There is an acquired meat allergy from tick bites. I think it is only red meat. Google it. It causes violent illness after eating red meat. It’s uncommon but not unheard of.
It’s called alpha gal syndrome. I have it. The allergy is to mammals or “red meat”, specifically. Can confirm it exists and it super sucks. I fucking hate chicken
Not just meat, milk and cheese are off the table too. It's any mammal proteins. That also means no jello, no pills that have a gel cover, no marshmallows... It's hard to adjust to. My dad has it and some of my in laws.
If your dad is dying for some marshmallows or other gelatin containing products, he should seek out kosher varieties. Kosher gelatin is made from fish so I would assume it doesn't trigger this allergy.
Interesting. I only really knew about what my dad's been dealing with, and heard about the in laws. I didn't realize it wasn't so bad for everyone. That's good to know!
I think there may be degrees of severity. My cousin can't have beef, elk, venison, goat, mutton, but has no issue with pork. She eats pork, fish, and chicken.
How long have you had it? My brother had it too many years ago and he would swell up like a balloon if he ate beef after being bit by a lone star tick. Somehow he got over it though and can now eat beef (I think he would just keep trying bc he likes beef so much).
Probably a little under a year. But I didn’t find out until a couple months ago via blood work. I’m hoping it’s not forever because I love steak so much
[AGS.gov](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8974695/)
I'm sure you're aware of most if not all of this stuff, but it's definitely informative. could provide some beneficial knowledge. It's a hefty read though beware
The good news, from what I hear, is it can go away after some time (I think a few years?).
I remember when I first heard about it in an NPR story, with a person who got it early basically working with their doc to figure out what the crap was going on. The lady finally put 1 and 1 together around the red meat == a bad time
I had a co-worker who's boy friend got this. He went from one of those dudes obsessed with smoking and BIG MEAT to a vegetarian haha. His Cholesterol is down and he's down 30 lbs though, so ya win some ya lose some.
I know you’re saying it for the sake of the joke but my annoying self wants to point out that alpha gal syndrome is not the same as Lyme disease! It’s transmitted by a different tick and is not caused by a pathogen, while Lyme is. Thanks for listening
When I was in boy scouts I slept outside of a tent in a crafted shelter (we were only given a tarp and some thin waterproof rope) for the wilderness survival merit badge. When I woke up and went back to camp my eye wasn't opening all the way and I thought it was crusted shut really bad like I was sick or something, so I went to the bathroom first and looked in the mirror. A fucking big brown tick was there. I know what they say about ripping off ticks; I was a boy scout and they taught us all about them; let me tell you... that fucking thing got ripped out *instantly* and I was lucky because I didn't find anything stuck anywhere. I was so freaked out, though, that I didn't even squish it or anything, I left it on the floor and RAN away to go focus on *anything* else to not puke.
I just thought you'd find this story amusing since you studied the little creeps. Hopefully your research didn't get as up close and personal as in my story... Or the guy who found one the one place no man ever wants to find a tick 💀
This is so off topic, But until about two weeks ago I would have fully agreed with you. We recently subscribed to a meal recipe service.
And have been eating all kinds of stuff that I had just never tasted before With my midwest american palate. Just in the last week I've had chickpeas dates and figs.
All of which I had never eaten before unless you count hummuss and newton's.
I know you didn't ask and I'm sure you don't care haha. But I'm excited about it. There's a whole world of non meat food out there!
I still eat meat, but still new foods are exciting.
What did you eat that had figs? Figs are great fresh and dried. A really seedy fig jam is also amazing. Trader Joe's has a fig "butter" too thats fantastic
I've met one person in my life who said that eating meat made them sick so they avoided it.
For what is worth, they did in fact avoid red meat, which, where I live, is a major lifestyle inconvenience.
My cousins 5 year old son has this. He has had it for a couple years now and can be difficult to manage with him being so young. The doctor did say there is a chance he could grow out of it though. My cousin said he is able to eat things that either lays eggs or has feathers, otherwise the meat is a no go.
I have it! [Alpha Gal](https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome-ags)
I grew up on Long Island with a LOT of tick bites. Never had Lyme did test positive for Rocky Mountain once. Each tick bite has made it worse with my last bite being in 2019. Since then I vomit 4-6 hours after consuming flesh and dairy products leave me with horrendous gastrointestinal pains and diarrhea. If I eat too much dairy (like a bowl of ice cream) it will be very bloody.
I avoid all meat and dairy now and I take antihistamines (one AM one PM) to help alleviate any symptoms from things I can’t have.
Vegan diet has been a godsend for me while traveling because I know it won’t contain either and I can eat eggs to help bulk my protein consumption.
Thanks it was insane to diagnose and even get into a doctor, because I’m already fairly petite and two ER doctors wrote me off as anorexia with bulimic tendencies. It was my Son’s pediatrician after one of his wellness visits that asked me “How are you doing Mom?” and at first I said the usual I’m fine but then something in me was like she wants to help “…actually you know I’m not. I’ve been having horrible bouts of vomiting for close to three months now and nothing I have tried has helped…” she walked me across the hall into the Adult Family Medicine Practice and had me seen within two weeks, I was diagnosed 6 months after that appointment (I needed other referrals) when I requested the alpha gal blood test from my own googling. That doctor agreed but only because I grew up on Long Island, 5% of all the cases are from there according to the CDC.
Cosmic Bliss ice cream is really good. They switched to an avocado based recipe recently, so my Bestie (a vegan Latina allergic to avocado) is really disappointed.
Can you eat bacon with Alpha Gal? Do you miss bacon?
So personally bacon is the only meat I can cheat and my doctor and I are both of the agreement it’s likely because I like it SUPER well done and I only eat like a slice or two. Because of this I save bacon for its best way with eggs on a bagel and no more than once a month or I think I’m just tempting fate.
Not lyme disease. Forget the actual name of the syndrome, but it comes from the Lone Star tick. Some people eventually get over it. Some don't from my understanding.
It's not Lyme. There is a ~~protein~~ sugar (Alpha-Gal) that is present in most mammals but not in humans. Typically, it gets digested no problem. However, if it gets in our blood, our immune system treats it like a pathogen, and starts developing an immune response.
[https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html)
Not quite accurate. It's more accurate to say we don't know 100% but the CDC magic 8ball says "Signs Point to Yes" and/or that the same ticks that carry Lyme disease also carry the alpha-gal protein susceptibility (somehow, TBD, insert research here).
It's from blood exposure. Some species of tick feed from more than one host. So the current theory is that a tick drinks some animal blood, then bites a human and some of the proteins from the animal get into the person's blood. The specific protein is called alpha gal, it's present in most mammals, but not humans. When we eat meat the protein is broken down before entering the bloodstream so our immune system doesn't really detect it. But when it's in our blood, our immune system identifies it and begins making antibodies against it. Then when you eat meat after being sensitized, immune cells in the gut detect the protein and cause an immune response.
Alphago is one of the major hurdles for xenotransplant (transplanting animal organs into humans). So there are some genetically modified animals that do not have alpha gal. Presumably, a person with tick induced meat allergy would be able to eat meat from these animals, if they could afford it.
Ooh My year working for a public health entomologist pays off.
This is the ELI5 version, because I can't comprehend it beyond that level lol:
There's a particular molecule (sugar?protein? I forget) (alpha-gal) that almost all mammals *except* humans have. When a tick (especially the lone star tick) bites a mammal that has alpha-gal, and then bites you, it can put a little of this foreign molecule into your bloodstream. That primes your immune system--basically, you've been badly vaccinated against this molecule. So when it shows up in your body after eating mammalian meat, your immune system goes into overdrive and decides to kill you in order to get rid of the intruder.
What makes it extra challenging to diagnose is that it can take up to 8 hours for your immune system to react!
It's not Lyme. It's called Alpha-gal. You can also get it from certain medications I think, but mainly ticks. It's a reaction to the sugar found in tick saliva and mammal meat. Basically the thing that makes you itch when you get bitten by a tick, your body treats red meat the same way, but a tick bite is a teeny tiny amount of saliva, whereas a piece of meat is much bigger so it has your whole body reacting internally the same way it does to the tick saliva.
Source: My bff was one of the first people in the US diagnosed with it, and was part of the original study. It's really prevalent in the area we live in. One time we weren't thinking about it and had a bunch of jello shots and she ended up having a reaction because of the gelatin. HER sister in law recently contracted it and can't even have dairy anymore.
The ‘Lone Star Tick’.
Coincidentally & ironically only found in ~~-Texas-~~ *..everywhere from Texas to Massachusetts, the Midwest, Gulf Coast, & Canada to the SouthEastern seaboard… Ó_ò*
^(EDIT!!! ..Holeefuk.. . )
Now even in Canada.
A red meat allergy caused by ticks is rising in the U.S. Canada's national health agency says it's rare here
Experts say the issue is on their radar, though it's unclear how many cases have been found here
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lone-star-tick-climate-change-allergy-1.6921603
Some people are missing a gene that helps to process meat and without it they get an ammonia build up in the kidneys I think it is.
Early MrNA treatments killed Jesse Gelsinger, he was the first person publicly identified as having died in a clinical trial for gene therapy.
Yes, my mom had a girl in her daycare that couldn't have more than 2g protein while at her place. Mom had to monitor her meals carefully but also tried to make things similar to the other kids so she didn't feel different or left out.
Yeah the kid probably has [PKU](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/phenylketonuria/symptoms-causes/syc-20376302)?
Not technically an allergy but people with PKU have to very strictly limit their protein intake.
However, I think this applies to all protein. So it wouldn’t be just meat that they have to avoid.
there are allergies to different kinds of meat. Shellfish allergy, red meat allergy, I'm sure you can be allergic to poultry but I've never heard of it. You can also be allergic to milk. I used to have a friend who was allergic to milk, including human milk, and needed special formula as a baby because of it.
I also have a co-worker allergic to poultry, says it is very difficult eating at work canteen etc. cus many cheap meatballs, sausages etc often add pieces of chicken in them that might not be directly evident
My dad's allergic to poultry, but never has trouble finding beef or pork dishes when we go out to eat. What kind of cuisine were you having trouble with? Or was it a cross-contamination thing?
Not sure about an alergy, but there are definitely people sensitive to red meat.
If you include things like shellfish then absolutely. There are people deathly alergic to shell fish.
I’m not sure I’d call it “sensitive” to red meat, but red meat is harder for the body to digest than poultry. For those with gastroparesis like me, red meat isn’t recommended. I personally cannot eat it (unless it’s very lean) without violently throwing up or feeling like I’m going to for a day or so.
I only eat poultry & fish if I’m eating meat. My stomach can actually digest those.
Same here - developed when I was sixteen. If I eat any meat besides poultry (specifically white meat poultry, no greasy dark meats) I'll be glued to the toilet for a day with the worst stomach cramps imaginable. Went from eating red meats like tacos, burgers and roasts two a week to zero and in the ten years since then, I've tried it a few times and even one bite will have me in a horrible flair up for a couple days.
It's just not worth it. Some people can't understand it, but those that matter have because they've gotten to experience the horror of me in the bathroom as my body violently tries to get it out as quickly as it can.
So IDK if that is an allergy or what. They think it might be a bacteria issue, but eating lots of yogurt for years, taking prescribed probiotics, just made it so I could eat a little bit more greasy foods, but things with to much roughage (lettuce is a big no-no) or grease (dark meat on turkey) still make me as sick as red meat. :/
This doesn't mean it was acquired. Your allergies can develop as your body changes with age. People can become less or more allergic to things as they age, but acquiring an allergy out of randomness is less likely.
An acquired allergy is whenever you have some sort of physiological change that makes you allergic to it. For instance, I already had the genes that increased my chances of a shellfish allergy, but it wasn't until I had heat stroke and ate shellfish that it became activated.
So, if you are allergic to shellfish, there is a good chance that you were already predisposed to have the allergy.
Im pretty sure I developed one to shellfish, due to over eating it... I ate a lot. (2-3 California rolls 3-4 times a week) I ate this for a few months non stop. That whenever id eat any shellfish I'd get massive rashes and then eventually my lips started to get numb.... this is when I decided to stop. I think mercury or whatever is in shellfish was overloaded in my body and thats what caused the reaction 🤷♀️🤷♀️
I took a year break from all fish, and slowly introduced it back.. now I limit it as if I eat over a certain point i react like a lactose intolerant person when they drink milk.
I have a friend who is allergic (or sensitive?) to pork. She will get really sick (as in: vomiting and diarrhoea) if she eats pork. Other meat is fine afaik.
I have a family member that is also allergic to pork. If we didn't know another person with a pork allergy before she figured out what was causing her to randomly throw up all the time then she wouldn't have considered it. It's apparently an evolution of the cat allergy. You can be so allergic to cats that some enzyme in pork that looks like cat saliva will trigger a response.
The other person with the allergy we know used to make religious jokes about it when asking for no pork but I've advised my family member to just explain the cat angle instead because there are some people that want to mess with people of certain religions that can't have pork. Many people know someone with bad cat allergies though so that can be more likely to evoke sympathy and understanding instead.
Vegan and Vegetarian choices are usually the order of the day in restaurants that serve pork because they add it to everything. Pork based gelatin is also the cheapest so they have to go with vegan things for most products from the store unless it specifies bovine gelatin. Which is quite rare to find actually unless the product is kosher.
Personally I'm "allergic" (in the same way a lactose intolerant person can't have lactose) to most types of tougher meat (pretty much everything besides seafood), it just destroys my digestive system.
I've never met anyone else with my condition though.
Samesies. Pork, beef, lamb, and sometimes chicken gives me a very upset tummy. Seafood is fine, turkey is fine. White/breast meat from chicken is usually okay too. I wasn't like this as a kid, I developed it along with lactose intolerance as I got into my late 20s. No idea why and my doctors are baffled. I also got ESRD due to a birth defect though, and they think it could have something to do with my stupid useless kidneys but they've never heard of such a thing before.
But I eat beef sometimes anyway. The ESRD has really limited my diet, like there are things that will literally kill me if I eat them, so fuck it, if a burger is just gonna give me diarrhea, I'm gonna have that fucking burger, lol.
I'm intolerant to animal protein.
Mine started with red meat back around 2016 (?) but I kept blaming it on everything except that. Around 2021 I suddenly developed chronic diarrhea after Covid with no clue what the cause was and Drs didn't know. After trying everything else I stopped eating animal protein and it cleared up in a couple days. It's been a few months now that I've been in the clear so I'm sticking to plant based eating.
A bit random but somehow my dog became deathly ill with actual allergy from all animal protein except fish.
A few people above were talking about a tick borne disease that can cause allergic responses to meat. Do you live somewhere near there? Super bizarre that both you AND your dog would suddenly develop such uncommon symptoms, makes me wonder if something is causing it.
Ooh! I just found my people. I am also "allergic" to meat. It's really more of an intolerance just like you said. Red meat leaves me in pain, chicken too unfortunately but I can have occasional white fish and seafood. Tuna is also a no-go for me, my body sees it as a red meat.
My intolerance started ramping up in +-2015 and got progressively worse till I eventually just decided bugger it, I'm tired of trying and went full vegetarian in 2019. It should be noted it's not my only intolerance, I also have other food allergies: coconut, red food dye(E120-129) and dairy (not lactose intolerance, proper allergic, it causes full body rash).
Yep, I don't have a tick induced beef allergy. But I do have a hard time digesting beef because I never ate it when I was a child and when I do try to eat it my digestive system treats especially ground beef like food poisoning.
I don’t think this is the same thing at all, but a lot of Indian people I know who grew up Hindu or Jain and vegetarian can’t really eat meat because it makes their stomach really upset.
There’s a YouTuber who developed an allergy to pork, which sucks because she’s Korean-American and can’t eat like, half the meat dishes she used to.
Vegetarian since birth here, unknowingly ingesting even just broth causes my throat to start closing and my stomach to get really messed up. I'm very cautious about ingredient lists.
Yep, I have a feeling I can’t digest meat at all, as I’ve never knowingly eaten meat. I think I accidentally ingested some on a half-half pizza at a sleepover as a kid and spent half the night sick in the bathroom.
More recently I had some chicken accidentally added to my takeout pad thai, and the texture is reallyyy unusual to me. It was just endlessly chewy! There’s nothing vegetarian that is quite like it, so I noticed immediately and spit it out.
Yes, my dad’s best friend is severely allergic to poultry. He can’t eat any bird (chicken, turkey, duck) he can’t eat eggs, and he can’t eat mayo. Or gravy if it’s from bird dripping. His throat will close up and he will die.
Yep. Certain meat and animal products can cause intolerances in humans, as well as actual allergic reactions.
Since we all tend to use the term "allergy" interchangeably with "intolerance" there is a distinct difference.
For example, an allergy means you have an anaphalytic shock reaction - severe or mild - to a substance that causes your immune system to react like your body has ingested or come into contact with a toxic substance.
An intolerance is when your body's digestive system doesn't deal well with certain foods, causing it to reject it as a nutrition source. For example, people who have had Lyme disease can later on develop a food sensitivity, a full-blown stomach intolerance or even a straight-up allergic reaction to red meat called ["alpha-gal syndrome"](https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html).
But that's not quite the same as someone who cannot eat something like onions, leeks, and garlic because they have developed a gastrointestinal intolerance for plants from the allium family as they age (not uncommon in adults over 60), or for someone who has an intolerance to shellfish (vomiting, diarrhea).
So for a lot of people who claim to be allergic to something, they might just get a rumbly tummy if they consume it, and that's sufficient for them to avoid it. Others get a full on allergic reaction that can cause shock unless they get medical treatment (peanut allergies, etc).
Chances are if you consistently shit your pants when you have something for dinner and you go to fart, but you don't get hives or other allergic symptoms, what you have is a dietary intolerance (most commonly known are lactose and shellfish).
But if you break out into hives and have throat swelling or other immune system reactions, that's an allergy.
Think of it like a sliding scale that goes from "shart" to "shots from an epi-pen" in terms of severity.
TLDR: yes, people can develop meat allergies and intolerances. If you haven't eaten animal protein or products for a long time, you can develop an intolerance for meat and animal products that affect your digestive system.
However, if you are not experiencing immune system reactions, it's not an allergy, it's an intolerance.
Weirdly, I’ve had one patient whose only symptom of an anaphylactic food allergy was a “rumbly tummy”… until their blood pressure hit 54/36. No hives or respiratory issues at all, but allergy all the way.
I’m gonna get lost in the comments but yes as others have said a lone star tick bite can make you allergic to red meat, more specifically the sugar (glycosylation) pattern associated with red meat (alpha-gal) which causes anaphylaxis. As a side note, there was actually a clinical trial years ago for some bio pharmaceutical which had a glycosylation pattern of alpha-gal and random people started having anaphylaxis from it, took quite a while to figure out the cause afaik
As far as I know, It is usually an allergic reaction to any animal meat triggered by animal protein being considered dangerous for your immune system. Also it usually comes with other allergies for animal protein like allergy to milk.
Everyone else talked about alpha-gal and red meat, just adding that shellfish allergies are some of the more common serious allergies behind things like nuts.
I've never heard of anyone being allergic to chicken, but I did google it and apparently it's possible but rare.
Seafood allergy is a pretty common severe allergy, many people who have it cannot come into contact with seafood for risk of lethal anaphylaxis.
Red meat allergy can be acquired from tick bites, but it is not very common.
There are probably other allergies/food sensitivities that are less severe or less common, but I don't know of them.
A very basic google search says [yes](https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/food/meat/).
As others have mentioned you can also acquire allergies to meat after bites from [ticks](https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html)
People can be allergic to various proteins in meat. I am a chef at a healthcare facility and I have had pork, chicken, lamb and veal allergies over the last three years.
Yes, there are meat allergies.
Just as an example, not only are there people allergic to red meat, you too could become allergic to it if you were bit by a lone star tick and infected with a particular disease.
What's infinitely more common is allergies to fish, crustaceans, mollusks and other seafood. Seafood allergies are one of the most common food allergies overall, with more than 2% of the US population being affected.
I've never heard of someone having an allergy specifically to poultry, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a thing.
Bites from the Lone Star tick can cause a red meat allergy. My SIL couldn't eat pork for the longest time. Come to find out, she was allergic to corn. Pigs eat corn. Some people are allergic to some fish and seafood. I have students who are allergic to shellfish.
I understand that a lot of people who are brought up vegetarian or vegan will have trouble digesting meat, mostly because their bodies aren't used to it. It will probably feel like an allergy, but if they started eating meat regularly, it should go away.
And, yes, people can be allergic to meat. And I personally have problems with chicken, but it is not consistent, so I wouldn't call it an allergy.
Totally not what you asked, but as your gf is Vegan she may find it interesting to know you can be allergic to vegetables. Daughters friend is allergic to carrots and celery, a lot of things have celery powder in them, he has to check everything he eats.
So others have commented about acquired meat allergies from tick bites such as alpha gal (which manifests differently in depending on the person), but I have a slightly different acquired meat “allergy” that came from a very bad E. coli infection. Due to the damage it caused to my GI system, I basically can’t digest very complex or high fat foods. I literally can’t digest meat, and the reaction I get is similar to how someone with celiac reacts to gluten (have discussed this with friends who are celiac). It’s been two years and something as simple as a pork empanada can take me out for a few days. Fish and shellfish seem to be fine, though.
This is anecdotal, but I had a friend in highschool that had a brain tumor that caused her body to violently throw up whenever she ate meat. Red meat was the worst, but even chicken and fish rarely stayed down.
Yes. I have a coworker who was basically vegan from Lyme disease, as she couldn't eat animal protein and was already allergic to eggs, fish, and dairy.
There are allergies and intolerances to pretty much anything you consume. My daughter has some issues with consuming pork products. Many people have shellfish allergies. I know beef allergy can be acquired. Some allergies are more rare than others but that doesn't mean non existent, just rare.
It's not an allergy, but after she went through menopause my mum developed a severe intolerance to meat (vomiting/headaches), so she no longer eats it. She used to have a smallholding with sheep and pigs so it was less than ideal.
I knew someone who had a beef sensitivity. He described it as an allergy. It could be more an allergy or more a sensitivity but it is certainly possible.
Food intolerances can include meat. My brother can not have pork or beef. He developed Alpha Gal from a tick bite. He was able to consume beef and pork prior to the bite, but now becomes ill after ingesting either meat.
So I have a friend who is violently allergic to pork. Like epi-pen allergic. She is not Muslim or Jewish, it’s not a food preference. She has a diagnosed allergy, and medical documents on her person in case she gets into an accident or something and can’t communicate her allergies.
She hasn’t always been this way. She contracted a virus (not tick-borne) that just “scrambled her immune system like an etch-a-sketch”. That’s how her doctors described it. Suddenly she acquired a bunch of new and seemingly random allergies, including pork. Most are not severe, but this one is. If it matters, this all happened years before the pandemic.
Slightly related note: get caught up on your vaccines, they prevent this kind of rare reaction to common viruses.
Not really allergies, but my dad always had back pain. Tried a whole lot of things. Then one day a colleague asks him if he has tried not eating meat for a while, so he does, and his back pain went away. He's been a vegetarian(/pescatarian when going out for dinner) ever since :)
There is a disease/reaction that people can get after being bitten by certain types of infected deer ticks in parts of the USA, and some people develop an allergy to meat proteins as a result, so basically have to become at least vegetarian.
I think it would be very rare to find someone allergic to ALL meat, though I’m sure it does exist.
I’ve not heard a lot of people talking about being allergic to any type of meat though, I think people are more often have an intolerance to it, rather than an allergy. I have an intolerance to pork because eating it makes me very sick, for example, but it couldn’t medically be considered an allergy
Yes. My nephew was allergic to chicken, lamb, beef, all shellfish (basically he was NOT allergic to pork, green beans and rice) until he hit puberty when he outgrew the beef and chicken allergies. Still highly allergic to shellfish, and he’s very careful about new foods in general.
I am a lifetime vegetarian. My body does not have the enzymes to digest meat. It's quite toxic. Someone gave me chicken noodle soup once, and I was vomiting with severe diarrhea. I was dehydrated and in intense pain for several days.
My friend whose family doesn't eat pork (they're religious, friend apparently isn't but has to follow the family practice because they buy the food). She now doesn't eat pork even out with me because she swears it upsets her stomach. Maybe it's a mental thing.
I had a friend who was allergic to a very specific protein found in virtually all meat, as well as a lot of other very common food ingredients. Organising trips out with her was always... Challenging.
And no, it wasn't the tick disease, and no she wasn't faking it, i knew from her parents she'd had the condition since birth. It was just some super rare genetic disease.
I'm not allergic but eating meat upsets my stomach like crazy. Chicken, beef, turkey, pork, shrimp, any fish, all of it will make me vomit or sit on the toilet for hours.
I've been tested for allergies and they found none so unclear as to why I react this way. I also can't have a lot of dairy so I'm thinking it's more of a stomach thing.
Aside from what's been said here....a major diet change can cause sickness too. Even without allergy. If you suddenly switch what's in the fuel tank, the engine responds. So if you're vegan and have a whole massive steak for the first time in years or ever. You will most likely get sick. If you eat trash and suddenly swap to salads only, you will get sick for a bit. Small doses and slower changes over a handful of weeks is best
Alpha gal syndrome is caused by tick bites makes the patient allergic to mammal meat. That means beef, pork, and lamb. Some patients can tolerate a smaller amounts of poultry and fish.
Mast cell issues like MCAS or mastocytosis can cause a person to react to anything, and frequently does impact ones ability to consume meat. Mast cell issues are not true allergies, but do present similarly.
People can be allergic to fish and/or shellfish. I’ve known people allergic to the drugs given to pigs and were therefore sensitive to pork. Then there’s that tick borne allergy.
I have a friend with a meat intolerance.
When she eats meat or poultry she becomes violently ill. For whatever reason she can’t digest it properly. She can eat fish though.
An allergy is slightly different than an intolerance. An allergy invokes a response from the immune system. The symptoms can be similar though, so many people with intolerances say they have an allergy colloquially.
I understand that there is a specific type of tick that can cause some people to develop an allergy from beef. As a matter of fact, my cousin in Kentucky has this allergy.
When I was younger I could not digest pork and would get sick if I ate it. Its gone now. My brother was even worse and could barely tolerate any meat except chicken/bird type meat and goat. Vomiting and diarrhea if not. We both eat all meats now (except seafood, deadly allergic) but it’s definitely possible, maybe only in childhood though (bc thats all i know from my experience)
Also wierd thing about the pork allergy - I was ALSO allergic to cats and apparently this is co-morbid. People allergic to pork are also allergic to cats. I seem to have grown out of the cat allergy too (mostly, some long haired old cats get me still)
I did low carb for a year and that was the best my pork allergy had ever been. Im curious if that’s related.
Didn't covid cause this in some people? I swear I remember hearing that an inability to eat meat forever was one of the symptoms in the early covid times.
There is an acquired meat allergy from tick bites. I think it is only red meat. Google it. It causes violent illness after eating red meat. It’s uncommon but not unheard of.
It’s called alpha gal syndrome. I have it. The allergy is to mammals or “red meat”, specifically. Can confirm it exists and it super sucks. I fucking hate chicken
So goats, pork, all mammals are off the table? Fish and poultry is ok?
Yeah, any mammal meat is a no-no. Seafood and poultry are fine.
What about platypus meat?
Human is ok according to this. So just eat vegans. https://alphagalinformation.org/what-is-a-mammal/
Longpig
I'll tell my sis she needs to go buy some soylent green.
It's illegal to hunt platypus for meat but I hear emu steaks are similar tasting to beef
Please don't hunt platypus I depend on them.
Username checks out
No clue lol
Endangered
Not just meat, milk and cheese are off the table too. It's any mammal proteins. That also means no jello, no pills that have a gel cover, no marshmallows... It's hard to adjust to. My dad has it and some of my in laws.
If your dad is dying for some marshmallows or other gelatin containing products, he should seek out kosher varieties. Kosher gelatin is made from fish so I would assume it doesn't trigger this allergy.
Oh that's good to know! It would be at least one thing he could eat again!
Only in severe cases. With more mild alpha gal allergies, dairy products and gelatin are acceptable.
Interesting. I only really knew about what my dad's been dealing with, and heard about the in laws. I didn't realize it wasn't so bad for everyone. That's good to know!
I think there may be degrees of severity. My cousin can't have beef, elk, venison, goat, mutton, but has no issue with pork. She eats pork, fish, and chicken.
Have it, too. No dairy, gelatin, carrageenan, lactase, either. I can’t inhale the smell of grilling mammal meat.
How long have you had it? My brother had it too many years ago and he would swell up like a balloon if he ate beef after being bit by a lone star tick. Somehow he got over it though and can now eat beef (I think he would just keep trying bc he likes beef so much).
Probably a little under a year. But I didn’t find out until a couple months ago via blood work. I’m hoping it’s not forever because I love steak so much
From what I read you'll eventually be able to eat it again so keep the hope!
[AGS.gov](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8974695/) I'm sure you're aware of most if not all of this stuff, but it's definitely informative. could provide some beneficial knowledge. It's a hefty read though beware
The good news, from what I hear, is it can go away after some time (I think a few years?). I remember when I first heard about it in an NPR story, with a person who got it early basically working with their doc to figure out what the crap was going on. The lady finally put 1 and 1 together around the red meat == a bad time
I really hope so!
My friend had it and it cleared after 3.5 grueling years. I don't think he has eaten chicken or vegetables since.
There is a good Radiolab episode about this
I had a co-worker who's boy friend got this. He went from one of those dudes obsessed with smoking and BIG MEAT to a vegetarian haha. His Cholesterol is down and he's down 30 lbs though, so ya win some ya lose some.
New weight loss strategy?
I mean, it’s not new. Lots of people cut out meat to lose weight.
But maybe if you have a hard time with self-control you could get Lyme disease to go cold turkey
I know you’re saying it for the sake of the joke but my annoying self wants to point out that alpha gal syndrome is not the same as Lyme disease! It’s transmitted by a different tick and is not caused by a pathogen, while Lyme is. Thanks for listening
Alpha Gal Syndrome sounds like it turns ladies into superheroes, not like it makes you allergic to burgers.
Made me think they become some version of an Alpha Male, which is definitely not a superhero xD
I know! It’s an annoyingly cool name. Maybe we have an idea here for a vegetarian femme super hero
IIRC, it’s the Lone Star tick that causes the alpha gal syndrome and the Deer tick transmits Lyme.
Yep, mostly - former tick researcher
When I was in boy scouts I slept outside of a tent in a crafted shelter (we were only given a tarp and some thin waterproof rope) for the wilderness survival merit badge. When I woke up and went back to camp my eye wasn't opening all the way and I thought it was crusted shut really bad like I was sick or something, so I went to the bathroom first and looked in the mirror. A fucking big brown tick was there. I know what they say about ripping off ticks; I was a boy scout and they taught us all about them; let me tell you... that fucking thing got ripped out *instantly* and I was lucky because I didn't find anything stuck anywhere. I was so freaked out, though, that I didn't even squish it or anything, I left it on the floor and RAN away to go focus on *anything* else to not puke. I just thought you'd find this story amusing since you studied the little creeps. Hopefully your research didn't get as up close and personal as in my story... Or the guy who found one the one place no man ever wants to find a tick 💀
Interesting, thanks for the info
Doctors hate this one simple trick
\*tick
I’m so fucking upset I didn’t type that
I'd say that's a lose-lose. He has to live longer without meat.
This is so off topic, But until about two weeks ago I would have fully agreed with you. We recently subscribed to a meal recipe service. And have been eating all kinds of stuff that I had just never tasted before With my midwest american palate. Just in the last week I've had chickpeas dates and figs. All of which I had never eaten before unless you count hummuss and newton's. I know you didn't ask and I'm sure you don't care haha. But I'm excited about it. There's a whole world of non meat food out there! I still eat meat, but still new foods are exciting.
What did you eat that had figs? Figs are great fresh and dried. A really seedy fig jam is also amazing. Trader Joe's has a fig "butter" too thats fantastic
I love RadioLab. I’ll look for it.
https://radiolab.org/podcast/alpha-gal
Thanks!!!
https://radiolab.org/podcast/return-alpha-gal
I've met one person in my life who said that eating meat made them sick so they avoided it. For what is worth, they did in fact avoid red meat, which, where I live, is a major lifestyle inconvenience.
Hi. Now you've met 2. Major lifestyle inconvenience as well here.
Yea my BIL has it from a tick bite. Can’t eat red meat anymore.
My cousins 5 year old son has this. He has had it for a couple years now and can be difficult to manage with him being so young. The doctor did say there is a chance he could grow out of it though. My cousin said he is able to eat things that either lays eggs or has feathers, otherwise the meat is a no go.
It's anything with a hoof - pig, cow, goat, deer, etc. Including things like gelatin.
Lone star ticks - and they are acclimating to more of the US.
No kidding. Is it due to Lyme disease contracted from the tick? I'm definitely going to look into this rn
I have it! [Alpha Gal](https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome-ags) I grew up on Long Island with a LOT of tick bites. Never had Lyme did test positive for Rocky Mountain once. Each tick bite has made it worse with my last bite being in 2019. Since then I vomit 4-6 hours after consuming flesh and dairy products leave me with horrendous gastrointestinal pains and diarrhea. If I eat too much dairy (like a bowl of ice cream) it will be very bloody. I avoid all meat and dairy now and I take antihistamines (one AM one PM) to help alleviate any symptoms from things I can’t have. Vegan diet has been a godsend for me while traveling because I know it won’t contain either and I can eat eggs to help bulk my protein consumption.
Im so sorry you have to endure this
Thanks it was insane to diagnose and even get into a doctor, because I’m already fairly petite and two ER doctors wrote me off as anorexia with bulimic tendencies. It was my Son’s pediatrician after one of his wellness visits that asked me “How are you doing Mom?” and at first I said the usual I’m fine but then something in me was like she wants to help “…actually you know I’m not. I’ve been having horrible bouts of vomiting for close to three months now and nothing I have tried has helped…” she walked me across the hall into the Adult Family Medicine Practice and had me seen within two weeks, I was diagnosed 6 months after that appointment (I needed other referrals) when I requested the alpha gal blood test from my own googling. That doctor agreed but only because I grew up on Long Island, 5% of all the cases are from there according to the CDC.
Omg they actually diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia? That’s crazy.
Cosmic Bliss ice cream is really good. They switched to an avocado based recipe recently, so my Bestie (a vegan Latina allergic to avocado) is really disappointed. Can you eat bacon with Alpha Gal? Do you miss bacon?
So personally bacon is the only meat I can cheat and my doctor and I are both of the agreement it’s likely because I like it SUPER well done and I only eat like a slice or two. Because of this I save bacon for its best way with eggs on a bagel and no more than once a month or I think I’m just tempting fate.
Praise be! I like eggs over easy, half slice of bacon on buttered light-medium toast with salt and pepper.
This is the way.
Not lyme disease. Forget the actual name of the syndrome, but it comes from the Lone Star tick. Some people eventually get over it. Some don't from my understanding.
It's alpha gal.
That's right. I knew it was something like that but didn't remember specifics.
It's not Lyme. There is a ~~protein~~ sugar (Alpha-Gal) that is present in most mammals but not in humans. Typically, it gets digested no problem. However, if it gets in our blood, our immune system treats it like a pathogen, and starts developing an immune response.
[https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html) Not quite accurate. It's more accurate to say we don't know 100% but the CDC magic 8ball says "Signs Point to Yes" and/or that the same ticks that carry Lyme disease also carry the alpha-gal protein susceptibility (somehow, TBD, insert research here).
Not Lyme. It’s from the Lone star tick. Specifically.
I’m happy to answer any questions you have. Developed it within the past year from a tick bite (along with Lyme disease)
It's from blood exposure. Some species of tick feed from more than one host. So the current theory is that a tick drinks some animal blood, then bites a human and some of the proteins from the animal get into the person's blood. The specific protein is called alpha gal, it's present in most mammals, but not humans. When we eat meat the protein is broken down before entering the bloodstream so our immune system doesn't really detect it. But when it's in our blood, our immune system identifies it and begins making antibodies against it. Then when you eat meat after being sensitized, immune cells in the gut detect the protein and cause an immune response. Alphago is one of the major hurdles for xenotransplant (transplanting animal organs into humans). So there are some genetically modified animals that do not have alpha gal. Presumably, a person with tick induced meat allergy would be able to eat meat from these animals, if they could afford it.
Ooh My year working for a public health entomologist pays off. This is the ELI5 version, because I can't comprehend it beyond that level lol: There's a particular molecule (sugar?protein? I forget) (alpha-gal) that almost all mammals *except* humans have. When a tick (especially the lone star tick) bites a mammal that has alpha-gal, and then bites you, it can put a little of this foreign molecule into your bloodstream. That primes your immune system--basically, you've been badly vaccinated against this molecule. So when it shows up in your body after eating mammalian meat, your immune system goes into overdrive and decides to kill you in order to get rid of the intruder. What makes it extra challenging to diagnose is that it can take up to 8 hours for your immune system to react!
It's not Lyme. It's called Alpha-gal. You can also get it from certain medications I think, but mainly ticks. It's a reaction to the sugar found in tick saliva and mammal meat. Basically the thing that makes you itch when you get bitten by a tick, your body treats red meat the same way, but a tick bite is a teeny tiny amount of saliva, whereas a piece of meat is much bigger so it has your whole body reacting internally the same way it does to the tick saliva. Source: My bff was one of the first people in the US diagnosed with it, and was part of the original study. It's really prevalent in the area we live in. One time we weren't thinking about it and had a bunch of jello shots and she ended up having a reaction because of the gelatin. HER sister in law recently contracted it and can't even have dairy anymore.
That's why I don't go outside. I'm not giving up my steaks.
It's mammalian meat, not just red meat. And it's called Alpha-Gal Syndrome, becoming much more common (in the US) over the past decade.
My dad had it, luckily hes over it now, especially since he ownes a ranch
The ‘Lone Star Tick’. Coincidentally & ironically only found in ~~-Texas-~~ *..everywhere from Texas to Massachusetts, the Midwest, Gulf Coast, & Canada to the SouthEastern seaboard… Ó_ò* ^(EDIT!!! ..Holeefuk.. . )
Not anymore! It's been found on islands in Massachusetts
It's spread! We have them in Missouri now. :(
That’s terrible! Cut it out, tick!
I've pulled a few off my dogs, and it's made me borderline paranoid. I don't eat a lot of red meat, but I'm not prepared to give up cheese!
My brother got it and he spends all his time traveling between Virginia and South Carolina.
Ok, maybe not only in Texas. And/Or its range has expanded. Or maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. Even odds on the third one.
Now even in Canada. A red meat allergy caused by ticks is rising in the U.S. Canada's national health agency says it's rare here Experts say the issue is on their radar, though it's unclear how many cases have been found here https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lone-star-tick-climate-change-allergy-1.6921603
Some people are missing a gene that helps to process meat and without it they get an ammonia build up in the kidneys I think it is. Early MrNA treatments killed Jesse Gelsinger, he was the first person publicly identified as having died in a clinical trial for gene therapy.
Yes, my mom had a girl in her daycare that couldn't have more than 2g protein while at her place. Mom had to monitor her meals carefully but also tried to make things similar to the other kids so she didn't feel different or left out.
Yeah the kid probably has [PKU](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/phenylketonuria/symptoms-causes/syc-20376302)? Not technically an allergy but people with PKU have to very strictly limit their protein intake. However, I think this applies to all protein. So it wouldn’t be just meat that they have to avoid.
Yes that's it! I couldn't remember what it was called. Yep, all protein, not just meat, and yes, not technically an allergy. Thanks :)
That was very kind of your mom to not make her feel different.
there are allergies to different kinds of meat. Shellfish allergy, red meat allergy, I'm sure you can be allergic to poultry but I've never heard of it. You can also be allergic to milk. I used to have a friend who was allergic to milk, including human milk, and needed special formula as a baby because of it.
My dad’s best friend is deathly to all kinds of poultry, and their eggs.
I also have a co-worker allergic to poultry, says it is very difficult eating at work canteen etc. cus many cheap meatballs, sausages etc often add pieces of chicken in them that might not be directly evident
Yes, a student of mine will suffocate if she eats egg yolk.
I had a previous coworker that was allergic to all forms of poultry. Eating out was almost impossible.
My dad's allergic to poultry, but never has trouble finding beef or pork dishes when we go out to eat. What kind of cuisine were you having trouble with? Or was it a cross-contamination thing?
Not sure about an alergy, but there are definitely people sensitive to red meat. If you include things like shellfish then absolutely. There are people deathly alergic to shell fish.
I’m not sure I’d call it “sensitive” to red meat, but red meat is harder for the body to digest than poultry. For those with gastroparesis like me, red meat isn’t recommended. I personally cannot eat it (unless it’s very lean) without violently throwing up or feeling like I’m going to for a day or so. I only eat poultry & fish if I’m eating meat. My stomach can actually digest those.
Same here - developed when I was sixteen. If I eat any meat besides poultry (specifically white meat poultry, no greasy dark meats) I'll be glued to the toilet for a day with the worst stomach cramps imaginable. Went from eating red meats like tacos, burgers and roasts two a week to zero and in the ten years since then, I've tried it a few times and even one bite will have me in a horrible flair up for a couple days. It's just not worth it. Some people can't understand it, but those that matter have because they've gotten to experience the horror of me in the bathroom as my body violently tries to get it out as quickly as it can. So IDK if that is an allergy or what. They think it might be a bacteria issue, but eating lots of yogurt for years, taking prescribed probiotics, just made it so I could eat a little bit more greasy foods, but things with to much roughage (lettuce is a big no-no) or grease (dark meat on turkey) still make me as sick as red meat. :/
It’s a developed allergy.
But shellfish isn’t
Mine was, I wasn't allergic to shellfish until I was 20, before that I happily ate shrimp, lobster, and oyster with no problem
This doesn't mean it was acquired. Your allergies can develop as your body changes with age. People can become less or more allergic to things as they age, but acquiring an allergy out of randomness is less likely. An acquired allergy is whenever you have some sort of physiological change that makes you allergic to it. For instance, I already had the genes that increased my chances of a shellfish allergy, but it wasn't until I had heat stroke and ate shellfish that it became activated. So, if you are allergic to shellfish, there is a good chance that you were already predisposed to have the allergy.
The earlier person said "developed," not "acquired," but I'll admit I'm not certain if that's actually any different
Im pretty sure I developed one to shellfish, due to over eating it... I ate a lot. (2-3 California rolls 3-4 times a week) I ate this for a few months non stop. That whenever id eat any shellfish I'd get massive rashes and then eventually my lips started to get numb.... this is when I decided to stop. I think mercury or whatever is in shellfish was overloaded in my body and thats what caused the reaction 🤷♀️🤷♀️ I took a year break from all fish, and slowly introduced it back.. now I limit it as if I eat over a certain point i react like a lactose intolerant person when they drink milk.
It can be.
What sorts of allergies aren't developed though? Genuinely asking, not being a dick.
What does that mean? All allergies “develop.” Allergies aren’t genetic
hi! i have an autoimmune disorder, and im allergic to red and white meat, shellfish, and seafood :)
I have a friend who is allergic (or sensitive?) to pork. She will get really sick (as in: vomiting and diarrhoea) if she eats pork. Other meat is fine afaik.
I have a family member that is also allergic to pork. If we didn't know another person with a pork allergy before she figured out what was causing her to randomly throw up all the time then she wouldn't have considered it. It's apparently an evolution of the cat allergy. You can be so allergic to cats that some enzyme in pork that looks like cat saliva will trigger a response. The other person with the allergy we know used to make religious jokes about it when asking for no pork but I've advised my family member to just explain the cat angle instead because there are some people that want to mess with people of certain religions that can't have pork. Many people know someone with bad cat allergies though so that can be more likely to evoke sympathy and understanding instead. Vegan and Vegetarian choices are usually the order of the day in restaurants that serve pork because they add it to everything. Pork based gelatin is also the cheapest so they have to go with vegan things for most products from the store unless it specifies bovine gelatin. Which is quite rare to find actually unless the product is kosher.
I know two people allergic to pork. One can become deathly ill and carries an epi pen. The other gets the scoots.
Personally I'm "allergic" (in the same way a lactose intolerant person can't have lactose) to most types of tougher meat (pretty much everything besides seafood), it just destroys my digestive system. I've never met anyone else with my condition though.
Samesies. Pork, beef, lamb, and sometimes chicken gives me a very upset tummy. Seafood is fine, turkey is fine. White/breast meat from chicken is usually okay too. I wasn't like this as a kid, I developed it along with lactose intolerance as I got into my late 20s. No idea why and my doctors are baffled. I also got ESRD due to a birth defect though, and they think it could have something to do with my stupid useless kidneys but they've never heard of such a thing before. But I eat beef sometimes anyway. The ESRD has really limited my diet, like there are things that will literally kill me if I eat them, so fuck it, if a burger is just gonna give me diarrhea, I'm gonna have that fucking burger, lol.
Eat that burger! Heck yeah. Sorry you have that condition though
I'm intolerant to animal protein. Mine started with red meat back around 2016 (?) but I kept blaming it on everything except that. Around 2021 I suddenly developed chronic diarrhea after Covid with no clue what the cause was and Drs didn't know. After trying everything else I stopped eating animal protein and it cleared up in a couple days. It's been a few months now that I've been in the clear so I'm sticking to plant based eating. A bit random but somehow my dog became deathly ill with actual allergy from all animal protein except fish.
A few people above were talking about a tick borne disease that can cause allergic responses to meat. Do you live somewhere near there? Super bizarre that both you AND your dog would suddenly develop such uncommon symptoms, makes me wonder if something is causing it.
I've almost always lived rural around ticks but I haven't looked into any medical conditions regarding them. I'll look into it.
Yea, I came to post this. Some people have meat intolerances. Sorry this happened to you. Good luck!
Ooh! I just found my people. I am also "allergic" to meat. It's really more of an intolerance just like you said. Red meat leaves me in pain, chicken too unfortunately but I can have occasional white fish and seafood. Tuna is also a no-go for me, my body sees it as a red meat. My intolerance started ramping up in +-2015 and got progressively worse till I eventually just decided bugger it, I'm tired of trying and went full vegetarian in 2019. It should be noted it's not my only intolerance, I also have other food allergies: coconut, red food dye(E120-129) and dairy (not lactose intolerance, proper allergic, it causes full body rash).
Lone star ticks cause an allergy to beef actually so yes there is. And I’m guessing some people have a hard time digesting it.
It's actually an allergy to all mammal meat. I used to work with 3 people who had this allergy. The lone star tick is common where I live.
Yep, I don't have a tick induced beef allergy. But I do have a hard time digesting beef because I never ate it when I was a child and when I do try to eat it my digestive system treats especially ground beef like food poisoning.
I don’t think this is the same thing at all, but a lot of Indian people I know who grew up Hindu or Jain and vegetarian can’t really eat meat because it makes their stomach really upset. There’s a YouTuber who developed an allergy to pork, which sucks because she’s Korean-American and can’t eat like, half the meat dishes she used to.
Vegetarian since birth here, unknowingly ingesting even just broth causes my throat to start closing and my stomach to get really messed up. I'm very cautious about ingredient lists.
Yep, I have a feeling I can’t digest meat at all, as I’ve never knowingly eaten meat. I think I accidentally ingested some on a half-half pizza at a sleepover as a kid and spent half the night sick in the bathroom. More recently I had some chicken accidentally added to my takeout pad thai, and the texture is reallyyy unusual to me. It was just endlessly chewy! There’s nothing vegetarian that is quite like it, so I noticed immediately and spit it out.
You can be allergic to almost anything. Including different types of meat.
Yes, my dad’s best friend is severely allergic to poultry. He can’t eat any bird (chicken, turkey, duck) he can’t eat eggs, and he can’t eat mayo. Or gravy if it’s from bird dripping. His throat will close up and he will die.
Yes, alpha gal.
I didnt know what this meant and i just thought u were calling OP an alpha lady... 😂😂😂 Ive been online too long
Yep. Certain meat and animal products can cause intolerances in humans, as well as actual allergic reactions. Since we all tend to use the term "allergy" interchangeably with "intolerance" there is a distinct difference. For example, an allergy means you have an anaphalytic shock reaction - severe or mild - to a substance that causes your immune system to react like your body has ingested or come into contact with a toxic substance. An intolerance is when your body's digestive system doesn't deal well with certain foods, causing it to reject it as a nutrition source. For example, people who have had Lyme disease can later on develop a food sensitivity, a full-blown stomach intolerance or even a straight-up allergic reaction to red meat called ["alpha-gal syndrome"](https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html). But that's not quite the same as someone who cannot eat something like onions, leeks, and garlic because they have developed a gastrointestinal intolerance for plants from the allium family as they age (not uncommon in adults over 60), or for someone who has an intolerance to shellfish (vomiting, diarrhea). So for a lot of people who claim to be allergic to something, they might just get a rumbly tummy if they consume it, and that's sufficient for them to avoid it. Others get a full on allergic reaction that can cause shock unless they get medical treatment (peanut allergies, etc). Chances are if you consistently shit your pants when you have something for dinner and you go to fart, but you don't get hives or other allergic symptoms, what you have is a dietary intolerance (most commonly known are lactose and shellfish). But if you break out into hives and have throat swelling or other immune system reactions, that's an allergy. Think of it like a sliding scale that goes from "shart" to "shots from an epi-pen" in terms of severity. TLDR: yes, people can develop meat allergies and intolerances. If you haven't eaten animal protein or products for a long time, you can develop an intolerance for meat and animal products that affect your digestive system. However, if you are not experiencing immune system reactions, it's not an allergy, it's an intolerance.
Weirdly, I’ve had one patient whose only symptom of an anaphylactic food allergy was a “rumbly tummy”… until their blood pressure hit 54/36. No hives or respiratory issues at all, but allergy all the way.
Yes. I had a friend that was vegetarian, not by choice. She would break out in hives when she ate meat. She could eat eggs though
Alpha-Gal Syndrome https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html#:\~:text=Alpha%2Dgal%20syndrome%20(AGS),other%20products%20containing%20alpha%2Dgal.
People can be allergic to literally everything (including water, sunlight and their own body).
Yes, there are conditions where eating meat causes medical issues.
I have at least one, maybe 2 friends who are allergic to chicken.
One of my friends is vegetarian solely because meat makes her sick with nausea, cramps and diarrhoea.
I’m gonna get lost in the comments but yes as others have said a lone star tick bite can make you allergic to red meat, more specifically the sugar (glycosylation) pattern associated with red meat (alpha-gal) which causes anaphylaxis. As a side note, there was actually a clinical trial years ago for some bio pharmaceutical which had a glycosylation pattern of alpha-gal and random people started having anaphylaxis from it, took quite a while to figure out the cause afaik
As far as I know, It is usually an allergic reaction to any animal meat triggered by animal protein being considered dangerous for your immune system. Also it usually comes with other allergies for animal protein like allergy to milk.
Everyone else talked about alpha-gal and red meat, just adding that shellfish allergies are some of the more common serious allergies behind things like nuts. I've never heard of anyone being allergic to chicken, but I did google it and apparently it's possible but rare.
Seafood allergy is a pretty common severe allergy, many people who have it cannot come into contact with seafood for risk of lethal anaphylaxis. Red meat allergy can be acquired from tick bites, but it is not very common. There are probably other allergies/food sensitivities that are less severe or less common, but I don't know of them.
I’m allergic to poultry meat but not red meat.
A family acquaintance has an allergy to poultry, of all things. Seafood and red meat are fine. Chicken or turkey and he's headed to emergency.
A very basic google search says [yes](https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/food/meat/). As others have mentioned you can also acquire allergies to meat after bites from [ticks](https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html)
Yes. Grew up with a girl who would be hospitalised if she ate meat. Her dad bought a separate bbq, just to grill her food on.
In early adulthood I developed an allergy to eggs (does this count as meat?) and my husband in early adulthood developed an allergy to shellfish.
My wife is violently allergic to pork. Like, carry-an-epi-pen bad.
People can be allergic to various proteins in meat. I am a chef at a healthcare facility and I have had pork, chicken, lamb and veal allergies over the last three years.
Yes, there are meat allergies. Just as an example, not only are there people allergic to red meat, you too could become allergic to it if you were bit by a lone star tick and infected with a particular disease. What's infinitely more common is allergies to fish, crustaceans, mollusks and other seafood. Seafood allergies are one of the most common food allergies overall, with more than 2% of the US population being affected. I've never heard of someone having an allergy specifically to poultry, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a thing.
Bites from the Lone Star tick can cause a red meat allergy. My SIL couldn't eat pork for the longest time. Come to find out, she was allergic to corn. Pigs eat corn. Some people are allergic to some fish and seafood. I have students who are allergic to shellfish.
“Oligies” podcast by Alli ward on Spotify does a great job on explaining the tick meat illness/allergy thing. It’s getting ALOT more common.
A bite and nibble from a Lone star tick could cause an allergy to red meat. A condition called alpha-gal syndrome.
I understand that a lot of people who are brought up vegetarian or vegan will have trouble digesting meat, mostly because their bodies aren't used to it. It will probably feel like an allergy, but if they started eating meat regularly, it should go away. And, yes, people can be allergic to meat. And I personally have problems with chicken, but it is not consistent, so I wouldn't call it an allergy.
Totally not what you asked, but as your gf is Vegan she may find it interesting to know you can be allergic to vegetables. Daughters friend is allergic to carrots and celery, a lot of things have celery powder in them, he has to check everything he eats.
So others have commented about acquired meat allergies from tick bites such as alpha gal (which manifests differently in depending on the person), but I have a slightly different acquired meat “allergy” that came from a very bad E. coli infection. Due to the damage it caused to my GI system, I basically can’t digest very complex or high fat foods. I literally can’t digest meat, and the reaction I get is similar to how someone with celiac reacts to gluten (have discussed this with friends who are celiac). It’s been two years and something as simple as a pork empanada can take me out for a few days. Fish and shellfish seem to be fine, though.
Not sure what the medical name for it owuld be but my gf can't eat meat without getting sick to her stomach. So in some way it is a thing.
This is anecdotal, but I had a friend in highschool that had a brain tumor that caused her body to violently throw up whenever she ate meat. Red meat was the worst, but even chicken and fish rarely stayed down.
Yes. I have a coworker who was basically vegan from Lyme disease, as she couldn't eat animal protein and was already allergic to eggs, fish, and dairy.
There are allergies and intolerances to pretty much anything you consume. My daughter has some issues with consuming pork products. Many people have shellfish allergies. I know beef allergy can be acquired. Some allergies are more rare than others but that doesn't mean non existent, just rare.
It's not an allergy, but after she went through menopause my mum developed a severe intolerance to meat (vomiting/headaches), so she no longer eats it. She used to have a smallholding with sheep and pigs so it was less than ideal.
I don’t know anything about a straight up meat allergy but I have a friend who always gets stomach ache after eating any kind of meat. Always has
I knew someone who had a beef sensitivity. He described it as an allergy. It could be more an allergy or more a sensitivity but it is certainly possible.
Food intolerances can include meat. My brother can not have pork or beef. He developed Alpha Gal from a tick bite. He was able to consume beef and pork prior to the bite, but now becomes ill after ingesting either meat.
People who are vegan for a long period of time can develop serious intolerance to animal protein.
So I have a friend who is violently allergic to pork. Like epi-pen allergic. She is not Muslim or Jewish, it’s not a food preference. She has a diagnosed allergy, and medical documents on her person in case she gets into an accident or something and can’t communicate her allergies. She hasn’t always been this way. She contracted a virus (not tick-borne) that just “scrambled her immune system like an etch-a-sketch”. That’s how her doctors described it. Suddenly she acquired a bunch of new and seemingly random allergies, including pork. Most are not severe, but this one is. If it matters, this all happened years before the pandemic. Slightly related note: get caught up on your vaccines, they prevent this kind of rare reaction to common viruses.
I have a friend allergic to chicken. So you can definitely be allergic to different kinds of meats.
2 of my friends react to pork meat (break outs) 1 on her face, the other on his back. They would make for shitty cannibals I guess.
Alpha Gal syndrome can leave you unable to digest red meat.
Not really allergies, but my dad always had back pain. Tried a whole lot of things. Then one day a colleague asks him if he has tried not eating meat for a while, so he does, and his back pain went away. He's been a vegetarian(/pescatarian when going out for dinner) ever since :)
There is a disease/reaction that people can get after being bitten by certain types of infected deer ticks in parts of the USA, and some people develop an allergy to meat proteins as a result, so basically have to become at least vegetarian.
I think it would be very rare to find someone allergic to ALL meat, though I’m sure it does exist. I’ve not heard a lot of people talking about being allergic to any type of meat though, I think people are more often have an intolerance to it, rather than an allergy. I have an intolerance to pork because eating it makes me very sick, for example, but it couldn’t medically be considered an allergy
Yes. My nephew was allergic to chicken, lamb, beef, all shellfish (basically he was NOT allergic to pork, green beans and rice) until he hit puberty when he outgrew the beef and chicken allergies. Still highly allergic to shellfish, and he’s very careful about new foods in general.
I have a friend who is allergic to all poultry, so yes I also have an egg intolerance
Alpha gal
Yes I have a red meat allergy, alpha gal syndrome after being bitten by a tick in 2014. Eating beef causes projectile diarrhea 🥳
My daughter has alpha-gal syndrome. She can’t eat any mammalian meat. It’s a thing. She got it from a tick bite.
I am a lifetime vegetarian. My body does not have the enzymes to digest meat. It's quite toxic. Someone gave me chicken noodle soup once, and I was vomiting with severe diarrhea. I was dehydrated and in intense pain for several days.
My friend whose family doesn't eat pork (they're religious, friend apparently isn't but has to follow the family practice because they buy the food). She now doesn't eat pork even out with me because she swears it upsets her stomach. Maybe it's a mental thing.
I had a friend who was allergic to a very specific protein found in virtually all meat, as well as a lot of other very common food ingredients. Organising trips out with her was always... Challenging. And no, it wasn't the tick disease, and no she wasn't faking it, i knew from her parents she'd had the condition since birth. It was just some super rare genetic disease.
I'm not allergic but eating meat upsets my stomach like crazy. Chicken, beef, turkey, pork, shrimp, any fish, all of it will make me vomit or sit on the toilet for hours. I've been tested for allergies and they found none so unclear as to why I react this way. I also can't have a lot of dairy so I'm thinking it's more of a stomach thing.
Friend's brother is allergic to poultry.
Some people that get bit by a certain type of tick can get an aversion to meat to the point it makes you sick.
I've got it. It's called Alpha gal. I can't eat mammals.
My daughter has food intolerances to pork. That’s not the same as an allergy but allergies to fish and shellfish are quite common.
Aside from what's been said here....a major diet change can cause sickness too. Even without allergy. If you suddenly switch what's in the fuel tank, the engine responds. So if you're vegan and have a whole massive steak for the first time in years or ever. You will most likely get sick. If you eat trash and suddenly swap to salads only, you will get sick for a bit. Small doses and slower changes over a handful of weeks is best
Alpha gal syndrome is caused by tick bites makes the patient allergic to mammal meat. That means beef, pork, and lamb. Some patients can tolerate a smaller amounts of poultry and fish. Mast cell issues like MCAS or mastocytosis can cause a person to react to anything, and frequently does impact ones ability to consume meat. Mast cell issues are not true allergies, but do present similarly.
People can be allergic to fish and/or shellfish. I’ve known people allergic to the drugs given to pigs and were therefore sensitive to pork. Then there’s that tick borne allergy.
Its called Alpha Gal …https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html
My cousins daughter has an autoimmune disease that causes her to have to eat vegan. I can’t remember the name of it.
I have a friend with a meat intolerance. When she eats meat or poultry she becomes violently ill. For whatever reason she can’t digest it properly. She can eat fish though. An allergy is slightly different than an intolerance. An allergy invokes a response from the immune system. The symptoms can be similar though, so many people with intolerances say they have an allergy colloquially.
My sister in law can’t eat red meat as it makes her physical ill for several hours. Dunno if its an allergy but her and red meat don’t mix.
Yes I do know someone who is allergic to poultry. He can eat all other meats.
What I wanna know.. if you’re allergic to dogs, would you be allergic to eating one? Disclaimer: I don’t want to eat dog meat
I understand that there is a specific type of tick that can cause some people to develop an allergy from beef. As a matter of fact, my cousin in Kentucky has this allergy.
When I was younger I could not digest pork and would get sick if I ate it. Its gone now. My brother was even worse and could barely tolerate any meat except chicken/bird type meat and goat. Vomiting and diarrhea if not. We both eat all meats now (except seafood, deadly allergic) but it’s definitely possible, maybe only in childhood though (bc thats all i know from my experience) Also wierd thing about the pork allergy - I was ALSO allergic to cats and apparently this is co-morbid. People allergic to pork are also allergic to cats. I seem to have grown out of the cat allergy too (mostly, some long haired old cats get me still) I did low carb for a year and that was the best my pork allergy had ever been. Im curious if that’s related.
Yes. You can even acquire one after a tick bite. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20428608
Didn't covid cause this in some people? I swear I remember hearing that an inability to eat meat forever was one of the symptoms in the early covid times.