What Are The Signs Of An Allergic Reaction To Cajun Or Creole Seasoning?

All food allergies cause similar symptoms. Whether you're eating creole or Cajun dishes with typical seasonings such as cayenne pepper, paprika, onion or garlic or some other regional specialty, you need constant vigilance if you have food allergies. Avoiding spices and seasonings is harder than avoiding easily recognizable potential allergens, such as seafood, since restaurants don't normally include a spice list for different foods on their menu. If you have severe allergic reactions to food, ask your doctor for a prescription for injectable epinephrine to take if you have a reaction.

Oral Allergy Symptoms

An allergy to pollen can sometimes cause a cross-reaction to a spice or seasoning. For example, if you have an alder, birch or mugwort pollen allergy, you may have a reaction when you eat parsley, because they contain similar proteins. This type of reaction, called oral allergy syndrome, normally causes mainly oral symptoms such as tingling and swelling of the mouth and lips or a rash around the mouth, although the nose and eyes can also swell and tear. The reaction normally occurs within minutes of eating a food containing the offending spice.

Food Allergy Symptoms

While any spice can cause an allergic reaction, certain seasonings used in Cajun or creole dishes, such as paprika, cause allergic reactions more frequently than other spices. Onion and garlic are also among the spices more commonly associated with allergic reactions, according to Medical News Today. Symptoms normally appear within minutes of eating or touching an allergen. Symptoms include mouth tingling, hives, rash, facial swelling, difficulty breathing, coughing, wheezing, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. You may also have a runny nose or swollen or reddened eyes.

Skin Reactions

If you handle spices that you're allergic to with bare hands, you may develop a skin rash or irritation similar to a poison ivy or contact dermatitis rash.

Anaphylaxis

In rare and severe cases of allergy to seasonings in creole or Cajun food, anaphylaxis can occur. Anaphyalxis causes circulatory collapse, with low blood pressure, dizziness, fainting, fast heart beat and difficulty breathing from constriction in your throat. Death can occur unless you receive an immediate injection of epinephrine, which reduces the swelling that cuts off your ability to breathe. If you have a severe spice allergy, always carry an injectable form of epinephrine with you in case of serious reaction. Make sure people with you know how to use it, since you may lose consciousness before being able to inject yourself if you have a life-threatening reaction.

Considerations

Avoiding certain seasonings or spices can be difficult, especially in restaurants. In a restaurant, if a cook uses the same measuring spoon to measure a spice used in your food after using it to measure an ingredient you're allergic to, you could have an allergic reaction if even a small amount of the allergen gets into your food. Cross-contamination occurs easily in restaurants if cooks don't wash utensils between uses. If you have severe reactions to certain spices, avoid eating in restaurants or ask to speak to the chef about your allergy and possible reaction before you order your food.