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GregDivincenzo
Mr.White
APEnglish12P2
20November2015
SeniorProjectResearchPaper
Introduction:
Foodisaveryimportantaspectofhumanlife.Itisaresourcethatisneededbyevery
humanbeing,yetsomecannotenjoycommonfoods.Thisiseitherbecausesomepeople
sufferingfromfoodallergiesorotherschoosingtolivelifestyleswheretheylimitwhatthey
consume.Manyofthefoodsthatthepeopleinmodernsocietyeatscontainmeat,gluten,and
animalproducts.Forsomeonewhoisaffectedbyeitherafoodallergyorlivingaspecific
lifestyle,itcanbedifficulttofindadequatevarietiesoffoodsinaworldsoheavilypopulated
withdishestheycannoteat.SomeofthemostpopularfoodsinAmericaarecheese,bread,
hamburgers,hotdogs,andicecream,allwhichcontainfoodallergens.Beingsurroundedbythese
foodsandnotbeingabletopurchasethemcanbedepressingforsomepeople,whichIcanrelate
to.ThisiswhyIchosetocreateacookbookfilledwithrecipesforgluten,lactose,andegg
allergies,aswellasveganandvegetarianlifestyles.WiththisbookIhopetoraiseawarenessfor
foodallergieswhilepromotingthetwolifestylespreviouslymentioned.Itcombinestwoofmy
greatestpassions,whicharegraphicdesignandcooking.Forschoolpurposes,itisfulfillingmy
myrequirementtocertifyingraphicdesign,whichIhopetopursueinthefuture.However,in
ordertocreatethiscookbookefficiently,Imustresearchthementionedfoodallergiesand
lifestyles,whilealsolearninghowvitaminsandmineralsaffectthebody.


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Research:
Afoodallergyisareactioncausedbytheimmunesystemwhenaspecificfoodis
consumed,whichcanhavenumerouscauses(Taylor).Areactioncanvaryfromamildresponse,
suchasarash,toadeadlyone,suchasanaphylaxis(FoodAllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).
Anaphylaxisistherapidswellingofthethroat,followedbyitchyrashesandlowbloodpressure
causedbyasevereallergicreaction(AmericanCollegeofAllergy,Asthma,andImmunology).
Epinephrineisusedtotreatanaphylaxis,andisusuallydistributedthroughEpiPens,whichare
typicallycarriedbythosewithsevereallergies(FoodAllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).The
mostcommonwaytobetestedforanallergyisthroughaskinpricktestorabloodtest
(AAAAI).Doctorsinspectthebloodsampleforthepresenceofanantibodycalled
immunoglobulinE,whichiscreatedbytheimmunesystemwhenitdetectssomethingthebody
issensitiveto(Taylor).Manyoftheallergiesarecausedbytheinabilitytodigestcertainfoods.
Thismeansthatduringdigestion,theparticularfoodisnotbrokendownbythestomachacidand
proceedsthroughthesmallandlargeintestines,causingdiscomfortandpossibledamage(Food
AllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).About50millionAmericansareaffectedbyfoodallergies
andthenumberofpeopleaffectedisgrowing,butresearchershavenotfoundananswerasto
whythisishappening(ACAAI).Forexample,foodallergiesinchildrenhaveincreasedby50%
betweentheyearsof19972011(FoodAllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).Ninetypercentof
allfoodallergiesarefromeightsources,eitherfromanimalsorplants.Shellfish,fish,milk,and
eggsareanimalallergens,whilepeanuts,wheat,treenuts,andsoyareplantallergens.Eventhe
smallesttraceamountsofthefoodcancauseallergicreactions(ACAAI).Tomakethingseasier
forthosewithfoodallergies,theFDArequiresfoodmanufacturerstolistingredientsthatcould


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causeareactioninsomeone(FDA).Peanutandtreenutallergiesdevelopduringchildhoodand
aretypicallylifelong(ACAAI).Thesearethetwodeadliestallergiesbecausetheyarethemost
commoncausesofanaphylaxis(Taylor).Cowsmilk,egg,andsoyallergiesaretypically
outgrown,whilefishandshellfishallergiesareusuallylifelong.Asofnow,therearenocuresfor
foodallergies(FoodAllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).Theonlywaytotreatthemisto
completelyavoidthefoodthatcausestheproblem(ACAAI).
ThefirstfoodallergythatIamresearchingistheCeliacsdisease,whichcauses
intolerantreactionsfromgluten.Celiacsdiseaseischaracterizedbytheinabilitytodigest
gluten,themajorproteiningrainslikewheat,barley,andrye(ACAAI).Symptomsofgluten
intoleranceincludediarrhea,abdominalpain,vomiting,andirritability(FoodAllergyResearch
&Education,Inc.).Themostcommoncauseoftheglutenallergyisgenetics.Itaffectsonly1%
oftheworldpopulation,butthenumberofpeopleaffectedisrising.Theconditionisnot
recognizedinEurope,Asia,Africa,SouthAmerica,orMiddleEastduetothesmallnumberof
peopleaffected.Twotothreetimesasmanywomenhavethediseaseasmen,forunknown
reasons.Manypeopleaffectedbythediseasehaveapoorresponsetotheirdiagnosisbecauseof
thehighcostsandthepooravailabilityofglutenfreeproducts(Green).Theonlywaytotreatthe
diseaseisbyentirelyeliminatingglutenfromtheaffectedpersonsdiet.Thisdietcanbedifficult
sincemanyfoods,especiallybakedgoods,arepredominantlymadefromgrains(ACAAI).Many
alternativesincludequinoa,amaranth,corn,andtapioca.Whenbaking,acombinationofthese
grainscanbeusedtoachieveadesiredtexture(FoodAllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).
PatientswithCeliacsdiseasearetwiceaslikelytogetintestinalcancer,butthelikelihoodof
gettingbreastcancerisreduced.Asundigestedglutentravelsthroughthebody,itdamagesthe


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villiontheliningofthesmallintestine.Thisdamagecausestheinabilitytoabsorbandretain
nutrientsfromfoodduringdigestion(Green).Ittakesuptosixmonthstocompletelyrepairthe
damagefromthegluten(NationalInstituteofDiabetesandDigestiveandKidneyDiseases).An
earlierdiagnosiscanleadtolesscomplicationscausedbytheconditionlaterinlife(ACAAI).
ThenexttopicIamresearchingformycookbookislactoseintolerance,whichaffects
over10%ofAmericans(NationalLibraryofMedicine).Thosewholackthelactaseenzyme,
whichmeanstheyareunabletodigestmilk,aredefinedaslactoseintolerant(NIDDK).
Symptomsincludepainintheabdominalarea,bloating,excessiveflatulence,anddiarrheaafter
consumingfoodscontaininglactose(FoodAllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).Sincethe
lactoseisnotdigestedinthestomach,itflowsthroughthelargeintestine,causingmanyofthe
unpleasantsymptoms(Swagerty).Mostpeoplewhoareintolerantcanconsume12gramsofmilk
withoutfeelingthesymptoms(NIDDK).Peoplethatarelactoseintolerantmusteatfoodshighin
calciumortheywillbecomedeficient(Swagerty).Lactasesupplementscanbetakentoaidthe
digestionoflargeamountsoflactose(FoodAllergyResearch&Education,Inc.).Around23%
ofchildrenareunabletodigestlactose,andonly20%ofthemoutgrowtheallergy.Doctorsused
tobelievethatchildrenwouldoutgrowitbytheageoffour,butnewerstudieshavecontradicted
thisthought(ACAAI).Theconditioncanbecausedlaterinlifefromthingslikechemotherapy,
HIV,anddiabetes(Swagerty).Alllandmammalshaveadramaticdecreaseinlactaseafter
weaningandhumans,specifically,lose9095%ofalllactasebyearlychildhood(Ozdemir).The
conditionvarieswidelyforeachethnicbackground,whereitismuchmorecommoninpeopleof
NativeAmericanandAsiandescentthanthoseofEuropeandescent(Swagerty).


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Eggallergiesaffect12%ofAmericanchildren,buttoleranceisusuallydevelopedwith
age(ACAAI).Theallergyiscausedbysensitivitytoproteinsfoundineggsandeggwhites.
However,manypeoplearemostlyallergictotheeggwhites,rarelytheeggyolk(FoodAllergy
Research&Education,Inc.).Symptomsrangefromrashestostomachpainstorespiratory
problemsandusuallyoccurafewminutestoafewhoursafterconsumption(ACAAI).The
immunesystemmistakestheproteinsoftheeggassomethingharmful,soitreleaseshistamine
whenconsumed.Themostcommonwayofdiagnosingsomeonewithaneggallergyisthrough
theskinprickmethod.Amixturecontainingeggproteinisputontoanareaofprickedskin,and
thedoctorobservesifanychangesoccur,suchasrashesorhives(Savage).Thoseaffectedbythe
allergymustbecarefulwhengettingflushotsbecausethevaccinecontainseggproteins
(ACAAI).Itispossibleforaninfanttohaveareactionduringbreastfeedingifthemotherhas
recentlyconsumedeggs(Savage).Theonlywaytotreattheallergyistoavoideatingeggsuntil
thechildhasdevelopedtoleranceforthedisease(ACAAI).Itisconsideredtohaveagood
prognosis,asmosthavegrownoutoftheallergybytheageof16(FoodAllergyResearch&
Education,Inc.).Thisisbecausethedigestivesystemsmaturesaschildrengetolder,allowing
moretoleranceforcertainfoods(Savage).
OneofthemainfoodlifestylesthatIamfocusingonformycookbookarevegetarianism.
Vegetariansarepeoplewhodonotconsumemeatorfish,butcontinuetoeatoruseanimal
products(Key).Therearethreemajorcategoriesofvegetarianism:veganism,lacto,and
lactoovovegetarianism.Vegansdonoteatanymeatoranimalproducts,whilelactovegetarians
consumemilkandlactoovovegetarianseatbotheggsandmilk,allinadditiontoavegandiet
(BrownUniversity).Vegetariandietsarehighincarbohydrates,dietaryfiber,andvarious


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vitamins(Appleby).Thereisalargenumberofvegetariansintheworld,buttheyonlymakeupa
smallportionofthepopulation.PeopleincertainareasonEarthareforcedtobevegetariandue
topoverty(Burr).Awellplannedvegetariandietmeetsthenutritionalneedsforindividuals,
frominfantstotheelderly(Key).However,ifthedietisnotmanagedproperly,itispossibleto
becomedeficientinvitaminB12,iron,vitaminD,calcium,zinc,andsometimesriboflavin
(BrownUniversity).PlantfoodsdonotcontainvitaminB12,astheonlyreliablesourceisfrom
eggs,dairy,orsupplements(Burr).Theironcontentinvegetariansissimilartothosewhoeat
nonvegetariandiets(Key).Theproportionofvegetariansthatareobeseissignificantlysmaller
thanthosewhoarenonvegetarian(Appleby).Vegetariansarelesslikelytohaverectalcancer
becausetheyhavelessinfrequentbowelmovementscausedbysecondarybileacidsfrommeat.
Mortalityrateshavebeenfoundtobesimilarinbothvegetariansandnonvegetarians
(Beardsworth).Vegetarianshavebetteroverallhealthbecausetheyaretypicallymorehealth
conscious(Appleby).
Oneofthemainbranchesofvegetarianismisveganism,whichisanotherlifestylethatI
willberesearchingformybook.Vegandietsdonotcontainmeat,fish,oranyotheranimal
products,suchasmilkoreggs(VegetarianResourceGroup).Eatingnoanimalproductsmay
causelowlevelsofvitaminB12,butreportsofdeficiencyarerareduetothelowamountthatis
required(Burr).Supplementscanbetakeniftheyareneededbypregnantwomenorinfants.A
vegandietcausesloweraBMIthaninthosewhoconsumemeatandanimalproducts(Key).The
mainsourceofcalciuminavegetariandietisfromdarkgreenvegetablesortofu,whichis
importanttoreduceriskoffracture(VegetarianResourceGroup).Proteinistypicallynevera
problemaslongascalorieintakeisnormal.However,vegansneedtoconsumemorefood


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becauseplantbasedfoodsdonotcontainasmuchconcentratedenergyasmeatdoes.(Key).
Sincevegandietsarefreeofcholesterolbecausetheydonotincludeeggs,theyarealsolowin
saturatedfat,whichisextremelyunhealthy(Burr).VitaminDisnotfoundinfoodseatenby
vegans,butcanbecreatedbytheirbodiesiftheystandinthesun(VegetarianResourceGroup).
ThelastthingIwillberesearchingishowvitaminsandmineralsbenefitoverallhealth.
Vitaminsareorganicmoleculesthatarecreatedbyplantsandanimals(Fairfield).Essentialfor
goodvision,VitaminAisimportantbecauseitkeepstissueandskininperfectcondition.Itcan
lowerrisksofprostateandlungcancerandmayevenprotecttheeyesfromcataracts(Harvard
University).Thiamin,riboflavin,niacin,andpantothenicacidmakeupVitaminB1,B2,B3and
B5,whichareessentialforcreatingenergyfromfoodandareneededtomaintainhealthyskin
andhair.VitaminB6andB12,pyridoxineandcobalamin,inparticularhelpcreateredblood
cellsanddecreasetheriskofheartdiseases.Eachofthesecompoundsareallimportant
componentsofwhatisknownastheVitaminBcomplex(Ubbink).Ascorbicacid,orVitaminC,
reducestheriskofcancersinthemouth,esophagus,andstomach.Italsohelpsmakecollagen,
whichisaconnectivetissuethatiscreatedtohealwounds(Packer).VitaminD,alsoknownas
calciferol,helpsthebloodstreammaintainpropercalciumandphosphoruslevels.Thiseffect
endsupformingandstrengtheningbonesandreducestheriskofbonefracture(Holick).Vitamin
Eisanantioxidantthatprotectsthecellsinthebodyfromharmfulmolecules,therefore
protectingVitaminAandotherlipidsfromharm(Packer).Lastly,VitaminKhelpstoprevent
bloodclotsandfracturesinthehip(HarvardUniversity).
Mineralsareinorganicmoleculesthatareabsorbedbyplantsthroughsoilandwater,
whicharelaterconsumedbyanimalsandhumans.Themostcommonlyknownmineralis


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calcium,whichhelpstoprotectbonesandteeth,reducebloodclotting,playaroleinhormone
secretion,andmaintainsproperbloodpressure(Block).Chlorideisacomponentofstomach
acid,meaningitisimportanttodigestion,whilealsomaintainingfluidswithinthebody(Harvard
University).Fluorideisessentialforboneformationandpreventscavities(Block).Iodineisa
componentofthyroidhormones,whichmonitorsbodytemperature,andpromotesmuscle
functionandgrowth.Ironaidshemoglobinsandmyoglobinstoobtainoxygeninthebodyandis
neededtocreateaminoacidsandhormones.PhosphorusisanimportantcomponentofRNAand
DNA,helpsdistributenutrientsthroughoutthebody,andbuildsstrongbonesandteeth(Harvard
University).Potassiummaintainsasteadyheartbeat,sendnerveimpulses,lowerbloodpressure,
andpromotebonehealth(Kidney).Sodiumbalancesfluidsthroughoutthebody,isvery
importantinmodifyingbloodpressure,andisneededformusclecontractions(UCDavis).Zinc
aidsthebodyincreatingmanydifferentenzymes,releasesVitaminAfromtheliver,isneededto
healwoundsandtheimmunesystem,andcandelayeyesightdegradation(HarvardUniversity).
Application
Withthisresearch,Iwillbeabletocreaterecipesthatarehealthyandfullofnutrients,
whilebeingasappetizingaspossible.Afterresearchingtheharmfulsymptomsandeffectsof
eachallergy,itisnecessarytoavoidthosefoodsasmuchaspossible.Learningaboutvitamins
andmineralshasmademeawarethatitisvitaltoobtainthedailyamounts,soIwillincorporate
thisknowledgeintomyrecipes.Respectingthelifestylesofothersisalsoveryimportant,which
iswhatIwanttopromotethroughthiscookbook.ThefactsthatIhaveresearchedwillhelpme
writearticlesabouteachallergyorlifestyle,whichwillbethefirstpageofeachsection.


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