Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jellobean]

Dalkgalbi is one of my favorites as well.... Sadly, I think this is one you may have to forego, but I am by no means an expert (just an analyst)....

Someone previously noted that gojujang has some sort of wheat.... I know that they use some sort of red pepper paste in the dalkgalbi.... I think your tolerance would depend on the paste.... The rest is usually chicken, potatoes and veggies....

[Son Deureo!]

There is a small amount of wheat flour in the gochujang, but so long as you tell them not to put in odeng (yuk!) or ramen noodles that's the only offensive ingredient. I eat dalkkalbi from time to time with no problems.

[jazblanc77]

You might find this site useful. I'm self-diagnosed to be allergic to wheat. I tried to get tested in Korea a couple of years ago, but was informed that it was very hard to get tested for it in Korea since almost noone was ailed with that allergy here. There are some specialists in Seoul, but I don't live there and there's no way I could get enough time off for the series of visits that would be necessary to properly test for a wheat allergy.

[Gatsby]

There are two types of food allergies: IgE and IgG.

The website recommended by jazblanc77 (Science in Africa) seems to be confusing the two. It talks primarily about IgE allergies, and lists the classic symptoms associated with anaphylaxis, such as hives (a red rash), swelling (particularly of the lips and throat) and difficulty breathing. It can also cause a fatal drop in blood pressure.

Anaphylaxis is what happens to people who have an IgE allergy to foods like shellfish or peanuts, or to bee stings. It can be triggered by even a trace amount of food. Doctors generally recommend people who experience anaphylaxis to get emergency care immediately, get tested by an allergist afterwards to find out the specific cause, and to carry an epipen to administer self-injections of epinephrine in case of a repeat attack.

While I would assume that there are some people out there with IgE allergies to wheat, that is not what most people are talking about when they say they have a wheat allergy. The common form of wheat allergy is IgG, named for the type of antibody produced by the immune system. Wheat is the most common type of IgG allergy.

IgG allergies are acquired allergies through years of repeated exposure, specifically because undigested bits of protein make it into the blood stream, where the immune system responds by forming antibodies. Westeners eat more wheat, more often, than perhaps any other food. Hence the prevalence of allergies. Wheat, milk, eggs and soy were the top four most common IgG allergies, according to a study I read some years ago; I don't remember all of the top 25, but I do remember that coffee was on there, far down the list.

IgG allergies do not produce life-threatening allergic responses, as do IgE allergies. The do produce fatigue, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping because your brain is churning too fast, and sometimes a more intense, rapid pulse, as well as red ears.

With an IgG allergy, you can still eat wheat in moderation. Sometimes you may have little or no response; it seems to depend on the type of wheat used. Your allergy may not be directly tied to gluten, but to some other protein within the wheat. You may be able to eat oats, barley or rye. I do not have a problem with rye, but some response to oats.

Dr. James Braly has written books about this and has a website:

http://www.drbralyallergyrelief.com/

The site has links to a blood test for IgG allergies that Braly says is accurate. However, you can also judge for yourself by observing your response to wheat, or to other foods. Typically this is done by eating just wheat, such as hot cereal, on an empty stomach. (If you have a reaction to bread, you could have a sensitivity to yeast, for example.)

Braly says that you can reduce or eliminate your sensitivity to an IgG food allergy by avoiding the food for one to two years. I reduced my sensitivity to wheat this way. After that you can eat the food in moderation. Some people recommend food rotation, only eating a type of food once every four days to avoid developing allergies.

A sensitivity to gluten is a whole different matter. This is a genetic senstivity, typically seen as celiac disease, found in about one in 133 people, according to a recent study. I believe it can also be a factor in other problems, such as Crohn's or IBS.

Braly writes about celiac disease in his books, and was an early, vocal advocate trying to bring this to the medical establishment's attention. If you have celiac disease, my understanding is you have to avoid wheat as much as possible.

If you have digestive problems like Crohn's of IBS, you might want to read Elaine Gottschall's book and visit

http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/

By temporarily restricting your diet, you can repair damage to your digestive tract, specifically the microvilli, which then enables you to break down complex carbohydrates again. I talked to people with problems like Crohn's and IBS who say they were able to do this, and avoid much more serious medical treatment, using this approach. I also know people who have had sections of their intestines amputated by doctors to treat Crohn's, perhaps unnecessarily.

You need to determine which category you fall in before deciding how stringently you need to avoid wheat or gluten. If you just have IgG, you do not need to worry about trace amounts, or even moderate amounts occasionally.

If you have celiac, you should see a doctor. If you have an IgE allergic response you should see a doctor. If you have an IgG type problem, you do not need to see a doctor. Indeed, the establishment allergy society view of IgG allergies is that it is a bunch of hogwash. But then I have noticed that doctors tend to focus on things they can make a lot of money on. And there is a bundle to be made through insurance billings for desensitization treatments for IgE allergies.

It is indeed possible that IgG wheat allergies may be relatively uncommon in Korea because they do not eat as much wheat. It may be a good place to try avoiding wheat for a year or two.

[jazblanc77]

Gatsby, excellent post, props to you!

For me, I'm not sure if I'm having an IgE or IgG reaction. What I do know is that my reaction has gotten much worse over the years. It started during university with hives, a fraction of the size of a mosquito bite, that formed after lunch or after a night of drinking beer. Now, they are much much bigger, often the size of a 100 won or 500 won coin. On occasion, I have had my eyes swell up. The thing is that sometimes I react and sometimes I don't. It's almost like it builds up in my system and then explodes once there is enough there. I can, for example, eat pizza one day, and be fine, but when I order the same pizza from the same restaurant the next day, I have a serious reaction.

I'm going home in April, and getting tested is at the top of my list for things I have to do. It has become a huge source of concern, especially since I sometimes have reactions to food that I would never suspect had wheat in it.

[Gatsby]

jazblanc77, what you describe is not an IgG response.

You need to observe whether there is also some thickening of the lips and tongue when this happens, a classic sign of an IgE allergic response. In anaphylaxis, your blood vessels actually start to leak, and the fluid escapes into your body, sometimes causing a fatal drop in blood pressure.

If it gets anywhere near the point of difficulty breathing or lightheadedness, get help getting to an emergency room. The treatment is a shot of epinephrine, a fancy word for adrenaline.

They will also give you the antihistamine benadryl. For lesser symptoms, you may find benadryl helpful.

Obviously, pizza contains a lot more than just wheat. There's yeast, cheese, tomatoes, preservatives, nitrites in the pepperoni, etc. The only way to figure out what's going on is to observe your response to each food separately. An allergist does this by testing for skin sensitivity with extracts; if you are sensitive, it produces a red welt.

The IgG test Dr. Braly recommends uses a blood test. Or you can do a challenge test by eating the food alone; for IgG, the most dramatic results are observed following a fast. Doing a challenge test if you have IgE could be dangerous. However, although IgG anaphylaxis respones are fairly common, relatively few people die -- but some who don't, come close.

You may be right that the symptoms are the result of the cumulative effect of several problems. This is the idea behind the "rain barrell theory" of the immune system -- it overflows when the body's immune system has had too much to handle from both infection and allergies.

One doctor who has written about this approach is Leo Galland. He has some of his chapters on his website:

http://mdheal.org/articles.htm

If you do have an anaphylactic reaction, you should not wait until you return home to talk to a doctor.

I was just reviewing the chapter on anaphylaxis in Allergy Free Naturally, published by Rodale. Foods that can cause anaphylaxis include peanuts, shellfish, fish, cow's milk, hen's eggs, tree nuts, soy and wheat. Food additives such as sulfites, sometimes found in red wine, dried fruits and vegetables, potato products, pickles, and in pizza crust, can also be a trigger.

There are more than a half-million serious allergic reactions to drugs in the U.S. each year. Penicillin-type antibiotics are blamed for more than 5,000 deaths, with about 75 percent due to anaphylaxis.

Latex can also cause anaphylaxis.

A study at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis analyzed the probably causes of non-fatal anaphylaxis in a sample of 266 patients. About a third had no idenfifiable cause; a third were caused by foods, spices and food additives - with half of these due to peanuts and crustaceans; medications were blamed 20 percent of the time - about half of these were NSAIDs, such as Advil, but penicillin and sulfa drugs are also problems; exercise 7 percent; insect bites 1.5 percent; hormonal changes less than 1 percent.

Yes, you can get an anaphylactic reaction from exercise, or even jumping into cold water, though this is not actually an allergy.

But what you have may not be anaphylaxis, but some other sensitivity to a food or additive.

[jazblanc77]

For me, the most telling reaction that I had was to some shortbread that a coworker shared with me. It was one of my first HUGE reactions. It only had white sugar, flour, and baking soda in it. That really helped narrow the field.

Sorry for hijacking this thread. Gatsby, thanks for the very informative posts. I have looked, on and off, for a couple of years on the internet for information and I found nothing as concise and clear as what you have just written in this thread.

[marylinda]

very informative indeed. if only doctors would explain things so simply.

yes coeliacs are allergic to the gluten in wheat, oats, rye, barley and spelt. And as jazzblanc77 said he has reactions to food in which one wouldnt think there would be wheat. It is hidden in so many foods so we have to be as vigilant as we possibly can. The easiest way is to just go for plain meat, veg and potatoes on a menu and some rice but it isnt the most enjoyable way to eat.

but we are lucky to have been diagnosed and we know what we have to do so we get on with it as best we can.

[marylinda]

son deureo, i am back home from seoul and again thank you very, very much for the list of dishes that I could eat. I stuck to them rigidly although alot of them were pretty plain dishes as is usual with gluten free food. I did try dakgalbi and it is gorgeous. however i did gluten myself by ordering bolgogi on the uso's DMZ tour. there were only two choices which she told us about in english. so we ordered one of each and one turned out to be bolgogi which i found out at the dinner table from a man who works in the us embassy. It looked ok so i decided to have a go and within half an hour the tummy wasnt feeling so good. i had the reaction about 36 hours later while in an irish pub with lots of company. but got through it ok. at least i know now that i still react to gluten. i havent had a reaction in years.

i must say KLM airlines were brilliant. They looked after me well.

thanks again for all your help. we had a great time there and of course i didnt want to come home. we had the coldest week in a long time, complete with snow but it was something different.

hope you all continue to enjoy your stays there. my son and his friends love it and it really is a fantastic city.

[LivePoetry]

Hello, does anyone know if Makkeoli has any wheat/gluten in it??
I've never been tested for Celiac disease but I have had a terrible reaction to wheat for awhile. I never used to be sensitive to small amounts of it, but recently ALMOST EVERYTHING I eat is making me sick with the "wheat feeling" that I used to only get when eating bread, pasta, etc. The most recent one, I think, was Makkeoli. (I thought this was made from rice and would be safe!!!! and i have had it in the past with no bad reaction) also, tuna Kimbop made me sick, even though I removed the artificial crab meat (there was nothing in it but tuna and some veggies--- so I am guessing something in the mayo-type sauce they put on the tuna has it. I am terrified to eat anything now

[Son Deureo!]

Not all makkolis are gluten free, they're sometimes made with wheat. Seoul Makkoli, probably the most common brand, advertises that it's 100% rice, but whenever you buy a bottle you should check the label. At traditional makkoli houses where they make their own you'd have to ask.

As for getting sick from tuna kimbap, was there odeng in it? ham? Those are the only ingredients in tuna kimbap I can think of that would have gluten. When they make it in front of you, and can tell them what not to put in that's about as safe as eating out gets for the celiac. Are you sure you didn't eat anything else that would have given you a reaction?

[LivePoetry]

Thanks for the reply, Son Dureo-- the tuna kimbop is still a mystery to me but so are many things as I have never been this sensitive to wheat before in my life (I have been in Korea for 8 months now and was previously eating things like odeng, rice cakes, the hot red pepper paste (gochujang) etc. with no problems. All of the sudden almost everything is a problem. Maybe all the "hidden wheat" that I didn't know I was eating has built up in my system).
Do you know if red bean paste contains any wheat? (are you familiar with Bingsu, which they serve in coffee shops, its milk and shaved ice and red bean paste-- it was ok for me before but now I"m scared). How about seaweed soup (mi-yok guk)? also, do you know how to ask for meat with no sauce at Korean barbecue places (in Korean?) a lot of it seems to be marinated in something that probably contains soy sauce, but I think if I could get it without that marinade it would be safe for me, right?

[lopare152]

[lopare152]

Oh, btwz, is Haetae brand gochujang and dwenjang sold most places in Korea? You can find them in the US in Korean markets. Labelling for the US doesn't indicate wheat in the ingredients or allergy info line. I use them and don't notice any heinous reactions. All the other brands the stores here carry do list wheat flour as an ingredient, so I trust Haetae to be pretty much safe.

[skookum]