Top 8 Allergens RANKED

Before my daughter brought us down the food allergy rabbit hole, I knew a solid 3 (peanuts, tree nuts, and shell fish) of the top 8 (wheat, soy, egg, dairy, fish) allergens. I had looked at ingredient lists, but did not know the top 8 had to be specifically listed. I knew about lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance but had no idea that wheat and dairy could cause anaphylaxis. So, when we had our first appointment with the allergist and were presented with a handout with helpful tips for recently diagnosed kids, I eagerly read the entire document.

My take away? Being allergic to peanuts is THE WORST. Peanut butter is one of my favorite foods. It’s an easy way to get protein into your kid. It’s delicious. Peanuts make everything better. Being allergic to peanuts is 100%, undeniably, the worst.

Then she got diagnosed with an egg allergy.

Okay, so peanut butter is delicious, and we’d have to steer away from Asian restaurants, but we had slowly come to terms with the reality of the situation. Eggs, though?! Not only are eggs delicious on their own, but they are in so many things! Pancakes! Muffins! Cakes! She can’t have birthday cake!

And then, she got diagnosed with a milk allergy.

Back when we thought being allergic to peanuts was the worst? I was so naïve. I was basing this opinion solely on the taste of the food. But that’s not the only thing that makes being allergic to foods hard. It also matters how many foods that thing is in.

So, may I present to you, the

ULTIMATE

(okay, it’s just my opinion)

DEFINITIVE

(feel free to disagree with me and leave some comments. I’m not going to change my mind but maybe it’ll make you feel better)

DATA DRIVEN

(I used numbers, ya’ll)

RANKING OF HOW MUCH DOES IT SUCK THAT YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO THIS TOP 8 ALLERGEN?!

I’ve put a lot of thought into it and no, I will not be swayed in my official rankings. The points are assigned in three important categories:

• Taste- how delicious is the allergen?
• 0 (poop) to 10 (last meal delicious)
• Prevalence- how many things can you not eat because they have the allergen it?
• 0 (it’s only found in 1 restaurant in the town over) to 10 (it’s sprinkled on everything you’ve ever eaten)
• Replaceable- how easy is it to substitute the allergen?
• 0 (no problem I can use something else) to 10 (nothing in the world could ever come close)

#8- Shellfish

Taste: 6/10
Prevalence: 1/10
Replaceable: 1/10
Total score: 8

I mean, just avoid shellfish right? Seems easy enough to just use a different protein in recipe. Then all you have to do is stay away from seafood restaurants and hibachi restaurants with flying shrimp! Not to mention most people are aware of this allergy. If you’ve got to have an allergy, this is the way to go.

#7- Flake Fish

Taste: 6/10
Prevalence: 2/10
Replaceable: 1/10
Total score: 9

The fact that fish is sometimes found in a wider range of food bumps it one notch above shellfish. You’ve got to avoid Caesar salad, anchovies on pizza, fish sauce (sorry Thai food!), and Worcestershire sauce. This means that in addition to staying away from seafood restaurants, you should probably stay clear of some Asian ones, too. Being allergic to flake fish sucks, but definitely not as much as the other top ones.

#6 Soy

Taste: 6/10
Prevalence: 5/10
Replaceable: 2/10
Total: 13

Truth be told, I love soy. I love soy milk. I love snacking on edamame. And I think tofu is actually delicious. You may not agree with my taste ranking, but it’s my list. What this really came down to is prevalence. There’s soy lechithin in a lot of delicious processed foods, however according to FARE, most kids allergic to soy can safely eat soy lechithin so you really just need to steer clear of Asian cuisine, vegetable broth, and a lot of meat alternatives. As long as you are not a vegetarian, you should be able to replace those things relatively easily, making soy come in just before tree nuts.

#5- Tree Nuts

Taste: 7/10
Prevalence: 3/10
Replaceable: 4/10
Total: 14

Tree nuts move up next because the amount of tree nuts that are used in bakeries, Asian, and Italian (pine nuts mean no pesto!). Tree nuts are delicious and people love to sneak them into all kinds of baked goods. You can’t exactly replicate a tree nut in recipes, but you can use seeds to add crunch and texture. Definitely easier to deal with than the next one on the list…

#4- Peanuts

Taste: 8/10
Prevalence: 4/10
Replaceable: 4/10
Total: 16

My love of peanuts pushed this above tree nuts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, peanut butter is delicious. In a candy bar? Yes. In a curry? Yes. On a PBJ? Yes. Straight from the jar? Yes, please. Plus, look at this list of things that sometimes have peanuts:

• African
• Asian
• Mexican
• Baked goods
• Candy
• Chili
• Nougat

Are peanuts replaceable? Kind of. I did a whole blog post on the best peanut butter alternatives, but I still miss the real thing.

#3- Eggs

Taste: 8/10
Prevalence: 6/10
Replaceable: 8/10
Total: 22

Now we are getting to some big numbers. When I first learned about my kid’s egg allergy, I immediately mourned the loss of my morning fried egg. Not only are eggs delicious on their own, but they knock out an entire meal of the day. Goodbye breakfast. Goodbye brunch. It’s tough to go out for breakfast and find anything without eggs unless you are at a vegan restaurant. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, cakes, cookies, brownies out. Mayo out. Ice cream out. They are also hard to replace- scrambled tofu looks like scrambled eggs but it tastes pretty different. If you try the wrong egg replacer in baked goods, it can really make for a rubbery experience. Plus, there are just so many things in cooking (aioli, crème anglaise, custard) that get their texture from eggs. I’ve gotten better at cooking and baking without eggs, but I miss them.

#2- Wheat

Taste: 7/10
Prevalence: 9/10
Replaceable: 7/10
Total: 23

Bread. Pasta. Flour. It’s easier to list what wheat isn’t in rather than what it is in. If you are allergic to wheat, I’m assuming your relationship with rice and oats is up close and personal. The only saving grace for a true wheat allergy is the amount of people that have Celiac’s disease and gluten intolerance. There are at least more alternatives available in the grocery store. While the wheat free flour section has grown, will whatever you bake be a little more crumbly and a little less delicious? Probably. At least there’s always Cheerios.

#1- Milk

Taste: 8/10
Prevalence: 9/10
Replaceable: 7/10
Total: 24

It’s official. Being allergic to milk sucks the most.  Milk and wheat are pretty close, but hands down dairy products are more delicious. If I was Oprah and I was going to profess my love for a food, it wouldn’t be bread. It would definitely be cheese. Let’s look at all the delicious things humans have made from cow’s milk: butter, cheese, cream, custard, pudding, sour cream, yogurt. And we add it to so many things to make them more delicious: all kinds of baked goods, caramel, chocolate, margarine… Okay, so it’s in so many things, but is it replaceable? There are lots of options for dairy free milk that are ok. There’s vegan sour cream and vegan ice cream. But I have not found any vegan cheese that tastes anything like real cheese. Dearest cheese plate, I miss you the most. There’s a chance my kid’ll grow out of this one. So, let’s all cross our fingers and hope for the best. Until then, pizza, I’ll see you in my dreams.