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Sesame seeds come neatly packed in a capsule inside the flowers of the sesame plant. The plant is labeled asurvivor crop because it can withstand harsh weather conditions where other crops fail. Sesame seeds have a nutty flavor and have been traded for thousands of years.
Sesame seeds arehighly nutritious, with just one tablespoon containing dietary fiber, protein, vitamins (C, and D,) and a host of minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese.
Dishes, snacks, and desserts containing sesame seeds are part of the daily cuisine in the Middle East and Asia and are often eaten in North America, Europe, and Africa.
Similar to nuts, sesame can cause allergic reactions in some people. Approximately0.23% of U.S. children and adults are allergic to sesame, making it the ninth most common food allergy among children and adults in the U.S. Sesame is the ninth major allergen thatmust be labeled in plain language on packaged foods in the U.S.
Allergic reactions to sesame seeds are varied– they can be mild or severe, and can start immediately or hours after eating something containing the seeds.
Theallergic reactions can include:
Difficulty breathing or wheezing
Itchiness or irritation in the throat
Persistent coughing
Hoarseness or a raspy voice
Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Hives, red spots, or skin itching
Swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat
Swollen, itchy, or watery eyes
Some people also experience a drop in blood pressure, which may cause them to faint.
An anaphylactic reaction is a serious allergic reaction that can be fatal because the body goes into shock. This sometimes, with symptoms that include:
Fainting
Dizziness
Trouble breathing
Wheezing
Rapid heartbeat
Cardiac arrest
The treatment for anaphylaxis is an injection of adrenaline using an EpiPen. Since allergic reactions to sesame are unpredictable, anyone who has had a reaction to sesame seeds should always carry an EpiPen, even if their reactions were previously mild.
Food allergies are caused by an autoimmune reaction to food items that are otherwise harmless for most people. The problem is not with the food; it's with the body's overreaction to it.
In those with a sesame allergy, the immune system overreacts to the protein in the seeds by producing antibodies to that protein. This triggers a release of histamine and other chemicals into the bloodstream, which gives rise to various allergic symptoms.
Perhaps, it is not that more people are becoming allergic to sesame. Rather, we see more allergic reactions because we are growing better at identifying allergies.
Also, sesame is more readily available in the food system, so more people who are already allergic to it get to eat it and discover that they’re allergic to it. For example, many bagels and buns come topped with sesame. Sesame is also an ingredient in many spice mixes and flavorings. Also, a lot of Asian food available contains sesame or sesame oil.
One surprising reason for sesame becoming prevalent in food items has arisen from recent labeling regulations. Under federal law, starting January 2023, all foods containing sesame must clearly state this on their labels. The law is strict, and the risk of cross-contamination is significant. However, manufacturers cannot just simply add “may contain sesame” to packages unless it contains sesame.
As a result, some manufacturers have begunadding sesame to products that previously didn’t include it, finding it simpler to label a product containing sesame than ensuring the food is entirely free of the allergen. So, it would be a good idea to recheck the ingredient labels of your next purchase, even if the concerned item was previously ‘sesame-free’.
No, it is not. In the first place, seeds and nuts are not the same things. Seeds are the reproductive parts of a plant, capable of growing into a new plant. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds can grow into new plants. Nuts, on the other hand, are botanically defined as a dry fruit with a single seed that is encased in a hard shell.
However, all allergies are basically the same. They are all an immune reaction to a substance that is innocuous – a food with no inherent danger to the human system.
A Physician can do several tests to confirm a sesame allergy.
This test involves putting a little bit of sesame extract onto your back or arm, and then pricking the skin so some of the extract enters under the skin. If you are allergic to sesame, your skin will become red or swollen. The test doesn't indicate the severity of the allergy.
A blood test will indicate your IgE antibody levels. High levels are an indication of an immune response to sesame. However, the results don't show what iscausing the allergic reaction or if it is a serious allergy.
Skin or blood tests may be insufficient to confirm your sesame allergy. The next step is to do a food challenge. The test is monitored by a physician. The procedure is simple – you eat a bit of sesame, and the amount is gradually increased at 15-minute intervals while the doctor observes you closely for any allergic reaction.
The test is done in a medical facility where the appropriate medical care can be provided should you have a severe reaction. An oral food test is the most reliable test to confirm a food allergy.
It is true that some children can outgrow a sesame allergy but there is no cure or medication for the condition. Around20% to 30% of children with a sesame allergy outgrow it by the time they reach six. The remainder have a lifelong allergy to sesame.
The strange thing is that one can develop an allergy to sesame as an adult even if you never had any reaction to it before.
Globalization has spread the cuisine of different cultures across the world. Depending on where you live, you may have access to foods from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South America, or Africa.
Tahini (sesame paste)
Humus (made with tahini and chickpeas)
Baba ganoush, contains tahini
Goma-dofu (sesame tofu)
Baked goods, such as bagels, bread, hamburger buns, pita, pretzels, and tortilla
Processed meats and sausages
Shish kebabs, stir fries
Condiments, dressings, marinades
Cereals, granola and muesli
Margarine
Flavored rice and noodles
Sesame snap bars, rice cakes protein, energy bars, and pasteli (sesame seed candy).
Asian soups, sushi, tempeh
Turkish cake
Vegetarian sausages and burgers
You may be unfamiliar withthese terms that indicate the presence of sesame in the food item:
Benne benne seed, benniseed, gingelly, gingelly oil, gomasio (sesame salt), sesamol, sesamum indicum, semolina, sim, tahina, tehina, and til.
Please note that sesame is not only used in food products; it is also widely used in cosmetics like soaps and lotions, nutritional supplements, and some medicines.
If it were not for the fact that so many manufacturers now use sesame in their products, a sesame allergy probably wouldn't have been much of a problem. Many modern food products contain sesame, sesame paste, or sesame oil.
Though avoiding processed foods will help you avoid accidentally consuming sesame products, the same can be achieved by reading ingredient labels for your next purchase.
Certain foods don’t usually get contaminated with sesame. So you can indulge in the following without worrying about your sesame allergy:
Meat (not processed meat)
Fish and seafood
Poultry, eggs, and dairy, including yogurt and cheese
Fruits, vegetables, and legumes
Nuts & seeds
Whole grains, including wheat, rice, quinoa, barley, millet, and baked goods made from these and other flours.
Flavor your food with salt, pepper, spices, and herbs not mixed with other ingredients. Also, learn to make your own salad dressings. It's simple to do and quite delicious. Learn to appreciate and use good quality vinegar and olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlic, and you will never need a salad dressing from the store again.
If you don't have an issue with nuts, you can use peanut sauce in place of tahini sauce. You could also make a sauce using tree nuts like cashew nuts.
However, since sesame seeds have a similar biochemical structure to peanuts, you are at risk of having an allergic reaction to peanuts and even other nuts. This is known ascross-reactivity—when the immune system reacts the same to two different allergens.
If you can't eat nuts or seeds, you could try the following solutions to create a nutty-flavored sauce:
Pretzels
A roux made from browned butter and flour (be careful not to burn the butter)
Roasted oat flour
Like nut allergies, a sesame allergy can lead to serious allergic reactions. If you are allergic to sesame, you should avoid all food items containing sesame, sesame paste, or sesame oil. You are more likely to avoid sesame intake by reducing processed foods in your overall diet. Otherwise, make it a routine to read all labels before buying any processed food as it’s mandatory to label products containing sesame.
I know that's a lot to ask, but think about it this way: if you commit to not buying food that comes in packages, you don't need to read so many food labels!