FOOD ALLERGIES

Chocolate is a food that by its plant origin is a source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that make it a super food.

Chocolate made with cacao, and some sweeteners should not produce allergies or intolerances (except cacao itself), but cross contamination can cause the particles of other airborne allergens to contaminate the chocolate. It is worth mentioning that the problem is not only in the composition of chocolate but in that the production and packaging chain where it is manufactured is free of any contaminating particles. That is why we must be attentive to the famous legend: "contains traces of ..."

In this case, only severe allergy sufferers, not intolerant people, will feel symptoms and should refrain from eating these foods.

When working in the absence of allergens and following the correct Production and Packaging Process Control standards indicated by an APPC (Risk Analysis and Critical Control Points), allergen-free chocolate bars are obtained.

Alergias Alimentarias - Chocoagave - El término “alergia” a menudo se confunde con “intolerancia” por lo que conviene precisar que no es lo mismo una alergia alimentaria que una intolerancia alimentaria.

EUFIC, European Food Information Council, define in this way allergies and intolerances:

  • Food allergy is a specific form of intolerance to a food or one of its components, which activates the immune system. The immune system controls the way the body defends itself. Food allergy occurs when the person reacts with symptoms to the contact, ingestion or inhalation of the PROTEINS of a food, never before sugars (lactose, fructose ...). In that case we would talk about an intolerance to these sugars, produced by a digestive problem, not immunological.

  • An allergen causes a series of chain reactions in the immune system, including the production of antibodies. Such antibodies cause the segregation of chemical substances, such as histamine, that produces several symptoms, such as itching, runny nose, coughing or respiratory disorders or even serious reactions, it can even be life-threatening if a microscopic amount of it is ingested or touched. food, and even if that food is inhaled.

  • Food intolerance affects the metabolism, but not the body's immune system. The response to food intolerance occurs in the digestive system.
Some of the symptoms of food intolerance and food allergy are similar, but the differences between the two are very important.

If you eat a food that is intolerant, you are likely to feel bad. However, if you have a true food allergy, your body's reaction to that food could be life-threatening. People who really have food allergies generally need to eliminate the causative food from their diet.



HOW DOES OUR BODY REACT BEFORE AN ALLERGEN?

The immune system generally protects the body from harmful foreign proteins, generating a reaction to eliminate them. The allergy occurs essentially when the "immune system does not work well" and perceives a normally harmless substance as if it were a threat - an allergen - attacking it with the body's immune defenses.

When there is a real allergic reaction, the body produces antibodies (a protein that specifically binds to another protein called antigen - in this case the allergen - to neutralize and eliminate it from the body)..

ALLERGIC SYMPTOMS

RESPIRATORIES

– Runny nose or nasal congestion
– Sneezing
– Asma (difficulty breathing)
– Tos
– Wheezing
– Respiratory disorders

GASTROINTESTINALS

– Abdominal pain
– Diarrhea
– Sickness
– Vomiting
– Colic
– Swelling

CUTANEOUS

– Swelling of lips, mouth, tongue, face and / or throat (angioedema)
– Urticaria
– Rashes or redness
– Itching (pruritus)
– Eczema

SYSTEMS

– Anaphylactic shock (severe generalized shock)

WHAT IS FOOD INTOLERANCE?

Food intolerance may have symptoms similar to those of an allergy (including nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain), however the immune system does not intervene in reactions that occur in the same way; These occur when the body cannot correctly digest a food or one of its components. The most common are lactose and fructose intolerance..

Food intolerances are an increasingly common problem in our society. People who suffer from intolerance can consume small amounts of the food or food component, without symptoms, except in the case of people who are sensitive to gluten or sulphite.

The Celiacs, people with gluten intolerance, are perhaps the most numerous and visible group, together with those allergic to nuts, legumes, milk protein, eggs, crustaceans, in addition, some people decide to take diets in which they eliminate very processed foods and opt for others in which the processing is minimal and, generally, the animal proteins and fats are dispensed with.

Together with all of them, diabetics who are more and more, demand chocolates without added sugar.

For all this broad group of people we have created the CHOCOAGAVE product line to help them maintain their diet: more natural Chocolate.

HOW DO WE HELP ALLERGERS WHO LIKE CHOCOLATE?

We avoid cross contamination and maintain strict control as well as continuous laboratory analysis to give our customers the assurance that they can consume our chocolates without contamination risks, in addition to being certified by the corresponding Associations. We also ensure the quality of our chocolates by being organic, without dyes, without preservatives, without added fats and without cane sugar.

They are not those chocolates whose taste reminds of medicine by the added chemicals. These chocolates are made with a lot of cacao and that is the great advantage. The more cacao, more beneficial properties and less fat, as is the case with dark chocolate. In the case of milk chocolate and white chocolate, it is impossible to produce it without milk or sugar, so it is not suitable for diabetics or vegans.

Of course, both with the chocolate bar and with the Chocoagave powder you can perform pastry work as if it were coverage: it is chocolate coverage for celiacs! In addition, the Chocoagave powder (which does not contain flour or dairy) you can add it to your rice, soy, coconut milk… depending on your nutritional needs.

All this makes CHOCOAGAVE products suitable for the whole family, generating trust, thanks to our guarantee quality and responsibility with our customers.



Fuentes:

http://www.eufic.org/article/es/expid/basics-alergias-intolerancias-alimentarias/
https://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Spanish/EL-food-allergies-vs-intolerance-patient-spanish.pdf
http://www.aepnaa.org/alergia/principales-causantes-de-las-reacciones-alergicas-70