Zorba Paster: Thai Food Allergy? A Shellfish Reader Question

Dear Doc: My husband became allergic to shellfish in his 40s. We both love Thai food. Absolutely love it. We never get any shellfish when we order. Because we love it I decided to learn how to make it. Shock of shocks – fish sauce is a key ingredient in Thai food. Doesn’t this Thai sauce contain shellfish? Yikes. We’re both scared now to go out to restaurants that we’ve been going to for years. Please help us out. — Hungry

Dear Hungry: I would still avoid shellfish but the allergic reaction can be very specific. I have a friend who is allergic to scallops but not to shrimp. And she can eat every other fish with impunity. You’re right be concerned about Thai food but if your husband were allergic to fish sauce you would undoubtedly know it by now. That doesn’t mean that you won’t be allergic to it in the future — time will tell.

What you can do is buy an EpiPen. This handy dandy device will give the patient a shot of adrenaline just like they do in the hospital or in the ambulance for severe allergic reactions. I always recommend that people buy two of them, one to keep in the house and one to take with them especially when traveling.

Fish twice a week has been shown to be good for your heart. Don’t be fooled by fish oil. Even though many doctors recommend it as a way to cut cholesterol and triglycerides, there is minimal evidence that it actually cuts heart attack risk. There are some who have super high numbers who do need this industrialized product but for most I stopped recommending it years ago.

Dear Doc: Now that it’s blueberry season I’m wolfing them down. I just love them all day long. Drop the price and I plop them into my mouth. I’ve heard that they’re a superfood. What is a superfood anyway? — Jean from Michigan

Dear Jean: Superfoods are not a scientific term but they do convey one important thing – some foods are better than others — super high in nutrients. Vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and carotenoids are what we need to keep our body health, strong and disease free. Popeye started the superfood fad back in the 1930s when he shoveled down the spinach.

Blueberries are loaded with vitamin C – a cup will give you about 25 percent of what you need of C for the day. They’re loaded with vitamin K, manganese and fiber. Their antioxidant properties may just protect you from heart disease and cancer, especially colon cancer. Furthermore there is research that shows blueberries might improve nighttime vision and visual acuity when there is high sun glare, such as when you’re water skiing or schussing down the hill.

Now I’ve read that blueberries keep your brain fit, improving mental clarity and thinking but when I looked at the research it was pretty skimpy. Nonetheless, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to lower dementia so perhaps there is something to this provocative research.