About Common Sugar Allergy
SUGAR-FREE DIET
Sugar is usually eaten in a form so refined that its allergenic qualities have been lost in the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, sugar allergies exist.
Some people who cannot tolerate cane sugar can eat other forms: grape, corn, rice, and maple syrups; honey; molasses; and beet sugar.
Susie, the patient mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, was not so lucky. Once sensitized, she found that she could not tolerate any kind of sugar, not even the fructose in fruits. Along with canker sores and mouth swelling, she would have cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.
Sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol were too closely related to sugar for Susie to use, and even the maltodextrin in powdered NutraSweet provoked symptoms. The only sweeteners she could handle were saccharin, which in very high doses causes cancer in mice, and pure aspartame, which does not contain maltodextrin. Mainly, she has shifted her sweet tooth to her favorite unsweet foods bean soups (homemade), tuna sandwiches, stewed chicken, nonfat potato chips, and so on.
YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THERE'S SUGAR IN SOME BRANDS OF THE FOLLOWING:
o Beer, wine, gin, rum
o Breads, muffins, rolls
o Caramel coloring
o Cheese spreads
o Chicken soup and most canned soups
o Chinese food
o Crepes, pancakes, waffles
o Mixed nuts
o Peanut butter
o Salad dressings, catsup, tomato sauce
o Sugar substitutes
o Sugar-free foods (honey, corn syrup, and maltodextrin are still sugars)
o Vitamin pills and supplements
HINT: If a product's ingredients aren't listed, don't buy it.
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