How you enjoy allergy-free diet in Japan

2019.07.06
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毎日まいにち3回かいの楽たのしみにおいしさと安全あんぜんを！

日本にっぽんの生活せいかつで知しっておきたい食物しょくもつアレルギー情報じょうほうです。

あなたは買かいものやレストランに行いく時とき、じぶんや家族かぞくのアレルギーを不安ふあんに思おもっていませんか？

アレルギー体質たいしつの人ひとは知しっておいて損そんはないかも！

（アレルギー反応はんのうがでてしまったら、薬くすりを飲のむか、すぐに病院びょういんに行いく必要ひつようがあります。）

Have you ever experienced difficulty with choosing non-allergy food in Japan?

Foods in Japan are safe and good quality most of the time. However, Japanese food labels are not international. Japan has a unique food culture and food products. People from overseas need clear information about food allergy.

This is explaining what kind of foods contain allergens, how you should react for allergic reactions, and what you should check before you put them in your mouth.

What types of foods have an allergen?

In Japan, gluten allergy and celiac disease are getting common. In Japanese food culture, there are many products from wheat flour. For examples, Panko for breaded deep-fries, pancake mix, and noodles are mostly using wheat flour or related products on their making process. you may see those food products often in daily scenes. Soy sauce is also containing wheat, and many Japanese foods contain soy sauce in their making process. Even if it’s a really small amount of soy sauce is used in foods, wheat flour must be shown as an allergic food on their food labels. However, soy sauce is completely fermented so even though you have wheat hypersensitivity, you might be able to take soy sauce. Don’t be afraid too much about soy products.

Another common allergy in Japan is pollen allergy from ragweed. People who have this allergy possibly have an allergic reaction from apples or peaches. If you have sneeze or itchiness of your nose while in pollen season since you came to Japan, you might better to be careful to eat some fruits or vegetables too.

What you should do when you have allergic reactions.

When allergic reactions appear on your body, you would need to take medicine or go to the hospital immediately. In serious cases, you or peers should call the ambulance. Japanese ambulance number is 119. Briefly explain your symptoms and address of your place. For light symptoms, medicine for allergic reactions can be useful, but a variety of medicine for allergy is not satisfied in local pharmacies. I definitely recommend going to the hospital to check your health status. Doctors would give you a clear explanation and advice for your medication and diet.

How you prevent that.

In the glossary shopping scene, you can check ingredients on food labels. Especially, products for babies or small children have allergy information which is shown by pictures or illustrations. In addition, common allergen foods such as peanuts, soy, and eggs are often illustrated on packages as well. If you need more details, you may access the website of food companies. And also, you can choose alternative items to prevent food allergy. The most common alternative items are rice products for gluten-free foods and soy products for milk and alternatives. There are so many allergen-free recipes on the internet. Glossary stores have a variety of alternative items for allergic foods, and you may order specific items from online for your needs. In addition, Japanese glossary stores often have cooked meals and they have only a short explanation about them. In this case, you can ask to staff about what kind of ingredients they are using. Those meals are often made in the kitchen in the stores so they must know what they used. While you are living in Japan, you might have some difficulties to choose the right food without knowledge. However, there are many options you can choose. Don’t hesitate to ask what you need and what you want. The choice is yours. I hope you to have great food experience in Japan.