What is Alpha-gal syndrome? 

According to The Mayo Clinic, Alpha-gal syndrome is a recently identified type of food allergy to red meat and other products made from mammals. In the United States, the condition is most often caused by a Lone Star tick bite. The bite transmits a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the person’s body. In some people, this triggers an immune system reaction that later produces mild to severe allergic reactions to red meat, such as beef, pork or lamb, or other mammal products.

Alpha Gal Recipes

Click here or below to get access to various alpha gal approved recipes. Check back often for updates. 

Recipes

Symptoms

Common signs and symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome may include:

  • Hives, itching, or itchy, scaly skin (eczema)
  • Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, or other body parts
  • Wheezing or shortness of breath
  • A runny nose
  • Stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
  • Sneezing
  • Headaches
  • A severe, potentially deadly allergic reaction that restricts breathing(anaphylaxis)

Uncommon signs and symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome may include (that I personally struggled with):

  • Inflammation on the inside of yoru body (organs)
  • Thyroid issues
  • Extreme fatigue

Treatment

Alpha-gal syndrome doesn’t go away, but you can manage symptoms by avoiding:

  • Meats, organs, and blood of mammals
  • Dairy products
  • Gelatin and other animal derivatives
  • Food cooked with lard
  • Any food with any sort of mammalian product
  • Drugs, medicines, hygiene products, and household products with animal bi-products
  • Anything with the thickening agent carrageenan
  • Flounder eggs
  • The cancer medicine cetuximab

You can take antihistamines or another type of allergy medicine to manage your symptoms if you have a reaction.

However, if you are having an extremely severe reaction, you will need to be injected with epinephrine or even go to the emergency room. Many people with alpha-gal even carry around an EpiPen.

Information provided by WebMD. 

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.

Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Alpha Gal Diet disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.

By visiting this site, you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented.