Today we’re going to talk about all things carrot allergy. Managing a carrot allergy sounds easy on the surface, however, it’s actually a lot harder than you’d think. The biggest reason it’s hard to manage: it’s a base ingredient that’s part of a LOT of other foods (and non-food items).
Carrot won’t be called out on labels, and can be part of vague ingredients such as natural flavours. However, you’re in the right place if you’re eliminating carrots from your diet. I’m going to share not only allergy info, but to shop, cook, and more.
Now, let’s take a deeper look at food allergy basics, then we’ll turn our attention to how you can avoid carrots.
Be sure to use the table of contents to jump around as you see fit, as this article covers a lot of ground.
What Are Carrots
A carrot is a root vegetable that’s part of the Apiaceae family, alongside other vegetables including celery, parsnip, anise, and dill. It’s often called the carrot family, celery family, and/or parsley family.
Carrots have an edible thin skin that’s usually peeled away before cooking or eaten, and they can be consumed raw (without tasting horrible).
The most common carrot is the orange variety, however, you can purchase heirloom carrots in red, white, and purple.
Known for their beta carotene content, carrots are available year round and are also a good source of potassium. Fun fact: carrots are generally classified as wild carrots or domestic carrots.
What is a Food Allergy?
A food allergy is a response by your immune system that’s triggered by a protein that your body sees as a threat. This is not the same thing as a food intolerance (sometimes called a food sensitivity) or an autoimmune disease.
If you suspect you have a food allergy, ask your healthcare provider/main MD to refer you to an allergist for allergy testing where blood tests and/or a skin prick test can be ordered to determine if you have an allergy. Know that tests are not 100% accurate, but are still a good diagnostic tool.
A “true” food allergy is IgE mediated, and the immune system usually elicits a reaction within immediate ingestion to four hours. Outside of that window, it’s usually suspected that you have a food intolerance. In addition to immunoglobulin e, there are 4 other Igs that play a role in food intolerance and histamine reactions.
There are some types of allergenic diseases that are “true” food allergies and the reactions happen outside of the four hour window. Additionally, a person can have a more rare or complex case and suffer from delayed reactions (which can still be “true” food allergies).
Contact & Airborne Reactions
In some patients, they have what’s called contact or airborne allergy as well. This tends to be more common in those allergic to tree nuts and peanuts, and is very rare in those with a carrot allergy.
In their case, a reaction can be triggered by touching carrots, or by breathing in its particles (like when cooking or baking).
Food allergies can be life threatening and should always be taken seriously. Work with your allergist and healthcare providers to create an action plan that will meet your needs.
Carrot Allergy Symptoms
Food allergy reactions can vary among patients, as no two people are the same. Some allergy symptoms of a carrot allergy include:
- Swelling of the Lips
- Swelling of the Tongue
- Swelling of the Throat
- Itchy Mouth and/or Throat
- Tingling of the Mouth, Lips, or Throat
- Shortness of Breath
- Difficulty Breathing or Asthma Symptoms
- Wheezing
- Skin Rash and/or Severe Redness of the Skin
- Itching
- Hives
- Racing Heart Rate
- Decreased Blood Pressure
- Impending Doom/Dread
- Dizziness
- Fainting/Loss of Consciousness
- Severe Stomach Pain
- GI Distress or Abdominal Pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting (including projectile vomiting)
- Diarrhea
- Blood in Stool
These symptoms are more the more severe symptoms of the allergic reaction spectrum, and can indicate anaphylaxis. It’s critical that if you see these carrot allergy symptoms you recognize that this is a medical emergency and you need to seek immediate medical help.
If you have a known allergy, follow your action plan including the use of an epipen if you have one, or prescribed antihistamines.
Milder reactions can include a persistent cough, runny nose and/or sneezing, eczema, persistent congestion, allergic rhinitis (inflammation of the nose membrane), and more. However, milder symptoms don’t mean you should let your guard down, or take your allergy less seriously.
Three Critical Points
There are hundreds of symptoms a person can experience during an allergic reaction, but it’s important to know three things about carrot allergy symptoms and allergic reactions:
- Not every reaction is anaphylaxis. People can have a “non-traditional” carrot allergy reaction to food (or have mild symptoms) and still be allergic to carrots.
- Should a person experience anaphylaxis, or you see signs of anaphylaxis, it’s important to seek immediate medical treatment (use your epinephrine auto-injector if you have one). When left untreated, anaphylaxis can lead to anaphylactic shock, which can cause death.
- Previous allergic reactions don’t predict future reactions (or the severity of future reactions). In some patients, continued exposure to known allergens can cause more severe reactions each time. This is why strict avoidance of allergens is so important.
How Kids May Talk About Food Allergies
A child may talk about a food allergy differently than adults. Many children will say things like “my mouth is spicy” or “there’s a frog in my throat”.
They’re trying to express what the reactions feel like to them with language or experiences that are familiar to them. Always take note of these types of statements from a child, as they can indicate a serious medical situation.
If needed, don’t hesitate to seek medical treatment, and be sure to ask your doctor for a referral to an allergy specialist.
You May be Asked to Do an Oral Food Challenge
A food challenge, sometimes called an oral challenge, is when an allergy patient eats a food they’ve tested as allergic to, or for a food where the results were inconclusive, under the supervision of their doctor and/or medical team. The goal of the challenge is to confirm the positive results or to determine if the patient isn’t allergic to the food.
There are several steps involved with a proper oral food challenge, including raising the patient’s heart rate to make sure a reaction doesn’t happen. If you’ve been tested for a carrot allergy, or other food allergy, you may be offered an in-office oral food challenge to ensure the test results are accurate. A lot of people wonder, is this a good idea, or a really bad idea.
Honestly, it depends. Let’s say you had a severe reaction to carrots in the last year, and that’s what prompted you to get tested. Since a reaction is already known, in that case, an oral food challenge would be a bad idea. On the flip side, let’s say you were diagnosed with a celery or parsley allergy after a panel was run alongside other foods.
Perhaps your allergist was concerned about potential reactions to other members of the plant family due to your unique medical history, and feels it’s in your best interest to challenge related foods. In that case, an oral food challenge could be very helpful.
How Challenges Can Help
Food challenges are also used to confirm if someone has outgrown an allergy (this is a lot more common in kids). For some kids, they’re diagnosed at an early age with really high numbers on their test results and the food(s) will be avoided for years.
During a checkup, their allergist may note that their numbers have decreased dramatically, and it would be safe to do a food challenge. Many food allergy parents are understandably nervous, and some choose to move forward with the challenge whilst others decide they’ll continue to avoid the food(s).
In some cases, an allergic individual may not be offered an oral food challenge by their allergist, even with a reduction in numbers, and that’s because of other risk factors (including a history of severe allergic reactions).
Know that food challenges are completely voluntary, and you don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable doing, nor do you have to subject your children to them. At the end of the day, do what’s best for you and your children.
How to Grocery Shop When Managing a Carrot Allergy
When it comes to shopping with a carrot allergy, know that food labels on products will always be your first line of defense. Carrots can hide in a lot of foods, which I’ll cover further down in this article.
You’ll want to grab a product and turn it over to the nutritional panel and usually near that, you’ll see a list of ingredients. Read them carefully and look for carrot. When there are are a lot of ingredients, use a finger to trace under the lines, which drags your eyes along, and ensures you don’t accidentally skip over a line.
If you see natural flavors, any type of dye, or other questionable ingredient, take a picture of the product. When you get home, email companies and find out about the products before purchasing them.
The Biggest Tips I Can Give You
When you’re new, stick to basic foods (raw meat, seeds, fresh fruits & vegetables, basic grains like rice, legumes, etc.). The more basic the food, the less likely you’ll run into carrots.
The best advice I can give you: learn to cook and bake at home. Develop a passion for nourishing yourself and find joy in the kitchen. You can create a wide range of safe and delicious foods at home.
The 30% Group
The one thing you’ll want to know about yourself when it comes to shopping is if you can tolerate traces of carrot in your food. About 30% of people with food allergies self-report that they’re unable to eat foods that have been made on shared equipment with what they’re allergic to, due to these traces of allergens.
No matter what country you reside in, if shared equipment is an issue, you need to contact companies before purchasing pre-made items.
Carrot Labeling Information
Most regulating bodies require food companies to use plain language on the food labels (this is especially helpful with an egg allergy which we can talk about another time). What this means is that in the ingredient statement, you won’t see “Daucus carota” on the label (the scientific name for carrot) but instead you’ll see “carrot”, “carrot juice”, or something along those lines.
Carrot seed oil and carrot extract have some use in bath, body, and cosmetic products (in addition to some food products). You’ll want to contact brands if you manage a contact allergy, or have concerns about applying carrot to your skin.
Carrot Free Diet Types
There are a few diet types that are free from carrots:
- Birch Pollen Free Diet
- Latex Free Diet
- Low/No Oxalate (carrot is on the moderate to high side)
- Mugwort Pollen Free Diet
- Nickel Allergy Diet
You’ll be able to find recipes online for these three diet types, but you’ll be very hard pressed to find restaurants or pre-made foods for these diet types.
If you manage a carrot allergy, along with other dietary restrictions, be sure to check out the Advanced Recipe Search on RAISE. You can mix and match over 100 filters for food allergens, food families, special diets, and much more.
Oral Allergy Syndrome Connection
Oral allergy syndrome, now called pollen food allergy syndrome, is a special type of food allergy. As the name implies, the allergic reactions happen in the mouth (oral). In easy to understand terms, here’s how it works:
A person has a specific pollen allergy and need to avoid a specific list of foods because the proteins in said foods “look similar enough to the pollen” to their immune system that it causes a reaction.
This is known as cross-reactivity, and you can do a deep dive on that term to learn more. Also know that not every person with pollen allergies manages pollen-food allergy syndrome.
In almost every OAS/PFAS patient, all allergic reactions occur above the collar bone, and mainly in the mouth and throat. In some rare cases, the reaction happens outside of this scope, but it’s still OAS.
Many OAS/PFAS patients are able to tolerate the cross-reactive foods if they’re well cooked first, as this denatures the protein so their immune system can “clearly see” that this isn’t the pollen, but something else.
Know the Pollens
There are five major pollens at play where OAS is concerned: Alder Pollen, Birch Pollen, Grass Pollen, Mugwort Pollen, and Ragweed Pollen.
In the case of carrot, it’s cross-reactive with birch and mugwort. If you’re allergic to those pollens, and seem to have allergy-like symptoms to carrots and other “random” foods, you may have OAS and should schedule an appointment with your doctor.
If you’d like to read more about OAS and see cross-reactive fruits and vegetables, check out this article here on my website.
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Latex Allergy Connection
Many patients with a latex allergy have to eliminate foods that are cross reactive with latex. Foods all into three categories: low cross reactivity, moderate cross reactivity, and high cross reactivity.
Carrot falls into the moderate cross reactive category. If you manage a latex allergy, and need to eliminate moderate and high cross reactive foods, carrot is off the menu until your medical team can help you determine which foods might be good for an oral challenge.
If you’d like to learn more about a latex allergy and cross reactive foods, read this article.
Spice Allergy Connection
Evidence has shown an association between carrot, celery, and spices where an allergy is concerned. Some carrot allergy patients can develop allergies to the spices in the Apiaceae family:
- Anise
- Asafoetida (popular in Indian cooking, and a fantastic allium free onion substitute)
- Caraway
- Celery Seed
- Chervil
- Coriander (cilantro)
- Cumin
- Dill
- Lovage
- Parsley
- Pepper
Some patients have also developed a reaction to bell pepper as well, however, that’s from a different family.
Different Names for Carrot & Types of Carrots
Different forms of celery can have different names, and you may see them on food packages. These are the names to be aware of:
- Carrots
- Carrot Extract
- Carrot Juice
- Carrot Peels
- Carrot Powder
- Carrot Seed Oil
- Carrot Tops
- Rainbow Carrots
- Crinkle Cut Carrots
- Diced Carrots
- Matchstick Carrots
- Shredded Carrots
Carrot tops are the leafy green tops of carrots. In an effort to bring down food waste, some sustainable-forward restaurants use carrot tops as a garnish, or in a chimichurri sauce.
Carrot peels are another part some chefs don’t like to waste, and they’re used as a garnish (usually fried).
Carrot Allergy: List of Foods to Avoid
When you’re managing a carrot allergy, know that there are foods that naturally contain carrot products. When you see these food products, you’ll know right away that carrots are most likely present.
- Carrot Cake
- Pot Pie (carrot is usually in the vegetable blend)
- Mirepoix (combination of carrots, celery, and onion)
- Sofritto (Italian cuisine term for carrot, onions, and celery)
- Soup & Stew (carrots are a very common ingredient)
Hidden Sources of Carrot: List of Foods That Can Contain Carrots
This is not an exhaustive list. Carrots can be used in a wide range of applications, especially in savory foods.
I’d love to tell you that you won’t find carrots in certain products, however, their use as a natural flavour and natural dye means you can find them across all product categories (with the exception of raw meat and raw produce).
Just because a product type is on this list doesn’t guarantee the presence of carrot (or the opposite). It means that you need to really, really, really read ingredient labels carefully and reach out to companies if there’s any doubt.
- Any food that’s red or pink (not naturally red like beets, but where color has been added)
- Any processed food with a label buzzword/claim of “added veggies”
- Bahn Mi (traditional Vietnamese food)
- Baked Goods (breads, buns, desserts, etc.)
- Bao Buns
- Bibimbap (traditional Korean food)
- Bouillon
- Breakfast Cookies
- Broths & Stocks
- Candy (not nearly as present in chocolate, but present in other styles as a color or natural flavor)
- Cereal
- Chips (as part of the flavoring agents)
- Cold Pressed Juices (single ingredient such as apple is fine, but blends often contain carrot)
- Fermented Foods & Drinks
- Fried Foods (in the batter)
- Fried Rice
- Fritters
- Fruit Snacks (often as a colour, or to boost the veg content)
- Grilled Vegetables
- Ketchup
- Meat Marinades
- Medications
- Muffins
- Natural Flavors
- Packaged Snacks
- Pasta Sauce
- Pickled Vegetables & Kimchi
- Pizza Sauce
- Poke Bowls
- Popsicles & Other Frozen Desserts
- Pouches (convenient snack of puréed fruits & veggies)
- Salad Dressings
- Salads (shredded carrot as a topping)
- Snack Bars
- Sandwiches & Wraps
- Sauces
- Slaw
- Soups
- Spice Cake
- Spring Rolls & Egg Rolls
- Stews
- Stir-fry
- Stock Cubes (also called Bouillon Cubes)
- Supplements (especially vitamins with a “vegetable blend” added to boost the nutritional value)
- Vegan & Vegetarian Foods (including meat alternatives)
- Vegetable Juice
- Veggie Chips & Veggie Straws
- Waffles
- Yogurt (flavoured yogurt)
Broth & Sock Warning
I can’t stress the importance of understanding the prevalence of carrots in critical foundational foods such as broth and stock. If you look at a restaurant that serves soup, stew, pasta, and more, there’s a good chance that their carrot containing broth is used in a lot of their menu items.
When dining out, you need to ask about this specifically, not just “is there carrot in XYZ”. It’s very easy for food service workers to forget these small details.
Natural Flavors Warning
Since carrot isn’t a major allergen, companies don’t need to disclose on packaging if it’s present in an ingredient such as natural flavors. Unfortunately, this term encompasses thousands of individual ingredients and compounds.
The only way to find out if carrot is present is to call the company and request the details. Explain that you have a carrot allergy and you need to know about each of the ingredients in their natural flavours.
Some brands will say things like “it’s proprietary”. If you run into that, walk away. Brands that can’t be transparent don’t deserve our support.
Natural Dye Warning
I can’t stress enough the natural dye warning for carrots. Food manufacturers know that we eat with our eyes first, and when colours pop, the food is more appealing. Not only that, but they like consistent colours among batches, so using some kind of agent can work wonders for them.
You’d never think that your cherry candy, peaches and cream cookies, or orange soda would contain carrots. However, these are the exact products you need to examine because most will contain dyes, which can be derived from carrots.
Bath & Body Warning
Carrot is commonly found in makeup and a random assortment of bath and body products. If you have a contact allergy, or you’re not comfortable applying carrot to your skin, you’ll need to take your time to find safe options.
In the meantime, you can start with a basic olive oil soap that’s only 3 ingredients and it gets the job done (yup, you can even use it as a shampoo). It’s not fancy, but it’s safe.
Eating Out at Restaurants with a Carrot Allergy
If you’d like to eat at a restaurant whilst managing a carrot allergy, you’ll have to do a lot of investigating before choosing to dine out. The biggest issue you’re going to run into: the hidden sources of carrots.
Carrot isn’t a spice like black pepper, paprika, or rosemary, so it won’t be in a lot of places. However, it can easily be in drinks (dyes), baked goods (extract, natural flavour), and so much more.
Even foods that don’t sound like they would contain carrot can, because if you’re at a low quality or mid range quality establishment, they’re not using top of the line, super clean ingredients. They’re using breads with dough conditioners and pre-made fries with flavour enhancers. See the problem?
Now, that’s not to say that you can’t or won’t find a carrot free meal. You can absolutely find one. In fact, basic meat dishes will be your best bet because the raw meat will be free from carrots. However, you may need to get used to piecing together a meal from the menu such as simply seasoned steak + steamed rice (make sure it’s cooked in water, not broth) + a side dish of fruit.
Types of Restaurants to Explore
The absolute safest option will be an expensive farm-to-table restaurant directly on a farm where everything is made from scratch. In those environments, they control a lot of moving parts, and have so much control over the ingredients and can accommodate those with food allergies.
Outside of that, there isn’t a single cuisine that will be naturally carrot free. Paleo restaurants might be able to serve you a little easier, but carrots may still be present.
Steak houses are another good option, as they should be able to season a basic piece of meat and cook it in a clean pan for you. I’d be on the lookout for restaurants that advertise clean ingredients, and organic ingredients. That’s not to say they don’t use carrots, but your chance of success is simply higher because they won’t have as many products that contain natural flavors etc. to work around.
Mexican restaurants are a great option, since basic Mexican foods are naturally carrot free. However, you’ll still have to account for natural flavours and other hidden ingredients.
I’d suggest avoiding high-end restaurants that have rotating seasonal dishes that frequently change. Whilst they can make some minor adjustments, they really aren’t able to accommodate food allergy folks as easily since the ingredients are pretty set and the menu isn’t super flexible.
Cross Contact and Cross Contamination
Cross-contact and cross-contamination are not the same thing. When talking with food professionals, it’s important that you use the correct terminology. Cross-contamination refers to pathogens (e. coli, etc.), and cross-contact refers to allergens.
Please read the article on this page to learn more about cross-contact, and how you can work towards preventing it.
Carrot Substitutes & Carrot Alternatives
As a free-from cooking and baking expert, I can tell you that the “nice” thing about eliminating carrots from your diet is that replacing them in a range of cooking and baking scenarios isn’t super difficult.
I’m going to share a few carrot substitutes, but you should read through this article instead on carrot substitutes where I give you allllllllll the options and scenarios.
For a basic 1:1 swap, assuming you’re only allergic to carrots, and can eat other members of the family, parsnips will always be the easiest substitute to make. The flavour isn’t exactly the same, but by weight, texture, and function, it’s the top choice.
Golden beets, red beets, and celeriac are also good substitutes for carrots. If you’re avoiding all plants in the carrot family, go with the beets. With all three of these options, you’ll lose the natural sweetness carrots bring to the table.
For snacking, I’d suggest apples and celery. Tokyo turnips are another option, and will have a more neutral taste. All three of these options will deliver on the crunch and texture, but not on the taste, so be warned. Absolutely pair them with a dip to help make the experience more enjoyable.
These swaps only scratch the surface. Be sure to check out this article on carrot substitutes for more extensive options.
Nutrition Concerns
If you grew up with messaging such as “milk makes strong bones” and “carrots help your eyes”, at a subconscious level, you may have nutrition concerns when removing carrots from your diet.
I can tell you this: there are lots of other fantastic ingredients that can deliver the fiber, beta-carotene, and all of the other nutrients carrots provide.
For beta carotene, other orange and yellow foods will be great suppliers. Here’s an article on orange foods, and an article on yellow foods to get you started. Orange bell pepper, pumpkin, and butternut squash are all delicious starting points.
As for the fiber and additional nutrients, pretty much all fruits and vegetables, when eaten an a well rounded manner, are going to support your body just fine.
If you have further nutrition concerns, you can always work with a healthcare professional to get tested (vitamins, minerals, etc.), and work with them to implement a meal plan that will have a positive impact on your health.
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Answering Your Carrot Allergy Questions
If I have a carrot allergy, should I avoid other root vegetables?
On the surface, if someone ONLY has a carrot allergy, then no, you don’t need to avoid other root vegetables. You can work with your allergist and talk about cross reactivity concerns that you have.
However, if you have other medical conditions, manage seasonal allergies (and might have OAS), or have test results that imply you may be more prone to cross reactivity, you may need to avoid other root vegetables in the carrot family.
You’ll want to work with your medical team, as they can order allergy tests (blood tests and skin prick tests), supervise an oral challenge, and give you great guidance based on your case history and test results. During this time, make sure you’re keeping a detailed food journal, that way, should symptoms develop, you’ll know what you’ve eaten and what the cause may be.
Is it possible to be allergic to only orange carrots, but not other carrots?
I tend to think that anything is possible in the realm of food allergies and the immune system. However, in the case of a color difference, that won’t matter because the same carrot allergen is present in all of the colors.
Now, if you find that you have a reaction to only orange carrots, but eat all the other colors safely, I’d question if you have the correct diagnosis, or if you’re reacting to something else. If your orange carrots are coming from farm A, and the other colors are from farm B, you could be reacting to something from farm A.
There could be something about the growing condition such as a specific pesticide that’s causing a problem. This is actually more common than you’d think, especially with people who thought they were allergic to oats (many are reacting to the glyphosate).
I’d schedule an appointment with your doctor to investigate further, and see about doing an oral challenge to orange carrots from farm B (assuming this is the boat you’re in). If you react to orange carrots from farm B, but still eat the other colors safely, you are quite the anomaly, and someone needs to do a study, because there’s no one else like you.
Is a carrot intolerance the same thing as a carrot allergy?
No, an allergy and an intolerance are two different medical conditions that have different pathways that elicit the responses. However, both will have the same approach in avoiding eating carrots.
For your overall health, well-being, and safety, when managing a food allergy, you’ll want to make sure your meals are free from carrot, carrot juice, carrot extract, and all verities of carrot.
If you have a food intolerance (sometimes called a food sensitization or food sensitivity), talk with your doctor about the consumption of carrots via the form of natural flavours and carrot extract. You may not need to avoid carrots down to that level since it isn’t an allergy.
I have onion and carrot allergies. How can I cook without mirepoix and have food that tastes good?
Whilst this is a tough diagnosis to manage, the good news is, you still have lots of delicious options. First, look into cuisines that really pack a punch. Middle Eastern cuisine is a great example. Whilst onion and carrot are present, it’s easy to omit and still have lasting flavour.
You can also lean into very spicy foods and explore recipes where all sorts of peppers are the star. From there, you’ll want to make sure you cook with fat, salt, and acid. These three components can do SO much for you. I really like this brand for vinegar, as they have so many to choose from, and each one brings a different flavour to the table.
For added flavor, best advice I can give you is to lean into ingredients such as fennel bulbs, shallots (in the allium family but not onions), garlic, ramps, liquid smoke, smoked salt, artisanal cheese (France has great selections), and fresh herbs. These are all ingredients that are going to help elevate your recipes, without the allergens.
Also, try recipes that use peanut butter or nut butters, as these can bring in a whole new layer of flavor, and if you omit onions, you won’t notice a huge difference.
How can I avoid accidental exposure to carrots?
The first big thing to do is to avoid foods that contain carrots and all forms of carrot. From there, you can talk with food manufacturers before purchasing products to confirm carrot isn’t in the product by way of things like dyes or flavouring agents.
If you’re in the 30% group and can’t do shared equipment, you’ll need to ask a lot of questions to ensure your safety. Alternatively, you can lean into really simple/basic foods and make delicious meals at home.
If you’re concerned about accidental exposure when eating out at restaurants, you’ll want to talk with an establishment in advance, extensively. If carrot is an ingredient in their stock or broth, know that a lot of menu items will be contaminated. The restaurant should have a list of ingredients for each product. You’ll want to avoid anything that contains natural flavors.
Unfortunately, there’s no 100% way to avoid every risk, unless you grow your own food and make everything at home. Even allergy friendly and free-from brands have the occasional food recall due to undeclared allergens because somewhere in their supply chain, a mistake was made.
What you can do however is be prepared. Make sure you have an action plan for your carrot allergy and know what to do if you have an allergic response. Also make sure that those in your family know how to treat an allergic response and how to advocate for you if necessary.
When you’re new to food allergy management, everything is going to feel BIG. Every small choice will feel HUGE. Each meal can feel daunting (but also like a triumph). Over time though, you’ll find your groove and be a shopping pro, cooking pro, and totally starting to thrive and live your best life.
Is there a treatment or cure for a carrot allergy or food allergies?
There is no cure for food allergies, but food allergy research is progressing each day and learning more about how the immune system works. We may see a cure in the future, but for now, the only approved medical treatment at the time of this writing is called Oral Immunotherapy (OIT).
OIT is never guaranteed to work. In fact, when someone passes, we say they’re “in remission”, not “cured”, as there are no cures for food allergies. Know that results vary from one individual to the next because this is all a science of the immune system. Since no two people are the same, it’s impossible to predict 100% of the time how individuals will respond to OIT.
During treatment, patients ingest small amounts of what they’re allergic to. Some start at less than a 1 gram dose, and for reference, an ounce is 28 grams. This is done in hopes of having the immune system build tolerance. Some patients do well with this therapy and some patients never get past the first dose because of how sensitive they are to the allergen.
One the thing about OIT that people don’t talk about enough is that just how you can gain tolerance, you can lose it as well. I’ve also met people in this boat where they passed OIT, then a few years later woke up one day and had a severe allergic reaction.
Additionally, those with EOE have a higher risk of developing more issues if they undergo OIT. This type of science is, in my opinion, poorly understood, and all you can do is do your best and work with the knowledge you have and the guidance your medical team provides.
When it comes to OIT, really assess what it can do for you, and what your goals are. If the risk seems worth it, as an adult, I say go for it. If you’re managing a child, it’s different because of consent.
It’s really important that children give fully informed consent before you introduce known food allergens to their system (something a lot of parents overlook). This is doubly true if your child has a complex case.
Think of it this way: would YOU want something done TO you, or WITH you? There’s a big difference in those two scenarios.
