While it is not a common allergen, green tea may cause allergic reactions in some people. Learn the symptoms of food allergies from green tea and recognize them in yourself or others.
Introduction
As food allergies become more common, it is important to learn to recognize the signs of an allergic reaction and figure out what food triggered the allergy. Due to its health benefits, more people are drinking green tea regularly now. However, the rise in green tea consumption also seems to have brought about an increase in suspected allergies to it as well.
Identification
To determine whether you are suffering from a food allergy, you may need to eliminate all possible triggers from your diet. The most common food allergies are wheat, gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley and commercial oat products), egg, milk (and other dairy), shellfish, soy and nuts (peanuts and tree nuts). Green tea is not the usual suspect for a food allergy, but it is certainly possible as you can be allergic to anything. Allergic reactions to green tea include rash; hives; swelling, burning or tingling of the lips and tongue; difficulty breathing (and possibly asthma attacks); stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Any reaction that affects breathing is very serious and possibly even fatal, along with reactions that include loss of consciousness and a sudden drop in blood pressure.
Considerations
If you are indeed allergic to green tea, the symptoms of allergic reactions could appear as quickly as minutes after drinking it or they may not emerge for a couple of hours. It will also be necessary for you to learn about your green tea allergy. For instance, two components in green tea are often blamed for the allergic reaction are caffeine and tannin, which all teas contain. You also need to avoid all teas, not just green tea, because all varieties of tea come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The amount of processing the tea undergoes determines which variety the tea is; green tea is minimally processed and black tea is fully processed.
Conclusion
While green tea may be causing your allergic reactions, one of the health benefits of green tea, ironically, is that it seems to fight allergies (coughing, sneezing and watery eyes, for example) in people who are not allergic to tea or the caffeine and tannins it contains. To confirm your allergy to green tea, you will need to visit a doctor specializing in allergies, especially if you want to find out if you have any other allergies.
Warning
Green tea, and the other teas as well, can be found in food products, not just as a drink. As such, you should be sure to avoid foods containing green tea, which are usually marketed as health products, snack products or possible as a supplement containing ECGC, the chemical in green tea that gives it many of its health benefits.
Tags: food allergies, health benefits, allergic reaction, allergic reactions, food allergy