Allergy to beets in adults and children: symptoms and treatment

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In children

An allergy to beets in a child can be suspected if the following symptoms appear after consuming the product:

• redness and flaking of the skin, accompanied by itching;
• Quincke's edema;
• vomiting or urge to vomit;
• malfunction of the digestive system (constipation, colic, flatulence).

Antihistamines, as a rule, are not used to treat children. If the symptoms are minor, then to eliminate them it is enough to eliminate the allergenic product from the diet in time. To eliminate skin itching and redness, ointments and gels with antihistamine properties are used.

When the first symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor to prescribe treatment, especially in the case of young children. Self-medication can make the situation worse.

Among the folk remedies for treating allergies in children, young nettle is best suited:

• The top of the plant (20 cm) is used. It must be thoroughly washed and crushed.
• The plant is poured into a liter container, filled with boiled water at room temperature and infused for 10 hours.
• When ready, the infusion is added to children's drinks.

In adults

Intolerance in adults manifests itself as follows:

• runny nose and frequent sneezing;
• rashes and redness on the skin;
• watery eyes and redness of the eyes;
• digestive problems (bloating, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea);
• reaction from the respiratory system (asthma, bronchospasms);
• swelling of the face.

Treatment begins with eliminating the allergen from the diet. Adults are prescribed new generation antihistamines, which quickly relieve symptoms without adverse reactions. If the body has reacted too strongly to the product and the person’s condition threatens his life, hormonal glucocorticosteroid drugs are used.

The treatment is complemented by enterosorbents, which remove all toxic substances from the gastrointestinal tract. To eliminate rashes and itching on the skin, ointments are used, including hormone-containing agents for severe allergies.

The following recipes have worked well:

• Horsetail decoction effectively relieves nasal congestion. To prepare it, you need to pour boiling water over the leaves of the plant (10 g) and let it brew. The drink should be consumed in the morning for 30 days.
• The leaves of the series strengthen the body well and reduce any manifestations of allergies. They are brewed with boiling water and consumed before meals.
• A decoction of raspberry root relieves unpleasant allergy symptoms. It is cooked on fire. To do this, pour 50 g of plant root with water (0.5 l) and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. You need to take 2 tbsp of the decoction. l. 3 times a day.

Can a product cause such a reaction, does it even happen?

The following explains whether there is an allergic reaction to beet products, and whether it is possible to eat them if such an reaction occurs. In people of any age, an allergic reaction occurs when certain substances found in beets enter the body. If you exclude this vegetable from your diet, but at the same time consume foods with the same allergens, the body will continue to react negatively to them.

If the body is healthy, then the substances contained in beets will not be able to provoke any negative reaction to the product. The causes of vegetable intolerance in children and adults include:

• hereditary predisposition;
• allergic reactions to other products that have a composition similar to beets;
• food diathesis;
• metabolic disease;
• improper diet;
• unprepared digestive system (in young children).

Beets have many beneficial properties for the body. It contains vitamins and minerals necessary for the health of the cardiovascular system and normalization of metabolism. The vegetable also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Despite all the benefits, some people should not include beets in their diet. The article talks about when a vegetable can cause an allergic reaction and who should avoid eating it.

Below you can watch a useful video on the topic of the article:

Diagnostics

• skin testing of the forearm area (a small incision is made into which the allergen is placed, and then the skin's reaction to it is checked);
• venous blood test (the blood is checked for the presence of f227 antibodies);
• elimination tests (determine the causal significance of the allergen in the development of disease symptoms).

After the research results and confirmation of the exact diagnosis, treatment can begin.

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Prevention

Since the largest amount of nitrates is contained in the top of the beet and in the peel, they need to be cut off before use. Indeed, in order to prevent an allergy to beets, you need to carefully monitor and adhere to the process of processing such vegetables.

You should also avoid drinking freshly squeezed beet juice, as it increases acidity and causes serious irritation in the body.

So, you should adhere to these rules:

• Before 8 months, beets cannot be given to a baby, and if there are allergy sufferers in the family, the vegetable is excluded from the diet for up to one and a half years;
• the product should be given in very small quantities and introduced into the diet gradually, mixing with different cereals (rice, oatmeal, corn);
• a child under three years old can only eat boiled beets, and a few drops of beet juice should be diluted in a 1:1 ratio with water;
• at the very beginning, you can give your child products that are similar in composition to beets, and if the body reacts normally, gradually introduce the root vegetable itself;
• Parents need to remember that the puree given to children should not contain more than 30% beetroot substances.

Prevention

To prevent an allergic reaction to beets, the following preventive measures should be strictly followed:

• constantly monitor the quality processing of the product (always cut off the top of the vegetable before use, since this is where
• contains the largest amount of nitrates);
• do not drink freshly squeezed beet juice (this causes severe irritation);
• monitor the reactions of the child’s body to eating root vegetables;
• give infants complementary foods containing beets only from the age of eight months, while mixing this product with cereals and
• sticking to small doses;
• Children under 10 years of age should be given only boiled beets.

The answer to the question of whether beets are an allergen or not is obvious. But its complete exclusion will deprive the human body of important and necessary substances, in particular betanin, which helps to absorb plant and animal protein well and improves cell function. This means that you can eat it if you do it correctly and carefully.

Causes of allergies

• heredity;
• allergic reactions to products similar to beets in composition;
• the body's predisposition to allergies to certain foods;
• metabolic disorder;
• bad habits (alcohol and cigarette abuse);
• improper, irregular nutrition;
• changes in hormonal levels;
• excessive consumption of sweets;
• the appearance of allergies in a child in the womb.

Very often, an allergy to beets in a child under one year old can occur due to the immaturity of the digestive tract. Most likely, with the onset of his maturity, the allergy will go away. And an allergy to beets in a baby may be due to the inattention of parents, since there is a possibility that they incorrectly introduce this vegetable into the diet. Children may develop an allergy to beets due to excessive consumption of sweets, which should also be controlled by parents.

Allergy to beets in adults is not so common. Here there is an individual intolerance by the body, which is the most common cause of allergy to this vegetable. Sensitization occurs due to individual components of the fetus.

It is not recommended for pregnant women and breastfeeding women to consume beets, as the acidic components of the root vegetable can enter the baby’s body.

Symptoms of beet allergy

It is necessary to check the body's reaction to the product. If sensitivity is increased, then it should be excluded from the diet.

An allergic reaction can be determined by the following signs:

• rash, redness of the skin, itching;
• swelling;
• diarrhea;
• dyspnea;
• increased tearfulness;
• anaphylactic shock;
• Quincke's edema (angioedema).

The last two symptoms occur extremely rarely and, accordingly, require immediate first aid.

So, you should adhere to these rules:

Traditional methods

Traditional medicine offers mainly decoctions of medicinal herbs to eliminate allergy symptoms. Among them, horsetail is quite effective. It helps eliminate attacks of rhinitis.

For this, 1 tsp. the herbs need to be poured with boiling water and left for 10-15 minutes, then strained, and the finished drink should be consumed on an empty stomach for about one month. At the same time, overall well-being improves, and toxins are eliminated from the body.

The sequence is no less effective in the fight against allergies. To do this, add 100-150 g of herb with water and boil. It is recommended to drink the prepared decoction before meals throughout the year.

It can also be used to wipe inflamed areas of the skin. The series has a calming and strengthening effect. There is an opinion that it can help get rid of allergies for good.

Allergic reaction to beets

The undeniable advantage of beets is that they do not belong to exotic plants for us - this allows us to count on their naturalness, the absence of dangerous components and a low risk of allergic reactions.

Unfortunately, an allergy to beets cannot be completely excluded - the pathology develops in patients of different ages and is characterized by disorders of the stomach, intestines, skin, and mucous membranes.

In children

An allergy to beets in a child can be suspected if the following symptoms appear after consuming the product:

• redness and flaking of the skin, accompanied by itching;
• Quincke's edema;
• vomiting or urge to vomit;
• malfunction of the digestive system (constipation, colic, flatulence).

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Antihistamines, as a rule, are not used to treat children. If the symptoms are minor, then to eliminate them it is enough to eliminate the allergenic product from the diet in time. To eliminate skin itching and redness, ointments and gels with antihistamine properties are used.

When the first symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor to prescribe treatment, especially in the case of young children. Self-medication can make the situation worse.

Among the folk remedies for treating allergies in children, young nettle is best suited:

• The top of the plant (20 cm) is used. It must be thoroughly washed and crushed.
• The plant is poured into a liter container, filled with boiled water at room temperature and infused for 10 hours.
• When ready, the infusion is added to children's drinks.

Diagnostics

To identify the cause of an allergic reaction, you should consult a doctor - an allergist, who, after examining the patient and collecting the necessary information about the disease, will be able to make a preliminary diagnosis.

To clarify the diagnosis, skin allergy tests are prescribed, which make it possible to determine the body's reaction to several allergens at once within a short period of time.

Prick test for allergies

The technique is as follows: drops of allergens are applied to the forearm, which are then pierced with a medical instrument. If an itchy swelling appears at the puncture site, the allergen has been identified. However, this testing is not performed on infants and children under 5 years of age.

In children, the diagnosis of the disease is carried out using a blood test for the content of specific antibodies (igE) to beets. If an increased level of immunoglobulin E is detected, this indicates the presence of an allergy. In this case, the doctor prescribes a specific treatment.

Effective treatment should begin with eliminating vegetables from the diet. The duration of the elimination diet is determined by an allergist.

To eliminate mild symptoms of food allergies, oral antihistamines are used, such as Cetrin, Zyrtec, Loratadine, etc. These allergy pills belong to a new generation, and therefore do not cause drowsiness, unlike their predecessors.

For serious life-threatening reactions, corticosteroid (hormonal) drugs, such as Cortef, are used.

To remove toxins and allergens from the digestive tract, enterosorbents are used, for example Laktofiltrum, Enterosgel, etc.

Allergy ointments will help treat rashes locally and eliminate itching on the skin. For minor rashes, Fenistil gel, Zinc ointment, etc. are effective. For severe manifestations, corticosteroid (hormonal) ointments are used: Hydrocortisone, Akriderm, etc.

Causes of beet allergies

The main reasons for the body's reaction to beets is intolerance to the trace elements it contains. This occurs due to the high protein content. The protein of this vegetable can itself cause allergies, or it, when combined with other components, can lead to allergies. It is caused in the body by protein compounds, which are perceived as a foreign body.

Beetroot contains sucrose . As soon as this vegetable enters our body, sucrose begins to break down into fructose and glucose, which, in turn, can cause allergic symptoms.

Glucose itself cannot cause an allergy; perhaps it is simply intolerance; the reason for this is a genetic disorder of glucose absorption. Usually this causes fermentation in the stomach. Fructose can also be poorly absorbed by the body, this is most often associated with age. The older a person is, the worse fructose is absorbed.

The degree of the allergic reaction depends on the child’s immunity. The better the immune system works, the less pronounced the symptoms will be. With age, a child's allergies may disappear.

Traditional medicine

• Alcohol tincture of duckweed grass: pour 10 g of fresh grass with a quarter glass of vodka and leave for a week;

• drink 15 drops four times a day, diluting with half a glass of boiled water;
• course of treatment 1 month;
• then take a break for a month and repeat.
• Tincture of burdock and dandelion: mix dried and crushed roots of burdock and dandelion in equal parts;

Is the root vegetable an allergen or not?

Allergic reactions to food have become quite common. Intolerance to a particular product is individual. For example, some people have to give up such a healthy vegetable as beets. Beets can cause an allergic reaction in both young children and adults.

The body may not accept, for example, ammonium sulfate, which accumulates in beets from fertilizers. A reaction can also occur to glucose, which is produced by the breakdown of sucrose found in vegetables. Glucose intolerance occurs in the presence of certain genetic disorders.

Adults are less susceptible to the composition of beets, so they are extremely rarely allergic to it. Its appearance is usually associated with a hereditary predisposition, but other factors can also provoke intolerance:

• hormonal problems;
• impaired metabolism;
• reduced immunity;
• unbalanced diet;
• alcohol abuse and smoking.

Children are more sensitive, so they have an allergic reaction to beets much more often.
This can happen at a time when there is no complementary feeding yet, if allergens enter the baby’s body along with the milk of a mother who has eaten a beet allergenic product, or at the moment when the baby begins to be fed beets. The degree of the allergic reaction depends on the child’s immunity. The better the immune system works, the less pronounced the symptoms will be. With age, a child's allergies may disappear.

Beets actively absorb radionucleic elements and heavy metals, which is why small children have a hard time eating this vegetable. It also contains oxalic acid, which can lower blood pressure.

Causes of allergies in adults and children

• One of the main causes of allergic reactions is infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Very often the problem occurs after influenza, ARVI and other diseases. During them, the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx is damaged, and this opens access to allergens. A person who was completely healthy before begins to suffer from allergic rhinitis, cough and lacrimation, which manifest themselves in response to various irritants, including pollen from certain plants. And it can be assumed that allergies also apply to their fruits and the fruits of related plants. In people who, for example, have a reaction to birch blossoms, similar symptoms are caused by eating certain vegetables, for example, carrots.
• Heredity. The risk of allergic reactions in a child born into a family of allergy sufferers exceeds 60 percent. If only one parent has the disease, the risk is about 30 percent. Moreover, with each generation the list of products to which members of this family have hereditary allergies increases.
• Contact with chemicals harmful to the human body due to profession or lifestyle. These include phenol-formaldehyde resins, formaldehydes, fluorine, chlorine and phosphorus compounds, artificial pigments, platinum salt compounds, chromium, etc. When working with these substances, especially if a person does not take any protective measures, his immune system begins to increase the secretion of immunoglobulins E, and allergic reactions appear, even to completely harmless foods and odors.
• Eating foods that are grown in violation of technology, with excessive use of chemical fertilizers. If a woman abuses such vegetables during pregnancy, the child may develop an allergy to most of them, even if the amount of harmful substances does not exceed the norm.
• Alcohol and smoking. Moreover, in the case of smoking, allergies most often occur not in the smoker himself, but in his relatives, especially small children. This happens because over 80 percent of the smoke enters the surrounding air, and all people in the room inevitably become passive smokers.
• Living in dusty, unventilated areas. Since house dust is a source of many very powerful allergens, people, and especially children, who regularly inhale it, very often become allergic and have reactions to many substances, including some foods.

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Cross shape

Whether beets are an allergen or not depends on the characteristics of a particular organism. If you are intolerant to root vegetables, it is important to remember about cross-reactions, since symptoms can occur under the influence of products that have a similar composition and structure. This reaction is also manifested by a rash, redness, inflammation of the mucous membranes, and indigestion.

If you are hypersensitive to beets, such a reaction may occur when you eat spinach and sugar beets. Therefore, these products will also have to be abandoned.

Allergic reactions to beets

But, despite these restrictions, the patient’s nutrition must be complete. To do this, it is recommended to develop a menu that includes products containing beneficial substances found in prohibited vegetables. For example, instead of regular potatoes, you can try preparing dishes from sweet potatoes - sweet potatoes. It is also recommended to gradually add frozen foods to ready-made dishes, which can cause allergies when fresh.

Red beets are a frequent guest at our feasts. You can prepare a huge number of dishes from it, ranging from simple salads to complex soups. Let’s take, for example, the New Year’s herring under a fur coat, how can we live without this wonderful vegetable, and it’s completely impossible to forget about winter preparations.

Thanks to its healthy ingredients, taste and affordable price on the market, this root vegetable has won the hearts of many.

But, unfortunately, no matter how positive this vegetable may be in all respects, it contains elements that can cause an allergic reaction in humans.

Allergies can manifest themselves in completely different ways for different people. In addition, an allergic reaction to red beets can occur not only in adults, but also in children.

What to do if you have allergies?

As soon as it is determined that there is an allergy to beets, they should be excluded from the diet. Any dish that includes beets immediately reveals itself, for example, because of its redness, so you won’t be able to eat this root vegetable by accident.

You should also know that there are products on the market that contain natural food coloring made from red beets. To avoid accidentally consuming it, be sure to read the product label. Another name for beetroot dye betanin is E162. It is better for allergy sufferers not to consume food containing betonin at all.

If it suddenly happens that there was no reaction to this vegetable before and suddenly appears, then you should take allergic medications, the simplest one is diazolin . And then go to a specialist to make sure that you are actually allergic to this vegetable. To relieve symptoms you need to take antihistamines ( Zodak , Cetrin , Suprastin ).

Allergy symptoms

When an allergy occurs, a signal is given by the gastrointestinal tract, and spots or rashes are detected on the skin; sneezing and watery eyes are less common.

Usually, after consuming beets, an allergy sufferer begins to experience sharp abdominal pain, flatulence, and stomach discomfort. Other serious problems include diarrhea and vomiting.

An allergic reaction is also accompanied by certain formations on the skin, such as rashes and redness. These formations find a place on the face, neck, and abdomen.

Allergies are least often detected by respiratory symptoms, which are accompanied by endless sneezing, severe coughing, and nasal congestion. In difficult situations, shortness of breath and attacks of suffocation occur.

Anaphylactic shock and angioedema are extremely rare events.

Allergies do not occur from the beets themselves, but to the components of the fertilizers that were used to fertilize the soil while the beets were growing in the ground. Therefore, when purchasing, you need to pay attention to the external characteristics of this red vegetable. It’s better for it to be small than huge, but with chemicals. If the root crop is very clean and there are no pieces of soil on it, then most likely it is stuffed with unnecessary components.

Treatment

First of all, you need to remove beets and beet juice from the menu. Usually this simple measure is sufficient. The allergy goes away on its own after 2-3 days. When contact with the irritant has been prolonged, treatment may be necessary. Therapy is prescribed by a pediatrician (for children), a therapist or an allergist.

Medicines

1. Antihistamines - Cetrin, Loratadine, Zyrtec, Parlazin, etc.
2. To eliminate rashes and relieve itching - Fenistil-gel, Beloderm, Soventol, etc.
3. Drugs that reduce inflammation of the mucous membranes - Cromohexal, Allergokrom, Kronasol, etc.
4. To remove toxins and restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract - Polysorb, Enterosgel, Smecta (for babies), activated carbon.

Diet

A diet that excludes foods with a high allergic index is recommended - nuts, red caviar, chocolates, honey, citrus fruits, mushrooms, smoked meats, seafood, red fruits and berries, eggs, soft cheese. It is especially important to remove sweets from the menu or eat them in minimal quantities. Lean meat, yeast-free bread, low-fat fermented milk products, green vegetables and fruits, feta cheese, sunflower oil, rice, buckwheat, and oatmeal are allowed.

Folk remedies

You should consult your doctor before trying them. Additional exacerbation of the disease is possible due to individual intolerance.

1. 500 g of raspberry roots are poured into 0.5 liters. boiling water and boil for 40 minutes. Take 2 tbsp. l. three times a day until symptoms disappear;
2. 1 tbsp. l horsetail pour 3 tbsp. boiling water, wait 15 minutes. Drink ½ glass twice a day before meals. The decoction removes toxins and eliminates runny nose;
3. For itching, baths with chamomile, string, sage, St. John's wort will help;
4. Juice from raw potatoes or potato plastics applied to the affected areas relieve itching well.

Allergy to beets in children

The child may have red spots, usually they like to appear on the cheeks as fiery reddish formations.

Beets should be carefully given to small children, especially infants. Under no circumstances should children be given this vegetable in large quantities in the first moments of starting to eat main courses, only in small pieces. If an allergic reaction is detected in children, immediately stop giving beets.

Red beets are a frequent guest at our feasts. You can prepare a huge number of dishes from it, ranging from simple salads to complex soups. Let’s take, for example, the New Year’s herring under a fur coat, how can we live without this wonderful vegetable, and it’s completely impossible to forget about winter preparations.

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