Talking Allergies

sunflower allergy
I am alleregic to sunflower dust, also allergic to sunflower seeds, I had a severe anaphilactic shock to a few seeds.
I don't trust sunflower oil.
Prepared food producers often note vegetable oil as content, I will never buy such products,
why don't they specify exacly the oil they use since so many vegetable oils can be allergic?

Our son is also allergic to sunflower seeds and other seeds (sesame, poppy, mustard). He is able to eat highly refined/processed sunflower oil (for example, in Lays potato chips); however, he cannot eat cold pressed sunflower oil as it has not gone through the highly refined process which requires high heat to extract the sunflower oil. Not sure if you would be able to tolerate this, but our son is highly allergic to sunflower seeds, yet he can eat the highly processed sunflower oil. He never consumes sesame oil as it is always cold pressed, and he never eats peanut or other nut oils, ONLY the highly processed sunflower oil.

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18 yr old daughter: no health issues
16 yr old son: allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, egg, fish, sesame,sunflower,mustard,poppy seeds, peas, carrots, some fruits, instructed to avoid legumes(except soy & green beans),pollen, cats, horses, cold urticaria

My son too has severe allergic response to sunflower products. He has just failed an inpatient sunflower oil challenge -it would have made our lives MUCH easier had he passed it.

The reason they dont specify the oil used is that the oil will change depending on what is in season-so 'vegetable oil' will cover every type of non top 8 oil (peanut/soy would always need to be specified-anything else is fair game).

Sunflower allergy is very difficult-sunflower being the new 'healthy' oil alternative-every company is jumping on the band wagon-in 5 years time hopefully they will all be trying to find alternatives given the huge increase in people experiencing allergic response to sunflower, and the very severe (and to minute amounts) allergic reactions to it (reports now saying more severe and to less amounts than peanut allergies).

Good luck!-this is our hardest one to deal with=we hate it.

caz.xx

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twin boys-
c-eosinophilic oesophagitis
j-avoids peanut, sunflower, pineapple all ana-sensitised to maccadaemia.pecan.Passed barley (previous ana) last year...out grew egg ana and peanut at 3 years..became re sensitised with ana at 6 years to peanut.

to julie
hi!
I have eaten lay's chips without adverse effect, but was advised by my allergist to stay away from all sunflower oils in case it was only cold pressed.
I will not chance another anaphilactic shock ( you get too sick).
so no lay's products and no foods mentionning only vegetable oil, that is also including most margarine products.

klod

Hi caz,
Sunflower oil is not realy healty,it contains a lot of omega 6, wich is not the best product specially for older people.
So why not use canola oil wich is also a better product for deep frying ?

One of the reasons manufacturers are reluctant to name which oil they use, is because their choice of oil depends largely on which oil is cheaper for them to buy at the time of manufacturing. Unfortunately, the bottom line is often more important to them, then helping us with food allergies. Some companies have chosen to list every type of oil they might use. I've had to stop eating potato chips that list cotton seed oils as a possibility.

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Asthma, SHF, GF, EF, Allergic: Meat, Poultry, Laurel, Mustard, Gras, Mallow, Plantain, Flacourtia, Pine family; ETOH, Vinegars, CremeTartar, Cucumbrs, Fenugrk, Most of Lily, Myrtle, Parsley, Nightshade, Composite familys. Pomgrante, Litchi, Starfrt

I guess I should have said its marketed as a healthy oil...used extensively now as an alternative to things like palm oil or animal fats. I would LOVE it if they used canola!!

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twin boys-
c-eosinophilic oesophagitis
j-avoids peanut, sunflower, pineapple all ana-sensitised to maccadaemia.pecan.Passed barley (previous ana) last year...out grew egg ana and peanut at 3 years..became re sensitised with ana at 6 years to peanut.

Canola Oil isn't really healthier. Canola oil is really Rapeseed oil that was renamed and remarketed by the Canadian gov't to increase profits for Rapeseed producers. It worked. However, thats immaterial given that Canadian researchers, where Canola Oil is made, has found that Canola depletes Vitamin E levels too a dangerous amount, and has killed laboratory animals. Olive Oil destroys LDL and raised HDL. Coconut Oil actually protects against heart disease.

Its no longer online, but Mary Enig wrote an article on biased research and biased governments. Shortly after I linked to that article, from my 'mostly vegetarian' site, that article went down.
Here is a quote from an article, on the apartame.ca website, "Canola Oil is believed to cause damage to the Myelin Sheath, if used over several years. One team of Canadian Researchers and another team of Japanese researchers has found that it depletes Vitamin E. One hypothesis for this effect is that Canola Oil is burning and may contain EFAs, which in turn may be causing the depletion of Vitamin E.[See Aspartame.ca ] Essential Fatty Acids have been known for many years (even in 1983), to not withstand heat very well and known to very easily turn rancid. This is why EFAs are taken out of foods. However, Canola Oil, after it have been cooked to 300 degrees +, may still contain EFAs."

Coconut Oil, of the kind we get, is considered healthy, depending on who you talk to. Olive Oil is very healthy and lowers bad cholesteral and raises good cholesterol. This, of course, is useless to those who can't have olives or coconuts. Thus, I wouldn't be too concerned about Canola oil, if the alternatives are worse. Canola oil is in my Earth Balance I use, even though I'm trying to avoid Canola oil. : Fortunately, I can use Olive oil, but would never spread that on GF toast.

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Asthma, SHF, GF, EF, Allergic: Meat, Poultry, Laurel, Mustard, Gras, Mallow, Plantain, Flacourtia, Pine family; ETOH, Vinegars, CremeTartar, Cucumbrs, Fenugrk, Most of Lily, Myrtle, Parsley, Nightshade, Composite familys. Pomgrante, Litchi, Starfrt

I guess the point Im trying to make is that I dont really care what oil they use as long as its not sunflower as that-for us- is what causes anaphylaxis.

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twin boys-
c-eosinophilic oesophagitis
j-avoids peanut, sunflower, pineapple all ana-sensitised to maccadaemia.pecan.Passed barley (previous ana) last year...out grew egg ana and peanut at 3 years..became re sensitised with ana at 6 years to peanut.