September 2014 ~ Stroller

Many people love to eat crab meat. It is popular seafood that every person wants to eat. It’s maybe because it looks very delicious. However, this kind of food can’t be eaten by all people because there are persons who are allergic to it. There are crab meats that contain chemical compounds that may trigger dangerous allergic reactions. According to livestrong.com, allergy to crab is one of the common food allergies in adults. Patients with this kind of allergy are advised by doctors to refrain from eating other kinds of shellfish. Allergic reaction to crab can occur when people touch, taste or eat foods with crab.

Symptoms of Crab allergy

1. Tingling sensation in the mouth – the person with allergy to crab may initially feel this kind of sensation after eating even a very small amount of crab allergen.

2. Hives and Swelling – the skin turns red, swollen and very itchy that last up to 2 to 4 hours. This will go away when the person stops eating/handling crabs.

3. Eczema – starts out as very small, pimple-looking bumps that become very itchy and dry. Don’t scratch to prevent it from swelling. Scratching may results crusty, thick scaly rashes.

4. Asthma – this may occur when the person who are sensitive to crab touches, eats or inhales cooking vapors of food contaminated with crab. The person may feel wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty in breathing and cough.

5. Anaphylaxis, the term used to describe life threatening allergic reaction to crab and other shellfish. It causes blood pressure to drop. This affects the entire body. Symptoms may happen all at once like flushed skin, rash, swelling of tissues and joints, wheezing, nausea, abdominal cramps, rapid pulse, convulsions and fainting. The person who experienced the symptoms should ask for medical attention right away when the said symptoms occur.

I described crab as "deliciously risky seafood" because everyone loves to eat it (I’m guilty of that) even though we are all aware of the risk after eating it. Most of the adults believed that it contains high cholesterol that can trigger other diseases like high blood pressure and heart diseases but despite of the fact that eating crab meat can put our life in jeopardy, we still want to eat plenty of it.

What to do?

If you are aware that you are allergic to crab or other seafood, make sure you have some antihistamines with you (antihistamines are used to treat allergy), just in case, you can't resist the temptation of eating food that can cause you allergy.

Even though there are several mentioned risks on eating crab meat, there are also health benefits on it. Crab meat contain lots of proteins, minerals and B Vitamins it depends on how it was prepared/cooked. The plain steamed crab meat is the healthiest way. It also contains low calories.

We just have to remember that "All good foods if taken/eaten too much can be bad". In the same way, Crab meat is good but if we eat to much can be bad.