Why Wine Can Trigger Your Food Allergies

Why Wine Can Trigger Your Food Allergies

You just had a glass of wine, a drink you usually enjoy, but now you feel like you’re having an allergic reaction. Certain wines are more likely to have this effect on you, depending on your food sensitivities.

Photo by quacktaculous

The sulfites and amines used for preservation and flavour in wine can cause headaches, but might also create allergic reactions. The Huffington Post explains that some wine is clarified with fining agents made from animal products:

According to PETA, popular fining agents include, “blood and bone marrow, casein (milk protein), chitin (fibre from crustacean shells), egg albumen (derived from egg whites), fish oil, gelatin (protein from boiling animal parts), and isinglass (gelatin from fish bladder membranes).” Not only are these animal-based products used to filter the wine, they might also get absorbed into the wine in small quantities. There’s nothing vegan about that.

This is obviously a concern for vegan wine drinkers who don’t know their drinks contain animal products, and the list include some of the most common food allergens: milk, eggs, fish and shellfish. So if you’ve got allergies to any of these foods, you might need to be careful about which wines you drink. Beers also may use unusual fining agents. Check the label — especially for cheaper wines — to see if these products are present.

Not All Wine Is Vegan, And Here’s Why [The Huffington Post]


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