A startling number of foods and food additives can cause allergic reactions or intolerance in sensitive individuals. While most allergic reactions are caused by a relatively small number of triggers, or allergens, there are many other foods that cause adverse reactions. Milk, for example, is a common allergen, while reactions to sauerkraut are comparatively rare.

Allergy vs. Intolerance

Foods can cause a number of adverse reactions, ranging from itchiness or sniffles to a potentially fatal case of anaphylactic shock. A true food allergy is caused by your body’s immune system overreacting to a perceived threat from a harmless food, flooding your body with antibodies and histamines. Other unpleasant symptoms, from diarrhea and bloating to headaches and nausea, can be caused by triggers that don’t affect your immune system. These are referred to by doctors as intolerances or sensitivities, rather than allergies.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is made by layering shredded cabbage with salt, and allowing a natural fermentation process to create lactic and acetic acid, which preserves the cabbage. Although most people can eat sauerkraut without harm, it has a number of potential triggers. The yeasts and yeast residues left over from fermentation are one potential trigger, and the fermented cabbage juice also contains naturally occurring histamines. A limited number of people are allergic to cabbage and other members of the mustard family, including kale, broccoli and ground mustard.

Milk

Milk is one of the eight allergens that account for 90 percent of all diagnosed food allergies in the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Milk allergies are most common in infants, and are usually outgrown by late childhood. Milk allergy should not be confused with lactose intolerance. Allergy sufferers will react to either the whey proteins or the casein in milk, or sometimes both. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest a natural sugar that occurs in milk. Although neither is pleasant, a milk allergy can be much more serious than lactose intolerance.

Raw vs. Boiled Milk

If you are diagnosed with a milk allergy, it’s worth finding out which of the milk proteins you’re allergic to. If it is casein, then any milk product will remain problematic for you. However, if it is the whey proteins you’re allergic to, you may still be able to drink milk. Heating milk to boiling will change the whey proteins to the point that they are no longer an allergy trigger. You’ll then be able to chill the boiled milk and use it normally for drinking, cooking or baking.