What Foods Should Be Avoided with Alcohol Allergy?

Alcohol—ethanol—is metabolized in the body into acetaldehyde. Due to a deficiency of aldehyde dehydrogenase, the body cannot further convert acetaldehyde into acetic acid for excretion, leading to acetaldehyde toxicity and resulting in various allergic symptoms. So, what foods should individuals with alcohol allergy avoid? Let’s explore this together.

Foods to Avoid with Alcohol Allergy

Individuals with alcohol allergy must avoid foods containing alcohol, such as fermented rice (jiu niang) and alcohol-preserved jujubes (jiu zao). They should also avoid spicy and irritating foods, including chili peppers, garlic, and onions.

Patients with alcohol allergy must avoid not only alcoholic foods and beverages—including fermented rice and alcohol-preserved jujubes—but also products containing alcohol, such as alcohol swabs.

Generally, individuals with alcohol allergy tend to have an atopic (allergy-prone) constitution and may also be sensitive to animal-derived high-protein foods. Therefore, in addition to avoiding alcohol-containing foods, they should limit intake of animal-based high-protein foods—including chicken, beef, lamb, dog meat, and eggs (e.g., chicken, duck, goose, pigeon, and quail eggs), as well as various fish and seafood (e.g., sea bass, prawns, and crabs). They should also avoid spicy and irritating foods—such as chili peppers, garlic, and onions—as well as mushrooms (e.g., shiitake and enoki mushrooms) and bamboo shoots (e.g., sour bamboo shoots and winter bamboo shoots), all of which may trigger allergic reactions.

In daily life, a light, nutritionally balanced diet and moderate physical activity are recommended.

We hope this information is helpful to you.