If you have a food allergy, you know that it is essential to avoid the allergen that you have a reaction to. You also know how quickly adverse reactions can occur, and how serious they may become. No matter how careful you are, allergens can be found in products where you least expect them. One of the benefits of allergy free foods is knowing precisely what you are getting in the products you eat.

It is estimated that two percent of adults and from four to eight percent of children suffer from food allergies. Also, the number of younger people who have them seems to be increasing. Approximately 30,000 Americans each year are taken to hospital emergency rooms because of severe food allergy reactions. So, it is very important to closely manage this condition, and the best defense is avoidance of the substance that causes an allergic reaction.

An allergic reaction to food will usually take place within an hour of eating it, and sometimes in only minutes. An itching in the mouth or elsewhere is one of the milder symptoms, but reactions can be very serious, as in anaphylactic shock, and even fatal if not treated soon enough. Unfortunately, while some food allergies can be outgrown, there is no way to cure them.

There are eight substances that are responsible for ninety percent of all food allergic reactions. They are milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Some foods, such as fish or shellfish, may be easier to avoid than others which are used as ingredients in other foods. Milk, egg, soy and wheat are extensively found in a variety of processed foods. Peanuts are also used in many other foods, such as Asian sauces and candy, and can cause a severe reaction in those sensitive to them.

An important United States law was passed in 2004, known as FALCPA. This act required food companies to clearly state on their labels if the product includes any of the 8 major allergy-causing substances. However, the law did not require the manufacturers to include information regarding possible cross-contamination of foods processed by equipment used for several different types of foods, perhaps including known allergens.

Cross-contact statements are being including by some manufacturers on their labels voluntarily, but there is still the potential for allergic problems to be incurred when buying food items manufactured for the general population of consumers. It may take only a very small amount of an allergen to cause serious problems for someone sensitive to it. Foods processed specifically with the needs of the food allergy sufferer in mind will have far less probability of containing unwanted allergens.

Obviously one may, if in doubt about a particular food item, contact the manufacturing company about ingredients included, or the possibility of cross-contamination with allergens. There is, however, a much higher comfort level knowing that a company manufactures foods specifically for those with food allergies. Among the benefits of allergy free foods is the greater degree of safety one can reasonably expect from foods processed this way.

Learn more on food allergies and casein-free diets for autism.

The summer season has quickly descended upon us and soon we will be packing up the tents, the sleeping bags, and the camp stove on our way to the mountains. Camping can be one of the most exciting summer events for anyone both young and old. Just don’t forget your portable water purifiers.

When packing for your camping trip you need to make sure to bring the sleeping bags, the tents, the camp stove, and of course the food. But with all of the things that you must remember to bring, you must never forget the water. Well, maybe it is possible to forget the water. With a better understanding of sterilization techniques and the technology of a new water purifier, maybe you don’t need to bring 100 gallons of water with you.

Rivers and streams may be polluted with agricultural surface runoff that can contain pesticides and herbicides. In the same manner, you can get contaminated water with animal waste or the bodies of dead animals. This can lead to harmful bacteria, parasitic worms, or other dangerous pathogens. All natural waters can also contain high levels of toxic heavy metals like lead and mercury.

One of the easiest methods to purify water is by boiling it. Many pathogens like bacteria and viruses can be killed by the high temperature of boiling water. Depending upon the elevation, the effective boiling time may have to be increased due to the change in the boiling point of water at different altitudes. Boiling will not remove harmful chemicals or toxic metals.

Another easy method of water purification is to allow the sun to do it with its ultraviolet or uv rays. If you isolate some water in a clear container, and if the water is not cloudy, the uv rays will harm the pathogens in the water so that they cannot survive. Again this method does not remove chemicals or metals.

There are other new types of portable water purifiers that use harmless disinfecting chemicals and ultra fine filters that are small enough to filter out even the smallest of pathogens. These new models are useful because they even remove harmful chemicals and heavy metals like lead and mercury.

Portable water purifiers would make an excellent accessory to any set of camping or hiking gear. An added feature of these devices is that they would also come in handy in the case of an emergency or disaster that causes the local water supplies to be harmful. You get easily fetch the purifier out of your camping gear and be able to have clean and sterilized water even in emergency conditions.

Learn more on steripen portable water purifier and steripen water purifier.