What are dates?
Dates is a flowering plant that comes from the palm family. At the early stage of life dates are known as Phoenix dactylifera later it was named as dates for easy identification. It is an edible sweet fruit. Dates originally comes from a Aceraceae family and comes with many health benefits.
Dates usually grow on trees like all other fruits the trees to which dates are grown is date palm trees which are native to middle east but they have been a part of various regions cuisines for thousands and thousands of years!
Dates comes with a lot of health benefits like improving bone strength, adding glow to your skin. Although some people may be allergic to dates due to variety of reasons. Allergy is a reaction generated by immune system to something that cannot be digested due to some internal issues in body.
Allergy is some reaction caused by immune system to something that does not matter or bother other people. Dates allergy is very rare occurrence as these are very safe to eat and many doctors prefer date fruit for infants and pregnant women.
If you experience any allergic sign after eating dates or any other dry fruits, then probably this is the reaction caused by mold and sulfites. Most of the dry fruits are preserved by sulfite and mold that is available in many fruits.
Date allergy symptoms can be seen in people who’re hypersensitive to these two particluars which are mold and sulfite. Raw fruit allergy is caused due to proteins residing in that particular fruit; these proteins get altered by drying process.
Study carried out on dates conclude that date-palm fruit is a potent allergen, though fruit allergy symptoms are common and people may experience different signs of allergic reaction depending on the extracts ingested.
An allergic reaction is triggered when your immune system wrongly treats food proteins as a threat and released IgE antibodies to combat them. Histamines are produced to react resulting in allergic symptoms.
For mild date allergic symptoms, you can take anti-histamines and other medicines prescribed by the doctor. Moderate and severe signs of allergy must be brought to doctor’s attention.
There are three types of dried dates allergy which are discussed below:
Dried date fruit mold allergy:
As we know earlier, that dates allergy is generally caused by mold or sulfites where dates is the most common source of mold. Eating of too much dates can sometimes cause symptoms like wheezing, trouble while breathing, and skin rashes.
Dried date fruit sulfite sensitivity:
Sulfites are added as they act as preservative to dates. Some people are allergic to sulfite where research reveals that 1% of people are allergic to it. Sulfites are banned in most countries that are to be eaten raw. Symptoms can vary from wheezing to life threatening anaphylactic reaction, which in turn requires immediate medical treatment and can be very dangerous if ignored.
Date fruit pollen:
Person who is allergic to this type of fruit may experience tingling, itching or swelling on lips, mouth and also throat.
Above are the three different types of allergy reactions caused by having dates in your diet. If you notice any symptoms which are mentioned above don’t think twice to consult a doctor. It is very important to know which type of allergic reaction has caused as it can be helpful in treating for doctors.
Date Allergy Symptoms
In some cases, hypersensitive people experienced allergic symptoms even when they touched or after inhaling the food substances.
Also Read: Turmeric Allergy Symptoms and Diagnosis
According to experts, you might not see any serious allergic reaction for a couple of times. There are cases where patients experienced reaction after months of use.
- Wheezing
- Runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Watery and itchy eyes
- Trouble in breathing
- Rashes on skin
- Swelling of mouth or lips
- Headache
- Tingling sensation on tongue and mouth
- Facial swelling
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Eczema
- Low blood pressure
- Asthma
- Life threatening anaphylaxis
Note: Remember allergy is stimulated by substances residing in dates. Not by vitamins and proteins. According to FDA, 1% people are sensitive to sulphate, a preservative used commonly in dry fruits.
Symptoms can also include the itching and inflammation in mouth and some parts of throat where other people may also experience more serious symptoms that can be life threatening. So, be careful if you experience any of the above symptoms after eating dates contact doctor immediately.
Symptoms of allergy can be confirmed after skin prick test by dermatologist. Not knowing the actual allergen, you might avoid wrong food and continue the harmful substance.
Symptoms are a better way to know the disease beforehand itself as different types of diseases have different type of symptoms so it is better to know what food item raises what type of symptoms and if you notice any such reaction while you have something never take it easy or neglect it. In future you may not be able to pay for it as the situation becomes worsen.
Diagnosis:
Allergic symptoms listed above are common in most fruit allergies. An average person can’t determine the right allergic food substance basing on symptoms. So, I recommend consulting allergist for diagnosis.
Allergist will carry skin prick test and expose your skin to various allergens to determine the food substance that triggered allergy. Medication prescribed by him must be fallowed.
Only skin prick test is able to confirm what type of allergic reaction you are suffering with and treatment is given accordingly. Try avoiding foods that contain molds and sulfites also wash the food items thoroughly before you eat them to avoid any sort of mold and sulfite which are attached to it.
If you are suffering from any type of inflammation or swelling you need to take anti histamine injection for treating the allergy in a proper way. Epinephrine injection is recommended for anaphylactic shock. Apart from these injections there are also several medicines that can be taken to prevent allergy in earlier stages it can be cured easily.
Discuss with your doctor about possible cross reactivity between other fruits. So, you can avoid them. Foods or drinks that include allergens must be avoided. Some people are hypersensitive to raw fruits, but when proteins in fruits are removed, they experienced no allergic reaction.
Most people may mistake food allergy with pollen allergy. When your food is exposed to pollen, you may experience allergy. You must frequently discuss with your doctor about possibilities of allergy. To treat date allergy, you should avoid them.
Dates come with a lot of health benefits like wise it may also be allergic to some people. So, if you notice any such symptoms treat them in a better way beforehand to avoid major health problems in future.
Have a great life follow healthy diet!
Stay healthy!