What is Pizza Allergy?
Pizza is the world’s most popular food item. I personally like Pizza Hut. Being Allergic to Pizza is quite heartbreaking. So many people want a substitute so they may still be able to enjoy Pizza. Among various kinds of food allergies, pizza allergy is one of them. Pizza Allergy is a typical kind of Allergy as it consists of a variety of ingredients.
People tend to develop Allergy because of the ingredients present in Pizza. The most common elements causing Allergy are,
- Cheese.
- Tomato.
- Olives.
- Bread/Gluten.
People suffering from the above food allergies tend to be allergic to Pizza as well.
Pizza Allergy Symptoms:
If upon eating Pizza, one suffers the following symptoms, then he is allergic to Pizza. The symptoms are:
- Swollen lips.
- Hives.
- Skin Rash.
- An itching sensation in the throat.
- Coughing.
- Sneezing.
- Swollen Tongue.
- Anaphylaxes.
Diagnosing Pizza Allergy:
As Pizza is a combination of ingredients, the person may only be allergic to one component. If a person suffers the symptoms mentioned above, he has either a pizza allergy or is only allergic to a specific Pizza ingredient.
To diagnose the root cause, the person must consult the doctor and carry out tests. These tests include the excluding of specific ingredients from Pizza to test the cause of Allergy. The person may be diagnosed with the following possibilities:
-
Cheese Allergy:
If a person is allergic to cheese, it means that he has either Lactose or Casein Allergy. These are proteins present in dairy products. The only treatment for this kind of Allergy is avoiding all types of dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, etc. Which means that the person has to stop eating Pizza.
-
Tomato Allergy:
Tomato contains Salicylic acid, which may trigger Allergy in some people. If a person is allergic to tomatoes in the Pizza, he should exclude the tomatoes and eat a plain pizza instead.
-
Olive Allergy:
It is a rare case that one may allergic to olives. But if a person suffers from this Allergy, he should stop using olives on Pizza or any food item.
-
Bread/Gluten/Wheat Allergy:
Being Allergic to wheat is becoming quite common now. The composition of grain and, when mixed with yeast, produces Gluten. If a person is allergic to Gluten, his throat will swell up due to Allergy. One may also suffer from wheat intolerance, which means he would have trouble digesting wheat. In this case, the person should not eat the crust of the Pizza.
-
Yeast Allergy:
Yeast is the ingredient used to make bread/dough rise. People are allergic to yeast as it is substances that cause fermentation and releases carbon dioxide. If a person is allergic to yeast in the dough, he must either use baking powder or stop using yeast in the pizza dough. You may read full detail about Yeast Allergy.
How to treat Pizza Allergy:
The most important step to treat the Allergy is first to find out what ingredient causes Allergy. After finding out the cause, the following treatments can coup with the situation:
- Avoid using ingredients causing Allergy.
- Use Antihistamines.
- Corticosteroid creams to treat skin rashes caused by Allergy.
- Immunotherapy for chronic Allergy.
- Substitute the Allergen.
Note that Allergies are not cured completely. They can only be avoided or can be controlled if Allergy shows up.
Substitutes Of Allergens For Pizza Allergy:
Here are some substitutes for Pizza to avoid Allergy.
- Use vegan cheese instead of pure dairy cheese. Parmesan is a famous plant-based cheese and has no casein or lactose. This replacement helps reduce the possibility of Allergy without completely giving up on a cheesy pizza.
- Sauce containing tomatoes can be substituted by either chili or garlic or even mustard sauce. It will affect the taste, but it is better to try a new taste than suffer from Allergy.
- Topping such green or black olives can be excluded or replaced by onions etc.
- As pizza crust is a central part of the Pizza, one can try other flours apart from wheat. Such flours are rice flour, chickpea flour, cornflour, or even gluten-free flour.
- Instead of of using yeast, one can use baking powder in the dough. Baking powder has less power than yeast. One can skip the yeast/ baking powder part and end up with the crispy dough.
All the above mentioned substituted may be hard at first, but they will help enjoy a little essence of Pizza while saving themselves from the Allergy.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Can Mozzarella cheese in Pizza also cause an allergy?
Ans: Mozzarella cheese may have less casein content than other hard cheese, but it still may cause Allergy. It is better to use plant-based vegan cheese in Pizza, such as parmesan.
2. Does baking powder work the same as yeast?
Ans: Baking powder has a lower potential than yeast. So baking powder does not produce extensive carbon dioxide. It also does not have any activators; hence it is safe for people with a yeast allergy.
3. Can pizza allergy lead to anaphylaxis?
Ans: Yes, as the allergen may cause the throat to swell and block airflow, causing anaphylaxis.