Beware! Allergens abound at most eateries. Photo: Dan4th/ Flickr

Hanna Raskin's first waitressing job was at a small Greek diner in Michigan. In the 15 years since, she's worked at a chop suey joint in Mississippi, an exclusive Arizonan country club, a vegetarian eatery and an Irish pub. She currently picks up odd shifts at a seafood eatery in the North Carolina mountains, where she cracks crab legs for helpless tourists. This is the second in a series of posts.

My mother, who has a severe shellfish allergy, hasn't tasted seafood since the Eisenhower administration. Since she hasn't a clue whether crustaceans are salty, sweet or sour, she suspects they're lurking everywhere on the menu: "Now, does this cheesecake have any shellfish?" she'll ask her very patient server.

As a kid, I cringed at my mom's fastidiousness. Because really, who would put shrimp in granola? But with chefs now fusing ingredients at a breakneck pace and food allergies multiplying at an unprecedented rate, my mother isn't the only one asking. Twelve million Americans suffer from food allergies, and they're demanding that restaurants accommodate them.

I've always been thankful that I'm not allergic to anything. I breathe a sigh of relief every time I get to say "not that I know of" when the doctor asks if I'm allergic to anything. At the same time, I've always felt really bad for people who do suffer from food allergies. Lactose intolerance? You poor thing! What? You can't eat wheat/bread? I just don't think I could make it.

I realize that if you are one of the people who can't eat certain foods you get used to it and take it in stride. And of course, food labels are enormously useful in helping people avoid those dangerous foods. Even though there are more, manufacturers are required to list the top eight, which are responsible for 90% of allergic reactions. I'm sure all of these look familiar to any careful label reader!

1. wheat
2. soy
3. peanuts
4. tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc)
5, milk
6. eggs
7. fish
8. shellfish

Whole Foods has just put out a recall on its Whole Treat Organic Vanilla Ice Cream Bars Dipped in Chocolate due to undisclosed almonds. This isn't the first time Whole Foods has recalled an ice cream product due to undisclosed ingredients. Last August they issued a recall on their frozen chocolate and vanilla soy products that contained undeclared milk. In the past they have had other food recalls such as when jars labeled peanut butter actually contained almond butter, as well as a few others over the years.

I'm glad that companies are quick to make food recalls for allergies and possible contamination, such as the spinach scare of the last few months. People with allergies, young children, the elderly, those who are pregnant , and people with immune system problems should keep track of food recalls to stay safe. To stay abreast of allergy related food recalls you can visit the Food Allergy website and the Kids With Food Allergies website. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration site has up to date info on all types of food and drug recalls.

It would appear that the constant rise of food allergy sufferers may not actually be that bad. According to a WJZ.com most "allergies" have been based on just one test, either a blood test or a skin test, when in fact a wider picture should be considered. Such tests are very sensitive and should be compared to what the patient finds when they eat a particular food.

So the burden should be on the sufferer - they should make full notes on what they are eating and the type of reaction they suffer. This info should then be used by the Doctor who pools all the data together to make the correct diagnosis. It's very rare for a person to be allergic to more than two or three different foods.

Most allergies revolve around fish, shellfish, nuts, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, soy, and milk. Many people especially children, outgrow food allergies. About five percent of kids have food allergies but only two percent of adults. So the Doctor needs to look at the results over a long time period so they can see if things are evolving. There is also a distinct difference between sensitivities to food with actual allergies. Knowing what the symptoms of allergies are is important to distinguish between them.

[Iimage from Learn about Allergies]