate that are caused by an intolerance or allergy to one or more of the other ingredients or food additives in chocolate include:

Headache
Heartburn
Hives
Confusion
Breathing Problems
Rectal Itching

In severely allergic people, chocolate allergies may trigger asthma effects in asthmatic people, who are sensitive to one or more chocolate ingredients; and anaphylaxis – an allergic reaction involving two or more body systems that can lead to the potentially life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

Treatment and Prevention

Focus on the ingredient to which the person is sensitive can be the primary step to treatment and prevention of any food allergy. For those who have allergies to cocoa, it means complete avoidance of chocolate products. However, people who are only allergic to certain chocolate ingredients may safely enjoy some chocolate products. If for example you are allergic to milk, you will avoid milk chocolate and will eat premium dark chocolate instead.

Careful inspection of food labels is involved in avoiding the offending ingredients in chocolate. You need to pay enough attention to its contents and even how they are prepared. Remember, food allergies can be triggered by even the tiniest amount of allergy-causing food.

Image Credit: KimberlyKV

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